Left, Right, Center (2020)

Left, Right, Center is an annual series on Natetheworld where I attempt to find common ground on some of the biggest issues facing The United States.

Years ago, at Green Lake in Seattle, I attended a Hiroshima Day of Remembrance event. I went for two reasons. First and selfishly, I knew the event culminated with the lighting of hundreds of paper lanterns that would float across the lake as early evening began to take hold. Being new to the world of photography, I saw this as an opportunity to continue practicing. Secondly, I went to learn. I have known about Hiroshima and Nagasaki since grade school. I have long wrestled with the fact that my country dropped two nuclear bombs on crowded Japanese cities to end World War II. Considering myself a proud pacifist, I needed to learn about the efforts being taken to ensure something like this never happens again.

According to the Federation of American Scientists, “at the height of the Cold War, there were 70,300 nuclear weapons in the world. Today, there are 13,410.” Since Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the end of the Cold War between the USSR and the United State of America, nation-states of the world have committed themselves to the idea of lessening nuclear stockpiles. In fact, 191 states have committed themselves to the UN’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Looking at the dwindling stockpiles and profound agreements, one could…