Book 60 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title - Your whole world can change in a moment’s notice; let your values be your anchor

Book: Hiroshima by John Hersey

Book Description: On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city. This book, John Hersey's journalistic masterpiece, tells what happened on that day. Told through the memories of survivors, this timeless, powerful and compassionate document has become a classic "that stirs the conscience of humanity" (The New York Times). Almost four decades after the original publication of this celebrated book, John Hersey went back to Hiroshima in search of the people whose stories he had told.  His account of what he discovered about them is now the eloquent and moving final chapter of Hiroshima.

Reflection:

The literal atomic bomb that was dropped on the people of Hiroshima, changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives in an instant. They woke up thinking today was going to be just another day. They got their kids ready for school, read the paper, watched the news, went to the local gym, made breakfast, etc. Tragically for the people of Hiroshima, this particular day turned out to be the day when their whole entire world would change forever.

For the survivors, nothing would be the same ever again. Their families would never be the same, their homes were gone, their local grocery store, first school, you name it...didn't exist. All of their visible memories and history of this place vanished in an instance.

Think about that for a second. Imagine your world where everything you knew and that held importance to you was gone in an instant. What would you do if this was your new reality? How do you go on living? What is your identity? What do you even do now everyday? Basically...Who are you?

The citizens of Hiroshima had the most extreme version of this scenario tragically to deal with. This may seem like an extreme example to illustrate a point; however, metaphorical atomic bombs go off in people's worlds all around you everyday. Someone may lose a spouse to cancer, have a child tragical pass in the NICU, have their home burn down, lose their business, be returning from war and struggling to resume civilian life, get fired from a job, etc.

Atomic bombs happen everyday to people all over this world. It may even happen to you somebody (I pray it doesn't). Sadly for me, this did happen to me as I watched my tiny daughter, Emilia, take her last few breaths in my wife's arms in a hospital after only 39 days together in this world. My world was rocked. Everything changed in an instant. My identity and all I held valuable in this world changed overnight.

How did I get through it? My daughter left me with a why and a blueprint of true human courage and strength to help me to find my core values. Those core values are what I anchored my world around and began to rebuild my life.

This world can be cruel. Stuff, people, and things can be taken in an instant...core values can't as they only live in your mind and heart.

Anchor your world around your core values and you can get through anything.

Question: What is your world anchored to today to prepare you to stay strong no matter what comes your way?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Hiroshima

YOML Bookstore - Hiroshima by John Hersey