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Nepal

I've been through a number of earthquakes. The most recent was this one:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-earthquakes-100-aftershocks-rattle-us-state--and-bring-disneyland-to-a-standstill-9224259.html

We happened to be in Disneyland at the time, waiting for the fireworks to start. Alas, the show was cancelled (my kids still think it's funny that the PA announcement said that the show "Dreams Really Do Come True" has been cancelled). We were in a safe place, and California is really on the forefront of earthquake resistance. So, dramatic and memorable, but not really scary.

A couple of weeks before that, we felt this one where we were in Oregon:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/10/earthquake-eureka-california/6248381/

This one was far enough away that we just felt a slight shaking, like someone was gently rocking the house from out side - not dissimilar to the rocking sensation on a train going around a corner. The house we were in at the time was a lovely 100 year old home, which if I think about it perhaps should have made me a little more nervous than it did.

What is interesting about an earthquake is how absolutely humbling it is. It is absolutely inescapable and overpowering, making you feel entirely powerless. I've been through other natural disasters, large storms, blizzards, etc. In each of those circumstances there is a portion of terror, but also a portion of exhilaration. With an earthquake, you realize how very small and insignificant you are. There is nowhere to run. Nowhere to find safety. No way to feel like you have any control or anything to do. Interestingly, about the time you think you'd better do something, the earthquake is over. They last what seems like an eternity while they're happening, but are usually over in around 30 seconds.

And that's enough.

What hurts, then, is to see what's happened in Nepal. We've seen other places where earthquakes have devastated these outlying and very impoverished areas. It's absolutely tragic. People who have nothing ought to be spared this kind of devastation. It's just incomprehensible. I don't even know what to think. It all feels so random and destructive, and it leaves me feeling so powerless, as if I were the one in the earthquake.

My heart goes out to these folks. I don't know if there's anything to be done other than pray and hope. But if that's all I can do, then that's what I will do.

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