Thursday, August 7, 2008

Nagasaki


In two days, we will come upon the anniversary of the dropping of "Fat Man" on Nagasaki. I was reminded by a fellow artist that the firebombing of many Japanese cities equalled if not dwarfed the the atomic bombings in the number of human beings killed. It is a bullies' game, to always hit with a bigger stick, always hit harder, and ensure that your opponent is more devastated. I have been thinking of the religious people lately and the idea that human beings were made in "God's image" and given dominion over all beasts. This kind of thinking, is dangerous I think. It seems to me that it leads to a kind of superior attitude and arrogance. The fact that we can write, make things, and speak in multiple languages does not in my mind make us superior or evolved beings. If this is the legacy of humankind and the world continues to suffer for our dominion, perhaps it's time we step down and let some other animals run the place. They certainly couldn't do worse.

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