On October 14, 2022, we took part in the Critical Issues Forum Speaker Series, "The Power of VR (virtual reality) and Storytelling: Building Empathy for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World". We had the privilege of hearing incredible guest speakers spoke about the documentary "On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World)", a three-part virtual reality film on the 2018 ballistic missile warning in Hawai'i, at the CIF seminar @cif_cns. The guest speakers discussed their involvement with this VR film, their thoughts, and the measures they hope future generations will take towards nuclear disarmament.

In the CIF forum, we heard the personal experience of Ms. Cynthia Lazaroff, a victim of the 2018 false ballistic missile warning in Hawai’i, and thoughts from Ms. Erinn Budd, an impact producer of "On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World)". While Ms. Lazaroff shared her experience, she brought up a topic that we believed was very critical. Ms. Lazaroff stated, “We as a country are not ready to handle a nuclear weapon crisis. As I was packing a few of my belonging in my bag, I realized I had nothing prepared for my family; not enough food and not enough water.” Hearing these words greatly impacted us because it gave us a reality, understanding that we are not currently prepared for a nuclear threat, a danger that could easily kill thousands of people. Ms. Erin Budd continued as the next speaker to inform us about the film production details. “The focus of the film was to tell a story that viewers could relate to…to understand the feelings of the 2018 false ballistic missile warning victims and the experiences of Hibakushas from Nagasaki and Hiroshima.” This film provided a powerful way for viewers to decompose topics about nuclear weapons and educate themselves about the current nuclear disarmament issues. After hearing from the guest speakers, we were truly inspired by what they said about nuclear disarmament and we hope to continue spreading the message of nonproliferation to more communities in the future to come.