Three Cups of Tea

There are very few books that I would recommend as enthusiastically and universally as I would Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin's Three Cups of Tea. It chronicles ten years of a former mountain climber's work in rural Pakistan building schools for girls and assisting with other humaintarian efforts. For years he worked mostly alone, unknown and unrecognized by most Americans. His allies were instead the villagers whose lives he was trying so hard to improve. And on top of it all, he was a working man with a family of his own. The hardships he has faced and the number of times he has put his life in danger to make a difference is truly inspiring. He is living proof that education is the surest way to eliminate poverty and fight terrorism.

I also found this book inspiring because it provides a solution to a problem with which Washington seems increasingly unable cope. For several years now we have been dropping bombs, sending troops, and spending billions of dollars. And for what? For an increasing number of casulties and and increasing amount of resentment towards the United States. I used to be fascinated by politics. In highschool I loved it, and as a freshman in college I wanted to study political science. Now it seems so empty...a bunch of people talking and spending money, but not really doing anything. Here is someone who is doing something, and for that I have nothing but admiration.

And now I leave you a quote from the book. The speaker is Brigadier General Bhangoo, former personal helicopter pilot for President Musharraf. "Osama is not a product of Pakistan or Afghanistan. He is a creation of America. Thanks to America, Osama is in every home. As a military man, I know you can never fight and win against someone who can shoot at you once and then run off and hide while ou have to remain eternally on guard. You have to attack at 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."