I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds
It’s odd how 11th September (or September 11th or 9/11) and 7/7 have become memorable dates, but 6th August isn’t remarked upon.
7 Responses to “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”
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August 6th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
well, hmm. I guess its because cultural ‘memorable’ dates shift and change. And for the world wars, it is the cessation that has been remembered rather than the initiation or the ‘pivotal moments’.
As a pacifist, I am horrified by nuclear , germ chemical etc warfare and the possibility of causing untold/ massive numbers of deaths at a remove, allowing more of an objectification of ‘the enemy’ as a faceless mass.
hmm, I fear that I could rant on for some while, but won’t!
oneday should inculcate my children into this view, and we may well ‘remember ‘ the date at that point. I think they are too young to be subjected to how awful humans are at the moment.
Oh, and as all my views come from sci fi
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gameplayers-Zan-M-Foster/dp/0879979933/ref=sr_1_1/202-0678514-7681403?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186417998&sr=8-1
August 6th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Must admit, lately I have been wondering about those commandment things. For example, when God said “thou shalt not kill”, do you suppose he meant that we should, like, not kill each other?
August 6th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I always remember 6th August for Hiroshima but that’s mostly cos it’s my Dad’s birthday so when we touched on it at school in History it stuck in my mind as that date.
I get very irate that anniversaries of things like Diana dying get so much press when remembrance day passes with nowhere near so much fanfare.
August 6th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Tim: yes, I agree with you. I’ve heard some people try to make the distinction between murder and war (saying that commandments apply to murder but not war) but I’m not convinced. Also after the 10 Commandments are given in Deuteronomy, there’s a lot of killing by the Israelites, e.g. under King David, which seems largely OK and is something I have always struggled with.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:23 am
By “seems largely OK” I mean “is presented as if it’s OK”, not “is OK with me”! Belated happy birthday to your dad, Nic.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Bob, just wondered if you had a copy of my smiley collection e.g.
I seem to have mislaid the extra smileys during an upgrade and I can’t find my local copies either.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Sorry, found them.
