In a failed attempt to climb K2, Greg Mortenson accidentally got lost on his descent and came across a village called Korphe, in Northern Pakistan. When he saw a small group of students gathered in a non-existent school to study without the tutoring of a teacher, he decided to help by building them a school.
A year later, in posession of all the proper materials, he was asked to build a bridge first. Thus, began a rather frustrating and amazing life journey known as that of Greg Mortenson.
First, he built a bridge...
Then a school...
With the help of the local community.I have heard of this book for a few years, now, but have deliberately chosen to ignore it as I believed that it was yet another story of a great white savior coming to save the lesser darkies from themselves. Example: I recently met a man who told me that he was the fulfillment of a Lakota prophecy. He was not Lakota, he was white, but he was the savior of us lesser Indians as told to him by none other than Dennis Banks. I never told him I don't have much respect for Dennis. I admire his work, but he also has some 18 children he has nothing to do with. And thus, that was the type of book I was expecting to hear. That was the type of book this WASN'T.
Greg Mortenson has got to be one of the most respectful and Loving folk I have EVER heard about. This man overcame GREAT obstacles and gained the great respect of whole nations for the work he has done in creating schools for the folk of Baltustan (sp?). Did he do this to glorify himself? Did he want to win awards and great praise? Heck no! All he wanted to do and still does is to help people who most need it in a way in which he is capable of doing. He is a humble and wonderful human being.
The subtitle is somewhat disingenuous, "One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism..." His work, indeed, by extension, does fight terrorism, however, his work is actually to assist people in creating healthy and strong societies in the face of some of the most extreme poverty in some of the remotest and most neglected parts of the world. Greg Mortenson creates peace. Greg creates peace and the societies he works with create peace with him. He is a part of those societies. He is their family, and they are his.
The book ends with him heading into Northern Afghanistan to help build schools there. His reputation so great that folk from Afghanistan hunted him down through the hills, found him, and requested he build schools for them, as well.
BARACK OBAMA WAS THE WRONG MAN FOR THE NOBEL (ALLEGED) PEACE PRIZE! It should have been Greg Mortenson. Greg would have accepted with a speech stating how education leads to peace and healthy communities. He would NOT have said the weapons of war help bring peace. He would have said education leads to peace and healthy thriving communities.
THANK YOU,
GREG MORTENSON!
GREG MORTENSON!
"Three Cups of Tea..." a must read. I cannot imagine you not inspired into helping your fellow human beings in one way or another by reading or listening to this book.
I've been avoiding reading this book for the same reason as you were even though it had been recommended to me, so I might give it a go now that you have given it your blessing.
ReplyDeleteDaisy
Many churches do charitable works and go unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed an excellent book, Daisy.
ReplyDeleteMy objections with churches doing charitable works is this:
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who was homeless. He would occasion the mission here in Portland to get a bite to eat. In his vulnerable state, he was forced to be proselytized to. As he was leaving, they made sure he didn't take the spoon, either.
Churches don't usually perform charitable works to simply help others. They do so for two main reasons that I have observed: 1) to gain converts and thus capital and power, 2) to gain what I call "Jesus Points" for individual members of whatever congregation. That is to add strength to the possibility of one getting into heaven.
Greg Mortenson is nominally a Christian. His parents were Lutheran missionaries in Africa. The work they did was to help the Tanzanians (I believe) to help themselves after hundreds of years of exploitation and genocide. They didn't take credit. They didn't give credit to their church. They gave credit to the people they helped in building a medical school to better help their people in a modern society.
I have met many christians who have selflessly helped others. That is with the intent simply to help those in the idea of generosity and Love toward ones fellow human beings. They didn't try to convert, nor was it their intention to gain "Jesus Points."
ReplyDeleteAs well, I personally do not trust churches as organizations. There are no church organizations helping the folk on Pine Ridge stay warm this winter as they are being hit hard this winter and can't afford propane. I don't see Christian organizations protesting with Brandon Sazue on recently stolen Crow Creek land. I don't see Christian organizations standing up against the Olympics with their indigenous brethren.
As well, the Vatican Crime Organization has never taken responsibility for its role in fascist Europe during WWII nor its direct participation in the genocide in Croatia specifically targeting orthodox Serbs as well as Jews and Sinti and Roma through its death camp called Jasenovac. Nor do any church organizations take responsibility and action against child sex abuse within their organizations.
My son now in the fifth grade, attends a small French immersion school. Last year, one of the highlights of the school year was when the kids collected thousands of pennies to give to Greg personally when he visited with them for an afternoon. They called it the "Pennies for Peace" project. He is truly an amazing human being.
ReplyDeleteSheila