 | Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
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 2008-11-09 - Inspiration Lies Within
Greg Mortenson started off with a specific vision to help a small community of people in the Himalayan mountain range near K-2. I don't think he ever imagined the impact he would have on two countries in the Middle East (Pakistan and Afghanistan) , one country in the west (the United States) and me! The message I got from this wonderfully written book, Three Cups of Tea, is that we make a difference in ways we never thought possible.
My copy of the book looks quite worn and loved. The pages are dog-eared, the binding splintered but its look tells the story of a reader who has read passages again and again, mining the gems from Mortenson's reflections.
Some themes run strongly in one's life - helping others and wanting to make a difference happen to be one of mine. Three Cups of Tea reignited this theme in a way that reminded me of another loved book, Being Here, Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. The authors, Ariel and Shya Kane continue to inspire my passion for life. My belief that we all can make a difference comes from reading many of their works, How to Have a Magical Relationship and Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life. Inspiration lies in all four of these books - catch some of it for yourself!
2008-11-09 - Here's how to fight terrorism
One Lockhead Martin Hellfire missile, the kind that is frequently launched from CIA drones on suspected Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan costs $68,000. Mr. Mortenson and his charity organization, the CAI has been building schools in Pakistan at an average cost of $12,000 per school. The cost of a single Hellfire missile designed to kill en masse roughly equals the construction cost of five schools that touches lives for generations.
Firing missiles to destroy the enemy, and building schools to win the hearts and minds of future generations of potential enemies should both be viewed as investments for peace and stability, which are essential for prosperity in the U.S. and around the world. If we take the funds used for waging wars and building schools, bridges, hospitals etc. and let a savvy investor such as Warren Buffet decide how to allocate these funds for a maximum return on investment, which we defined as peace and stability, it becomes clear how misguided and unbalanced our policies in that region of the world are. Patience and foresight are necessary for long term investments such as building schools and fostering relationships with people not like us. Incidentally, these two virtues - patience and foresight -- have made Mr. Buffet one of the richest people in the world.
General Bashir Baz told Mr. Mortenson America's enemy is ignorance. "The only way to defeat it is to build relationships with these people, to draw them into the modern world with education and business."
In 1993, following a failed attempt at climbing K2, Mountaineer Greg Mortenson recuperated in a remote hospitable village in the northwest area of Pakistan called Korphe. Living conditions in Korphe were dire. One out of three infants died before their first birthday. Touched by the hospitality of the locals, and by the death of his younger sister at age 23, Mr. Mortenson promised the seemingly impossible to the village "nurmadhar", Haj Ali, who later became his mentor: "I'm going to build you a school". Fifty five schools and a couple of failed fatwas later, Dr. Greg, as he is known to the locals, continues to counteract the collateral damage U.S. bombs inflict on the inhabitants.
Visit threecupsoftea dot com to see how you can help make the world a safer place. It only takes $1 to educate a Pakistani child for a month.
2008-11-07 - Three Cups of Tea
This is an uplifting, real-life story of one individual trying so hard to make this world a better place through education. Although his challenges seem unsurmountable (truly), Greg Mortenson succeeds. His humanitarian campaign is inspirational and humbling. The kind of story I had a hard time putting down and couldn't wait to get back to reading.
I have never written a book review, but this story is so remarkable, I will do all I can to contribute to its cause.
2008-11-07 - required reading for all Americans
"If we try to resolve terrorism with military might and nothing else, then we will be no safer than we were before 9/11. If we truly want a legacy of peace for our children, we need to understand that this is a wear that will ultimately be won with books, not with bombs. - Greg Mortenson
I came to understand the meaning of this line fully through reading this book. All Americans should read this book, rather than blindly going about our lives while our government is tearing apart nations.
I look forward to the day when Greg Mortenson wins the Nobel Peace Prize. It is truly inspirational how one person can change the world.
2008-11-07 - this should be mandatory reading
A fantastic book about a "good" man that makes a real difference. The book captures what is so right and so wrong about the US approach to the world,Greg is alamost a modern equivalent of some of the characters in the classic book "The Ugly American". The "ugly american" educated us all about the right and wrong way of doing things ,yet the US still makes the same mistakes but thankfully still has the few that try and undo the damage and make a real difference to real peoples lives. recomended reading
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