This is a fantastic true story about the life of Greg Mortensen, an ER nurse and mountaineer, who discovered a passion for educating children in the remote mountain villages of Pakistan. Mortensen's fight for funds, his determined nature, his ability to connect with the Balti people make for an easy and interesting read. His emphasis on educating the women of the villages is especially poignant. You see how kind and special these people are, you see that not everyone from the Middle East is a terrorist (obviously, but tell that to airport security). The Balti people have such a desire to educate themselves and improve their lives, but they are stuck in the past too.
"Once you educate the boys, they tend to levae the villages and go search for work in the cities. But the girls stay home, become leaders in the community, and pass on what they've learned. If you really want to change a culture, to empower women, improve basic hygiene and health care, and fight high rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls."
The book deals with war, prejudice, religious extremism, cultural barriers, and education. So many large and seemingly insurmountable problems, yet Mortensen continues to live by his mantra of taking it all "one cup of tea at a time."
What do you each see as your main role in helping the women of the world prosper?
5 comments:
You know, something I believe very strongly is in the pyramid of God, Family Country the World. I believe a lot of problems are caused when you neglect the foundations of society moving on to other things. I definitely feel concern, love, drive etc toward women of the world. I enjoyed 3 Cups of Tea so much and the wisdom of educating the women is tremendous but I think there's so much there underlying that must be factored in, taken care of etc etc etc.
So here's a couple of things.
1. The most important thing I can do is raise good children. A good man or woman starts here and I am counting on them being solid human beings who are instruments in the Lord's hands and rippling on out from there. That has infinite potential x's 4:)
2. In order for me to be able to do that, my husband supports me. He finances everything I want to do. He shows respect to me and that rubs off on my boys and they will, I hope respct their wives and empower them to fulfill the measure of their creation as well.
He shows affection for me and my kids and I have faith that that will meet their needs so that my daughter Alena will not feel the need to look for affection elsewhere until she's ready to start a life with somebody someday and get married.
3. I support the church financially and physically and they are the one of the great philanthropic organizations that has ever existed. I just heard that it was our church who provided the muslims of India ? with thousands (I can't remember the exact number) of Korans when theirs were lost in the tsunami.
4. I'm educating my kids with the goal in mind of teaching them to be great patriots, and free and independant thinkers. I also use this opportunity to educate myself.
5. I try to keep up friendships and relationships to the best of my ability and I'm trying to even improve on this in ways that I fall short. I want to learn from, teach, and support other women.
These seem menial perhaps but I have faith that the seeds I'm planting will grow and in some distant way they will affect the women of the world. I don't know how much more that I can do in my situation but I do have dreams of someday doing other things and when the time comes, I'll move on to that.
I think those are absolute perfection. When I was asked this question at book club, I thought my answers seemed menial as well.
My first thought was that helping the women of the world means that I need to start by being the best woman that I can be.
Who of us is really going to go to Pakistan and build amazing schools? Probably none of us, but you three are all mothers, and that is THE most important thing. Like Tulip says, the ripples of effect of what you three do daily will never be measured. Maybe one day you'll catch a glimpse of it, but so much of what we do in our lives is based on faith.
I like to think that in my own small way the students that I teach come away with more understanding on how to make the world better. When you study and discuss things like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and other ideas, I believe that it encourages many to be just a little bit better in their lives. I feel like my job makes a difference in the world and that's a good feeling.
No doubt that a good teacher can have tremendous effects. Our neighbor is planting a garden and putting in a compost pile because his son came home from school wanting to do it. Obviously he has a teacher inpsiring him. Not too many 12 yr old interested in compost piles so I'm sure that this teacher is making an impact.
I have been thinking of this often since I read it last week. I believe that one of the most important things I can do to help women around me prosper is to lift them up both vocally and in my mind.
As a woman, I have always struggled with my self-esteem, relying heavily on the opinions of others as a means to determine my worth. Sometimes others give off a message that can be misunderstood and in my earlier years (and sometimes now) that would really throw me off. As I learn to love myself more I am not so strongly pulled although I still feel the current.
I am thankful for women I've known through my life in whom I've grown to trust, knowing they love me and see the good in me despite my imperfections. I love these women and I hope to be like them. I don't think I am all the way there yet. I would like to be more.
As women, we can be great catalysts for each other. Both sides of the Eternal War know this and I believe that is why we struggle with gossip and backbiting. See them as sisters, as blood. Sometimes comments we make can injure each other and we should be aware of the words that come out of our mouths, trying to imagine how they will be perceived by the hearer. Do we not realize what we say sometimes? or do we not care that without being direct, we are tearing someone down?
This is a big issue. Sisters are so beautiful! And we are all sisters!
so true so true. I've been brewing up this idea I've had about Satan's tools. I heard that Satan has the same tool, lies. He just uses different handles. For women the handles seems to be judgement and taking offense.
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