When what we hold dear is stripped away, what remains?
The Hope in the Heart Project aims to create a global community of healing, inspiration, mutual encouragement and support. The project seeks to transcend potential barriers such as race, gender, age, sexuality, politics, and social status to reveal and nurture the common humanity that unites us all.
(2013) Last year I visited Hiroshima, a city that, to the rest of the world, symbolises the ultimate devastation. I expected it to be a vast, dark graveyard where nothing grew properly and everything was tainted and grey. Instead I discovered a vibrant, beautiful city, rivers lined with glorious red acer trees and an abundance of flowers everywhere. There were also statues, along every route, commemorating the dead, decorated with thousands of colourful origami cranes (a Japanese symbol of healing and hope), the haunting A-bomb dome, and a museum telling the story of what happened on 6th August 1945, its horrific aftermath, and the personal testimonies of many of those affected by it.
Last year’s chance visit to Hiroshima was a transformational experience for me.
How does a community suffer what this one did and, as this one has, move on, with visible scars, but with hope in its heart? If such a thing is possible there, it is possible anywhere, for any group or individual.
In mid-November I will be returning to Hiroshima to spend time with some of the Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombing) and those who work with them in their quest to educate the world about the bomb’s effects in the hope of preventing anything like it from ever happening again.
When we are in the depths of despair, images can speak to us where words may fail. These images of hope from the hearts of survivors of all kinds might just ignite the spark of hope needed to facilitate healing and renewal in those who have not yet found a way to do so for themselves. Creating their own image for personal healing and to help others by adding to the collection can also powerfully contribute towards positive transformation for those same individuals.
Finding and creating our image and setting it free to carry its message to others can only be a further step towards our own, and humanity’s, healing, so everybody wins!