Many of the labourers on the building sites, the taxi drivers and the cleaners in my office are from Nepal. This tragedy hasn’t happened in some far off land, most will find difficult to place on a map. This is seeing people who are often treated as sub-human, look traumatized and inconsolable while they carry on doing their daily tasks.
It is also about community, as Nepalese welfare groups rally around organizing aid. It’s about a shared humanity, as other organizations, such as my older son’s school, encourage donations.
It is also about the ‘acts of God’ that seem so unlike the image of a loving God that so many of us have grown up with. In fact these acts seem more in keeping with the Hindu/Buddhist beliefs which are prevalent in this mountainous poor country which shares borders with India and China.
It would be easy to go into a philosophical debate about these things or easier to switch off. However, if we’re alive, have shelter and know where our next meal is coming from, I believe we’re called to feel a bit discomfited and to sacrifice a flat white or two and donate. And use our phones for something smart like finding out exactly where Nepal is.
This post touched a cord thank you. So many things the Nepalese have to suffer or endure on a daily basis being a mountainous people and then to add this devastation into it is very sad. I thank God for what I have and take this opportunity to teach my children about Nepal and the importance of praying and giving at a time like this x
Agreed it is a a faith/teaching opportunity for us and our children.