Is it worth it to risk the lives of thousands, to simply
have the ability of protection? The
Epilogue of this memoir finally made me come to the realization of why nuclear
weapons are really being made. At Rocky
Flats, Hanford, Fernald, and Fukushima, secrets were being kept from the
residents around the plants. People can
call the residents naïve, but the truth is that the truth is so much easier to
recognize when you have a clear view of the entire situation. When you’re on the inside looking out,
everything can be much more complicated.
Throughout this entire memoir, one question that I’ve had is why? Why would the government risk so many lives? Is it really just because they don’t want to
take the blame? At the end of the day
“’many inescapable decisions were forced upon us,’” just as Ruiko Muto stated
(343). The government forced the
decision upon all of the residents near nuclear plants, that they simply
weren’t going to tell them about or warn them of the danger. The government didn’t want to freak out the
people even though they knew about the risk of living there. It all made sense what once I realized why
the nuclear weapons were really being made.
The nuclear weapons are our safety, our last resort defense, in case any
other country decides to attack us. The
weapons aren’t even for now, or for anything concrete. They are for a “maybe” “what if” situation. It all comes down to, risk the lives of a few
to save many. Yet, there’s no one to
save with the nuclear weapons yet, and we don’t even know if there ever will
be. It all seems like a paranoid sense
of needing safety. It’s too sick and
cruel to really even wrap my head around.
How deep does the deception really go? What other petty tricks and secrets are being kept from the “peasants” of the government’s “medieval” world. The first thing that came to mind was smoking. My parent’s have been smoking since I can remember. My mother has “quit” so many times it’s like a tradition, but she only ever lasts a few weeks before she’s smoking again. My older sister and I have always hated the fact that my parents smoke, and we’ve tried everything to get them to stop. I’ve been grounded more times than not from throwing my parent’s cigarettes away. I’ve tried playing the pity card when it came to my asthma, because smoke bothers me the most. I’ve even played the pity card when it came to my sister’s dad dying from leukemia. I begged my parents to stop because, “sissy lost one parent to cancer, do you really want to make her go through having to lose another?” Nothing has worked, and my question was always, why is smoking even a possibility? I can understand why way back when, when we didn’t really have too much of a clue about what smoking did to the body. Yet, now we know every terrible thing it does, and it seems to me that these days, every one smokes. I ask, why wouldn’t the government ban it after knowing what it does to the people? Yes, people may be upset but no one is going to die from not smoking, there is no mistake in that decision. What I failed to realize, was that there is a reason why the government doesn’t ban it. Yes, it slowly kills people, but it brings the government money, especially because of how addictive it is. It’s really just another trick. They know what smoking does, but all the government cares about is money, not the lives of the people. They lie to us saying it’s “free will,” but really it’s revenue, they need more money for their nuclear weapons and what better way to get it than by an addictive product?
How deep does the deception really go? What other petty tricks and secrets are being kept from the “peasants” of the government’s “medieval” world. The first thing that came to mind was smoking. My parent’s have been smoking since I can remember. My mother has “quit” so many times it’s like a tradition, but she only ever lasts a few weeks before she’s smoking again. My older sister and I have always hated the fact that my parents smoke, and we’ve tried everything to get them to stop. I’ve been grounded more times than not from throwing my parent’s cigarettes away. I’ve tried playing the pity card when it came to my asthma, because smoke bothers me the most. I’ve even played the pity card when it came to my sister’s dad dying from leukemia. I begged my parents to stop because, “sissy lost one parent to cancer, do you really want to make her go through having to lose another?” Nothing has worked, and my question was always, why is smoking even a possibility? I can understand why way back when, when we didn’t really have too much of a clue about what smoking did to the body. Yet, now we know every terrible thing it does, and it seems to me that these days, every one smokes. I ask, why wouldn’t the government ban it after knowing what it does to the people? Yes, people may be upset but no one is going to die from not smoking, there is no mistake in that decision. What I failed to realize, was that there is a reason why the government doesn’t ban it. Yes, it slowly kills people, but it brings the government money, especially because of how addictive it is. It’s really just another trick. They know what smoking does, but all the government cares about is money, not the lives of the people. They lie to us saying it’s “free will,” but really it’s revenue, they need more money for their nuclear weapons and what better way to get it than by an addictive product?
This memoir
has truly caused me to care and wonder if all of what I know isn’t truly “all.” It hasn’t made me into a conspiracy theorist;
I just simply consider the deeper meaning, and will no longer look at the news
as the given truth. I accept that there
may be things I will never know, but it won’t be for a lack of trying. Iversen has taught me that the thirst of
knowledge is an ever beautiful quality.
There will always be something I want to know more about, and I should
never stop learning. I like to think of
myself as young, free, and passionate, but how do you really know? I think you have to be ready for it, realize
an opportunity is in front of you and take it.
It’s all about timing, and when it comes to it, rash
decision-making. I wish I could thank
Iversen for opening up my mind and teaching me about one more subject I didn’t know
about. I’m one step close to passion,
and just waiting for the opportunity.
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