Introduction
The book ‘Three Cups of Tea’ is coauthored by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson, and it presents Mortenson’s effort that brought his humanitarian achievement of building schools in Asia to a reality in incredible details. Three Cup of Tea portrays strong messages and a clear image of an Asian village, and its swindle artists, its mujahideen, generous donors, and authorities of the Taliban, stiff standing Muslims, as well as zealous school girls who Mortenson came by through his journey. The, authors of the book, Relin and Mortenson, approach the post September 11 world with the argument that the most vital weapon for the US to fight the extremism of Islam in the turbulent region remain collaborative efforts which would reduce the massive level of poverty and bring about better education. More than a literature, the book is particularly enchanting with lot of apprehension and brings into display an enthralling account of both unlikely friendship and hostilities.
Theme of the Book
Three Cups of Tea, like most books written on travel and adventure, is very much concerned with the necessity for humankind to overcome cultural divides. Through with clearly gifted linguistic power and a childhood enriched with exotic cultural familiarities with developing countries, like Tanzania, Mortenson is again and again seen to be struggling with differences in cultures- from his butter tea days up to his wide encounter with an outside-of-the-Americas pessimistic attitude.
How Governments Might Learn from Mortenson’s Experience in Pakistan and Afghanistan
The machinery for societal advancement used by Mortenson has gained fascinating concern, so far. In our times, when the need for peace, good co-existence, tolerant neighbourliness, and the general development of humankind has became more desiring, the act of care and genuine interest in the welfare of others has equally became vital- so that there is more need to treat others without minding their religion, race, or language. This is what the Mortenson act of kindness, which educated Asian girls from village homes in the Middle-East, models- in Three Cups of Tea.
Thus touching some of humankind’s most contemporary desires, Three Cups of Tea is wildly read, especially by people with genuine thirst for a better humanity. This explains why the book is on the reading chat of officials of the American military. But, more than reading the book, or more than the concern of individuals, military officers, and governments, the model can effectively be utilized by government for a more friendly humankind relationship and neighbourliness.
Government must realize, or compel itself and its citizenry to realize, that society has a sea of differences that can be understood in one determined quest. In this sea of differences are seas of needs. Government must be quick in recognizing objectively the need for peace gospel, persistency to love among all people, and the need for self discovery without necessarily been selfish. This is necessary. That was where Mortenson started his humanitarian journey. This is found the following expression:
‘The Balti “really seem to have a flair for enjoying life,” Maraini wrote in 1958, after visiting Askole and admiring the “old bodies of men sitting in the sun smoking their picturesque pipes, those not so old working at primitive looms in the shade of mulberry trees with that sureness of touch that comes with a lifetime’s experience, and two boys, sitting by themselves, removing their lice with tender and meticulous care.
“We breathed an air of utter satisfaction, of eternal peace,” he continued. “All this gives rise to a question. Isn’t it better to live in ignorance of everything- asphalt and macadam, vehicles, telephones, television- to live in bliss without knowing it?”(Mortenson and Relin 30)
The future of our generation must take eminence in such decisions; government must be willing to give away the last resources to educating children.
Three Cups of Tea is a reminder of all that society (and government) values nationally. The values of democracy and the idealism to which it is built must be superseded by the necessity for rise in the standard of living for humanity in villages, among the lowly, as with the elite. And then, more than guarding territorial boundaries government must put in place policies for equal opportunities to education.
It is also appropriate for government to realize that gone are the days when society was made of isolated nations. The idea of global village cannot be neglected, these days. If a child in US is privileged to attend school in Air-conditioned classrooms, the Child in Afghanistan should at least have four walls to sit in under the eyes of a teacher. That child in Afghanistan or Iraq could one day become a solution to the world, if properly educated. With this in mind, it would not be necessary to spend billions of dollars on arms for cross-boundary disputes but rather on the enemy called illiteracy. The value of education for the improvement of life in mankind’s existence is no longer a secret. And at no point should education be placed shoulder to shoulder with discrimination, social conflicts, impoverishment, sanitation standards, and poor health. For government, especially the US government, to win the social wall against poor child education, the structure that was adopted by Mortenson remains vital. Mortenson realized that a school is more than a building with walls, and its prosper in long-term was only achievable through proper local teachers training. Governments can choose to train educators in their local areas as school educators as well as role models. In a long run, the war of illiteracy would be defeated.
Conclusion
The book Three Cups of Tea by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson takes a reader through a journey of one man towards peace. It has set a standard for better co-exist for humankind, outlining genuine concern in the progress of others as a tool for changing the world. After reading through Three Cups of Tea, one would likely realize that every people have a form of kindness in them that can be propelled out. At least, if by Greg Mortenson’s experience we have realized that other people are not more humans than others, that we all have similar emotions and desires, then we would value others. Only then would we have started a better human race.
Works Cited
Mortenson, Greg and David Oliver Relin. The book Three Cups. eBooks, 2010.