Peace through Education

I just finished "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I saw the sequel to this book in the USD Alumni Magazine (Mortenson earned Chemistry and Nursing degrees from USD) and thought I'd check out the first installment from my local library. (Random facts: he was born in Minnesota, and grew up the son of Lutheran Missionaries in Tanzania).


WOW was it good. Couldn't-put-it-down, wished-there-was-more-than-385-pages good. I'm not one to be interested in foreign films or nonfiction books about other countries, especially the Middle East. But this book had an interesting up-and-down story line laced with factual and historical information.

The most surprising part of the book was Mortenson's knowledge of the relations between America and the Middle East, specifically Afghanistan and Pakistan. When 9/11 occurred, I was only 15. I honestly don't remember much about it, but I do remember that I didn't know much about foreign relations. I've never cared that much, which is fairly typical for an American teenager, I guess.

And now, after my 24 years of life experience, I still don't know much. But I look at the world more objectively, especially after taking a few journalism classes and realizing the power Media has in supplying information in mass form (I'm sure most people find out the media is biased without having to take college classes, but I wasn't one of them). Mortenson cites example after example of Muslims who want peace in their countries, and how providing a place for all Pakistani and Afghan children to receive an education really can promote peace.

Most of what I know about Muslisms comes from the news. And after an awful, horrific event like 9/11, it's hard to resist the belief that any Muslim is a terrorist. We rarely hear about the effects of terrorism on people who are unfortunate enough to live in a country where the terrorists actually live. Three Cups of Tea opened my eyes to the battles that Pakistani and Afghan Muslims fight every day.

It's sad when governments can't (or won't) provide education for their children. But what do you do about it when a terrorist group like the Taliban controls everything with money and violence. Without traveling to the area myself, or performing extensive research about the Middle East, it seems obvious that Mortenson's problem-solving techniques are actually helping quite a bit.

I had several favorite stories and quotes from the book, the explanation behind the book's title, for one, but I'll let you find that out for yourself. So, read the book. Or don't. But if you've read it, I'd love to know your thoughts.

"If you just fight terrorism, it's based in fear. If you promote peace, it's based in hope." - Greg Mortenson, quoted in the Fairfield Citizen News, 2008