Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

Natural disasters, while always tragic, have a way of snapping us back to reality. The suddenness of a tornado or a monsoon or a tsunami, even if they were forecasted ahead of time, serve as fierce reminders of how the elements can change our lives in an instant. Right now, Nepal lies devastated beneath the rubble generated by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake this past Saturday. Nepal has faced its share of struggles, including a civil war which ended just a little under a decade ago and neighboring countries jockeying for influence because of the country's landlocked status. Those very countries, however – India, China, and Pakistan – were the first to respond in Nepal's hour of need this past week. In fact, countries all over the world have rushed to aid the tiny Asian nation. Every day, we watch as nations battle nations and, on a smaller scale, people battle people over all kinds of issues. When the chips are down, however, and nature forces reality upon us, we realize that nothing is more important than love and human life. It is a reminder that would serve all of us well. God bless the people of Nepal in this dark hour.