[post] I remember my father’s face the day Nagasaki was mentioned in class...

I remember my father’s face the day Nagasaki was mentioned in class — not during the war, but in 1978, when I was teaching second grade. He came to me that evening and said, “Don’t let them turn it into a story about bravery. It was about survival. And shame.” I think of that every time I hear politicians in Tokyo or Washington speak of deterrence like it’s a clean idea. You don’t teach children about peace by polishing old bombs and calling them strength. The cherry trees near the peace park bloom every year without ceremony. They don’t need speeches. They just need time, and someone to water them.