Nepal, Sept. 27 -- The room existed somewhere between light and shadow, lit only by a candle. The power outage had darkened the house, but the candle did what it could, spilling its warm yellow light across the room, its flame flickering every few seconds. Somehow, the room seemed warmer and cozier than it ever had beneath the harsh brightness of LED lights.

Rounds of laughter and conversations expressing thoughts, happiness, and confusion seemed to flow more freely than they usually did on ordinary days. The room, usually bright in every corner and alive with the glow of screens, now had only the small flame between them, barely reaching beyond the faces gathered around it. Yet somehow, in that limited light, the conversations seemed to...