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Obama’s Speech in Hiroshima via NY Times

This beautifully worded speech has really interested me on a couple of occasions over the past week. The first time was when I heard segments of the speech on the evening news. I was very struck that the address and the sentiments conveyed were so perfectly worded for the situation. The second time the speech hit my consciousness was after Donald Trump hit news stories saying that he would never apologize for Hiroshima because of Pearl Harbor. So I’ve read the speech in full, courtesy of The New York Times posting the text in full. First, it is noteworthy that Obama didn’t apologize America’s action over Hiroshima during the Second World War. What the speech conveyed was consolation and unity, a call to action for a better future. What happened in Hiroshima was truly horrible and it weighs heavy on our national  consciousness. Was it justifiable? Weighed in balance of the losses that had already occurred during the war, maybe. However, this speech wasn’t about justifying ourselves. The message is about valuing human life and taking responsibility for the future, which would be right regardless.

Here is the text in full.