What we remember—and how we remember it—shapes how we feel, heal, and connect.
““Let all the souls here rest in peace; For we shall not repeat the evil.””
💡 Takeaway
This week marks the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9). These are global moments of mourning and reflection—a time to witness the scale of human suffering and the unthinkable decisions made in fear, retaliation, and power.
Remembrance is not just a political act. It’s a psychological one.
It influences how we understand ourselves, others, and what we believe is possible in the world.
Personal Roots, Global Grief
My family holds both reverence and grief.
My grandmother, a pregnant Filipino woman, was held hostage in her own home during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
Some of my family members perished during the Bataan Death March.
And still—I hold a deep respect for the Japanese people:
Their resilience. Their pursuit of peace. Their culture of honor and care.
Their willingness to remember without denying.
I can carry both truths.
And maybe you do too.
Mental Health Insight
Painful events don’t just disappear over time. They are stored in nervous systems, family legacies, cultural identities, and global patterns.
When we avoid difficult history, we miss the chance to integrate it.
When we face it—with compassion and clarity—we expand our psychological flexibility, deepen our empathy, and find a more grounded sense of belonging.
From an ACT lens, this is "making room" for discomfort in service of living by our values.
Not to wallow—but to grow.
Not to shame—but to connect.
Mental health isn’t the absence of hard feelings. It’s the capacity to hold them without shutting down or turning away.
If you’re hurting, you’re not alone.
You don’t have to “have it together” to face hard history.
You don’t need the perfect words.
You just need presence.
To witness. To learn. To stay open.
🛠️ Try This
Take 5–10 minutes today to journal or reflect:
What is a historical event or ancestral story that lives in your body?
How has it shaped your sense of safety, identity, or justice?
What does it mean to you to remember it well?
If the answers feel tender, that’s okay. That’s where the truth lives.
You can offer yourself compassion and curiosity.
📚 Resources for the Curious
🎧 Podcast - Ten Percent Happier – Episode: “A Skeptic’s Path to Forgiveness” with Jack Kornfield
📖 Book - Hiroshima by John Hershey
🎥 Documentary – Paper Lanterns (2016)
🖼️ Digital Archive – Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum