There was no electricity but there were plenty of smiles. As I posted yesterday (Facebook) it was the birthday of dad Som and daughter Selush while mum Kalpana, son Xenus and I joined in. And ok, ok, ok... I am developing a reputation for just happening to be in certain villages when birthdays occur... and there is cake. BUT if you look at the photo of me giving Tika to Selush you'll see I am not even looking at the cake, rumours of my cake addiction are completely unfounded (SECRET: 12 step programs don't work).
It was a great evening, simple, with cake. Som and I go back a while now and spending time with his beautiful family is a real blessing for me, especially with everything going on right now.
And that's the rub. As a father of two, I have like Som, a daughter two years older than my son. The thing is my kids (much older of course) have a strong future, they have real opportunity and they are both embracing that. Here in Nepal things are very uncertain, that kind of future is far from secure. What really concerns me is that the duty of care about this situation both in country and internationally is not being fulfilled. There is even a type of denial in many quarters.
That sort of denial is a weakness of humanity, a lack of will to really look after their own.
Conservation and humanitarianism are directly linked in a country like Nepal. The tiger (read wildlife, biodiversity), our children are linked by an uncertainty that will take real strength of leadership, of will, to remove.
That's the challenge...
My favourite image among these is Som and Selush pointing to each other as we sing happy birthday. Love can conquer so much but other solutions are needed...
