Louis de Bernieres wrote an excellent article in the Sunday Times magazine a couple of days ago about his recent visit to Nepal.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2060945.ece
His beautiful writing means a lot to me. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was the last book that Esther read and enjoyed before she died. Coincidentally, in the solitary days after her death I sought comfort through reading a pocket edition of the Book of Job (ISBN 0-88241-791-0) and there I came across de Bernieres again with his insightful introduction to the book. Job's pain and bewilderment after all his tribulations is very tangible and although it dates from three thousand years ago feels somehow strikingly contemporary; de Bernieres analysed those sentiments with typical brilliance and indeed with some humour.
For me though, the message of that book is very clear and differs somewhat from de Bernieres' final conclusion of Job having had to contend with bombastic, uncaring God. My deduction instead is that there are no answers to the problem of suffering, the suffering that can be deeply personal or for that matter surrounds one all the time in Nepal. You just shouldn't seek answers that can only ever be unsatisfactory. Instead it's better to develop a focus, get on with it, try to meet life's problems in a practical manner and keep the faith in spite of whatever trauma comes your way.
That's been the secret of achieving results in Nepal.
