For once I tend to agree with CK Lal's assertions in his 'State of the State' column about our national proclivity for delving too much into our past to explain away the ills of the present ('Boom, gloom and doom', #176). Doomsayer or not, it feels that we have been cursed with Frodo's burden (to draw an analogy from the ever popular Lord of the Rings trilogy), with the evil eye burning into our daily consciousness and poisoning our minds. Nary a chance of Middle Earth surviving and a monarch, whom we once trusted and equated with the moral fortitude of the reluctant hero Aragorn, looking more like Saruman in the public perception. The proverbial ring of power has corrupted all our erstwhile heroes of the democratic movement, so much so that they now are nothing but ghostly Ringwraiths. As for all us, we see ourselves as those Hobbits, hopelessly reminiscing about what was once truly our Shire. Sadly that Shire no longer exists and a lot of the noble elves have morphed into Orks now. Of course, drawing such parallels becomes an exercise in self indulgence to appease our own sense of injured morality. But truly, about a year ago I had written to your paper voicing my faith in the king's actions to take the country out of the mess. I'd called it required chemotherapy and even assumed to scold those harsh critics. The editor sensibly edited that offensive phrase and inserted some euphemism. Now, as things stand (of course in hindsight), my intellectual naivete only went to underscore the depths of my own political ignorance of what was actually happening in Nepal. Egg on my face. It will be a long time before I venture forth an opinion and pontificate on what ails us and prescribe quicksilver cures from my Compaq.

Now, I believe in the power of prayer. I pray that sooner than later, peace will come about because we all desperately want it. I pray that wisdom will prevail and the principal characters will one day realise the folly of their war mongering, that a once small but great nation will rise above petty and self-serving power politics, cleanse itself of intrigue and corruption to regain its dignity in the brotherhood of nations. And, oh, that RNAC will be a model of customer service and efficiency, competing profitably and operating wide body jets across the oceans. Let us all pray.

T Sherpa,
Seattle