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Monday, May 26, 2014

"I am Become Death"

     J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the lead scientists of the Manhattan Project, is among the founders of the atomic age. He was present at the Trinity Test, the first-ever detonation of a nuclear weapon. After the Second World War, he remarked that the Trinity event brought to mind a phrase from a Hindu scripture, Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Trinity Test Explosion
     This truly sums up the power of nuclear weapons. With the introduction of the nuclear era, the Trinity Test represents the power that we, as a species have over this planet. The immense power of technology, even in the 1940's, is enough to condemn thousands of people to death, in one fell swoop. That scares me, and it scared Oppenheimer as well. "Now I am become Death." He helped create what is, to this day, the most lethal weapon ever conceived. He was, at least in part, responsible for thousands of lives being cut short. He became "become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

     Something like that takes its toll on you, and I cannot imagine what that kind of weight would feel like. Let it be noted: the Manhattan Project saved countless lives, but at a great cost. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain extremely controversial, and bring into question the foundations of human morality. No matter our takes on the matter, there's no question that nuclear weapons gave humanity unprecedented control over life and death. "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." That is a very heavy burden indeed.

     What do you think about the Manhattan Project, and nuclear weapons? Please share your views in the comments below, and don't be afraid to contact me on Facebook, Google+ or at contemplationsblog@gmail.com
Ignorance is the curse of God;
knowledge is the wing
wherewith we fly to heaven.

-William Shakespeare