The whole city is mobilized for peace. It is known as the City of Peace. The Pope, Mother Theresa and many other famous people have visited the city on peace journeys. The mayor of the city has faithfully, in the last 55 years, written a letter of protest to every country involved in nuclear testing. Every August 6th a huge Peace Festival is held in Peace Park and tens of thousands of people attend.
Peace is at the heart of the city.
And yet, all this saddens me because all these people are looking for peace in the wrong place. Their hearts yearn for a peace which they can never attain on their own. No amount of money spent on expensive memorials, no amount of time spent in festivals, peace talks, peace conferences or writing peace notes will bring true peace to the world or to their aching hearts. Even yet today bomb survivors pilgrimage to the gravesides of their dead loved ones to pray for their souls and beg the gods for peace. And yet, they have no idea to whom they pray.