Earthquake is a Lesson

We don't have to do anything. Nature does everything. It gardens, it storms, it shakes, and occasionally it reminds us that we are not nearly as important as we think we are.

A devastating earthquake in Nepal has destroyed thousands of lives. Natural calamities like earthquakes are difficult to predict—because nature doesn't send RSVPs—and can wipe out entire human communities in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Did you know that the Lord Buddha's teacher was nature? He attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. That's right—a tree taught him to be natural and in harmony with nature. No PowerPoint. No tuition fees. Just leaves, roots, and silence. The ultimate God, it turns out, is Nature itself.

Powerful nature both destroys and creates. It leaves no stone unturned—literally—in punishing the sinful acts of animals like us. It tries to wipe out those who destroy nature. Irony of ironies: we chop down forests, and nature responds by shaking our foundations. Fair enough, honestly.

Yet here's the strange, beautiful, and deeply hypocritical part. When disaster strikes, people flock to help one another. They come together to share love, truth, and faith. They become saints overnight. But are they like this when the world is normal—when tragedy has not shaken us awake? No, I would say. Then, they cheat, fabricate, and terrorize. They cut corners and cut each other down. It takes a collapsed building to remind us how to be human. Catastrophes like this teach us to love and to truly live. Shame it takes so much death to get there.

Thank God—or thank Nature, same thing—Bhutan has been blessed and was not affected by this earthquake. For now. The ground beneath us is only pretending to be still.

I would like to express my deep sympathies and condolences to the victims of the earthquake in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Tibet. May the living find strength, and may the dead find peace.

I will leave you with a photo of the national flag of Bhutan flying at half-mast. It hangs lower than usual, as a symbol of our deep sentiments, condolences, and mourning for all those victims and others affected by the earthquake. A small gesture, but sometimes a bowed flag says what words cannot.

Thank