Tonight the book club I've been a part of for several years met to review the book I choose for this month's meeting: Three Cups of Tea, by David Mortenson. It's the true story of a man who went to rural Pakistan an avid climber and ended up promising to build a school for the children of the isolate village that nursed him back to health after he almost died trying to summit K2. His journey is a remarkable one - more so because for years he bumbled through the process of finding his destiny as the founder of the Central Asia Institute. The fact that his organization has gone on to build more than 60 schools (and counting) is really quite remarkable.
Greg is, by all appearances, a great guy. But he's not the type of person you'd think could accomplish all that he has. He doesn't seem to possess the natural abilities of a leader. What's so amazing is how the world conspired to make his so successful in his mission. The right people just happened to appear in his life to make things work. His success, and the process of having the path just reveal itself is what a former UCSD professor of mine would have called a series of happy accidents.
One of the things I loved so much about this account of Greg's many years in Pakistan and Afghanistan is how much it taught me about Middle Eastern and Muslim culture. There was such richness to what I learned and I'm glad to say it relieved me of a great deal of ignorance. Ultimately, that is what his mission is about - replacing ignorance with knowledge. He does so for us as readers and for many generations of children to come who will grow up without hatred of America. It's a great book that will teach you a lot. I hope you'll read it....
Photos courtesy & copyright of Greg Mortenson and his publisher.
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