Hope

My blog space is all about peace and love and I try not to get too sad. However I heard a story today that made me gasp and hurt my heart to the very core. I think I shared the fact that I love NPR. I travel in my work and would go nuts if I didn’t have Diane Rheem, Dick Gordon and the rest of the gang to keep me company. My goal is to write a book someday and I know I will have arrived when I get on the Diane Rheem show.

Anyway, back to the topic. You know I am opposed to war. Mostly because of the senseless loss of life and the infringement on others beliefs. But today, I was reminded of the ugly things that go on outside the battle lines. Dick Gordon interviewed an 84 year old woman who had been a “comfort girl” for the Japanese officers during World War II. This is a perfect example of man’s inhumanity to man.

Japanese soldiers went into the homes of Korean families and took young unmarried girls. Ms. Kim was sixteen at the time. She did not know where she was being taken nor why. Her best friend and neighbor was also taken. They were taken to Taiwan and split into two groups. Ms. Kim was put in a house with six other girls. Each was put into a separate space separated by half walls. Beginning the very first day officers began coming in and raping her. The average day was 50 to 60 men. On weekends, more as many as seventy-three.

When Ms. Kim thought she could not take anymore, she would cry out but the officers did not care, just continued the abuse. This went on for seven years and did not end until the United States defeated Japan. When the war was over, only two of the girls were still alive. Some had killed themselves. Some had literally lost their minds. Dick asked Ms. Kim how she managed to live through such an ordeal. She said her parents prayed constantly for her return. She guessed that’s what saved her.

When asked why she kept it a secret for so long she said; first of all she wanted to spare her parents of the tragedy. She did not think they could deal with the truth. Secondly, she felt ashamed. She was and still is afraid of what people would think of her. She did not want to hear the whispers and the embarrassment.

So why speak out now? Ms. Kim has had medical problems every since the release. She had to have her uterus removed; which kept her from getting married because Korean women are expected to have children when married. She was told if she came out with the truth she could get government aid to help with medical problems and the constant hospital visits.

Dick asked her why she laughed when asked by a student what gave her hope. She said she couldn’t help but laugh because there is no hope. “How absurd to think I would have hope after such an ordeal. “I have no hope”. However, I will do what I can do to get the Japanese to make a formal apology. The Japanese deny this happened and contend the girls went with the soldiers willingly.

I only want to share “happily ever after” stories but this one struck a nerve. Here we are some sixty something years later and still fighting. My prayer is that young girls around the world are not experiencing this type of abuse. And certainly not from us! May we always treat one another with kindness and respect and always dream of a world filled with Peace and Love