“Nothing is more precious than peace”, Reflections from Nagasaki

by Sofia Vitale, Student Member of Physicians for Social Responsibility (USA) and IPPNW

“Nothing is more precious than peace. Nothing brings more happiness. Peace is the most basic starting point for the advancement of humankind” (The New Human Revolution, Vol. 1, “Sunrise” Chapter).

Every effort towards peace is ultimately an effort to protect human life and to create a future in which all people can live with dignity and happiness. As Daisaku Ikeda’s words remind us, peace is the foundation of all human progress. These words came alive for me during the 24th IPPNW World Congress in Nagasaki, Japan – a conference that profoundly changed my life.

As a recent graduate from Soka University of America (SUA), a university founded on Buddhist principles of wisdom, courage, and compassion, I had many opportunities to engage with issues of nuclear disarmament during my undergraduate years. Through my Buddhist practice, I came to understand nuclear weapons as a direct threat to the dignity of human life. As a member of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a lay Buddhist organization dedicated to world peace, I see the work of nuclear abolition as inseparable from the values that shape my daily life. Yet even with this background, being able to learn and work alongside medical students, healthcare professionals, and advocates from around the world—united by the urgency of nuclear abolition—was a truly unique and humbling experience.

Throughout the conference, I reflected deeply on my own life and how it is interconnected with others, and ultimately with the struggle for peace. Daisaku Ikeda, founder of the SGI and lifelong advocate for peace, human rights, and the abolition of nuclear weapons, has written:

This understanding of interconnectedness strengthened my commitment to learn from and collaborate with others at the conference. Through my interactions, I realized that, although tragic, this is precisely the time to dedicate myself to the work of peace.

One of my greatest takeaways was the power of sincere and heartfelt dialogue. Speaking not only with students my age, but also with professionals at every stage of their careers, and hibakusha, was an immeasurable gift. Dialogue challenges us to confront and transform ourselves while learning to understand the depth of the human heart. As the only student representative from the United States of America at the Student Congress, I initially felt very nervous about what it meant to come from my country to such a gathering. Yet the space that was created was one free of judgement, where all of us could engage in dialogue knowing that we were all united in confronting one of the greatest threats to human survival.

Hearing directly from hibakusha was another life-changing part of this experience. Their voices are living proof of human resilience, but also a solemn warning of what must never happen again. As young people, we are not only listening to this history, but we are also inheriting the responsibility to ensure it is never repeated.

Being part of this global community of peacebuilders in my youth is something I will always cherish. I returned home with a renewed sense of purpose: to strengthen my connections with domestic organizations working toward nuclear abolition, to engage with groups committed to scientific, medical, and grassroots efforts, and to sustain the international relationships I built in Nagasaki. Rooted in shared humanity, dignity, and the conviction that peace is possible, I am determined to live each day proving that nothing is more precious than peace.