Three cups of tea

OK back to the real blog topic. It's been a while between book reviews as I've found this last book slow to get through. Don't let that put you off though! It was an incredible story.

If you've ever wondered whether one person truly can make a difference in the world - this book answers that question brilliantly. If you've ever wondered whether you should embark on any philanthropic ventures in your life - this book is for you. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

"In 1993, after a terrifying and disastrous attempt to climb K2, a mountaineer called Greg Mortenson drifted, cold and dehydrated, into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains. Moved by the inhabitants' kindness, he promised to return and build a school...Over the next decade Mortenson built not just on but fifty-five schools in remote villages across the forbidding and breathtaking landscape of Pakistan and Afghanistan, just as the Taliban rose to power."

The basic concept of what Greg Mortenson is doing to bring peace is so simple but beautiful. He believes that children (no matter where they are from), if given the opportunity for an education, will grow up with options beyond a predestined future of violence or crime. I loved this excerpt from the book as I think it summed up his philosophy perfectly:

"You have to attack the source of your enemy's strength. In America's case, that's not Osama or Saddam or anyone else. The 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. Otherwise the fight will go on forever."

The book was slow going for me as I found it a bit disjointed and due to the foreignness of the Pakistan and Afghanistan names of people and places. However this just demonstrates my (embarrassingly) complete lack of any knowledge of these countries. My knowledge of what happens in these countries and the issues that the predominantly innocent people face, is limited to what I learnt as a result of 9/11 and the recent floods in Pakistan.

I'm glad I read this inspiring book and I hope there are more people like Greg Mortenson in the world.  I wish I had just a little of Greg's guts and determination - the limit of my philanthropic gestures are to donate to World Vision, Cancer Council, Medicine sans Frontieres and other charities from the comfort of my home!