For Nepalis, Earthquakes Send Humans Warning From the Gods
In Nepal the gods speak through disasters, and shaking ground is seen as a wake-up call to humanity.
For Chanira Vajracharya, 19, who was once worshipped as a living goddess in her native Nepal, the country's recent earthquakes are a wake-up call.
“Lots of praying and forgiveness rituals are required now,” Chanira said last week. “People have to stop being foolish and start concentrating on what matters most. We have to remember. We have to start praying like we mean it.”
For the people of Nepal, the trauma of losing loved ones, homes, and possessions is compounded by the profound psychological anxiety that this event happened for a reason: The world is out of kilter, and we humans are to blame. (See pictures capturing the shock of a second Nepal earthquake.)
I had met Chanira, an eloquent, high-flying
