The mountains of Nepal have always looked invincible.

They rise into the heavens with snow covered heads, staring down at humanity as if reminding us how small we are. Yet, within moments, water came thundering down those mighty slopes, sweeping away villages, roads, bridges, possessions and precious lives.

As I watched the horrifying pictures, I think of rulers who also imagine they are mountains.

They stand on platforms, stretch out their arms, inflate their chests and roar, “Look at me. Who can move me?”

Their followers clap.

Their ministers clap louder.

Their television channels measure the thickness of the chest, the length of the speech and the height of the leader’s cutout.

Then nature clears its throat.

A glacier cracks.

A river rises.

The earth trembles.

A storm changes direction.

And suddenly, the great chest is searching for a life jacket.

That is the lesson from Nepal. It is not merely a story about floods. It is a warning written in mud, wreckage and human tears. Nothing built by human pride is impregnable.

A ruler may control the police, the press, Parliament and perhaps even the voting machine. But he cannot order a river to return to its banks.

“Arrest that flood!” he may shout.

The flood does not have an Aadhaar card.

“Stop that earthquake!”

The earthquake has no respect for barricades.

“Silence that storm!”

The storm does not watch prime time television.

Nature does not bow before security convoys. It does not pause because a minister is inaugurating something. It does not check whether the person in its path belongs to the ruling party or the opposition. It simply reminds us that power is temporary and humanity is fragile.

This is why governments must govern with humility.

The money spent building publicity for a political leader, might be better used strengthening bridges. The energy used crushing critics might be better spent reading history. The machinery used protecting reputations might save more lives if it protected the weak, womankind, and vulnerable communities.

The tragedy in Nepal deserves our compassion, our prayers and our help. Families have lost loved ones. Children have lost homes. Entire communities have watched their world disappear in minutes. Their suffering must never become merely a metaphor for someone else’s sermon.

But their shattered landscape does speak. It tells every boastful ruler, “You are not God. You cannot even stop yourself from having a stroke or heart attack tomorrow!”

Even as it tells every government, “Your majority cannot command the mountains.”

It tells every arrogant leader, “However broad your chest, you are still only human.”

Because finally, the strongest nation is not one whose ruler looks invincible. It is one, whose people feel safe and protected, because there are no bullies amongst its leadership who nature seeks to destroy.

Arrogance has always been nature’s target..!

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