ome countries pull back from the brink. Others don't. Some countries come close to the edge, catch a glimpse of the abyss below and turn around. Others may find it easier to just let go, and plunge into the darkness. After careening down the hill, past the precarious crises of the past year, Nepalis now have to quickly decide which way to turn.

There is an opportunity open to take the sane path of ending this insane war. To reconcile, and proceed with the real social and economic challenges. The other is the path to an uncivil war that will make the present level of violence look like a picnic. Which will we choose: the path of violence, or the path of a difficult peace? The apologists for violence will call all those who are for peace status quo-ists. In fact "status quo" itself becomes a bad word in a society where opportunists benefit from polarisation. If the alternative is to annihilate everything and jeopardise this nation's very existence, then we'd rather stay status quo-ists. It is the risk we take in accepting compassion and reason at a time when the psychosis of fear and violence dominate.

Those who want to destroy get a thrill out of violence. They are the cowards. Those who choose to build peace are not. It takes courage to stand up for peace when restraint is taken for treachery. The blood-seeking, unbending logic of revolutions cannot accommodate those who can understand the anger of those trapped by the momentum of an armed struggle. Those who dare show compassion for both sides do not fit because they are for compromise and harmony. In the inexorable winner-takes-all ideology of an armed struggle, there is no room for reason.

It is never too late to stop a war. But it is a much better idea to nurture an existing peace. Peace is not just an absence of war, it is a vigilant process of preserving a culture of tolerance, social justice and equity. To make peace grow, we need to address grievances before they pile up, to redress past neglect, to turn apathy into engagement. There is a political system in place to do this. It may be flawed, but it exists. It is called parliamentary democracy. To demolish everything before rebuilding is a wasteful alternative with potentially tragic consequences for our country.

There is no historical inevitability. Not even in our religious myths. A nation's destiny is not fated, it is forged by actions its citizens take today.