Monday 22 September 2008

THREE CUPS OF TEA.... a book everyone should read.


I want to suggest to anyone who likes books to read this book.

I was given my copy by Sorrow , when I visited with her, and I've just got round to reading it.

This book is outstanding, it's a the true story of a remarkable man called Greg Mortenson. He was a mountaineer, he attempted to climb K2, but failed and due to his exhausted state on his descent he got lost, and ended up in this village in Northern Pakistan. The people in this village gave him everything they could to help him return to health. He vowed to return and help them build a school for all the children, but especially the girls.

The rest of the book follows his journey to build school after school in one of the most deprived areas in the world and his struggles to succeed. His battles with his fellow countrymen to educate them that just because someone was Muslim , didn't mean that they were terrorists.

The book tells us that education is what will win the war on terrorism, not the gun.
If we all learn about each other then we can learn to live with each other in peace and not in fear.

There is more than one reference in this book to Greg deserving the Nobel Peace Prize, and I would concur wholeheartedly. What this extraordinary man has achieved in the last decade plus is outstanding.

And his message is ever more important when The Marriot Hotel in Islamabad has been bombed this week.

How long can we go on in this world using violence as a way to sort out the world's problems. Surely it's time we thought about the affect of every single shot or bomb that's dropped, that kills someones mother/father/son/daughter/ sister/brother. These victims in which ever country they are, are not all terrorists they are human beings just like us, they bleed as we do.

I do not have a religion that I buy into, I am an easy going human being who believes that we all have rights to a reasonable existence. And because I live in the Western world I'm more than a little privileged compared to my fellow human elsewhere on this planet.But that doesn't mean that I have any more right to kill than anyone else.

Fear is what is driving this world at the moment,ignorance of how others are. Plus radicalised religion, which surly comes as a direct result of fear in the first place.

This world is lucky to have the likes of Greg Mortenson and we who don't have the ability to do what he does should support him regardless of our religious beliefs or creeds.

Cause I for one don't want this world destroyed through the bullet so that land is unusable to grow crops. And people who have farmed that land for generations are displaced and have to eek out a very meagre existence in a refugee camp to try and stay safe.

6 comments:

Sorrow said...

i am so glad that you enjoyed the book.
the pennies for peace program is such a caring way for children to be involved in the process of helping other kids across the world.
I am just going to add my
"WHAT SHE SAID" to your eloquently written post.
!

Queen Vixen said...

Fire B - forgive me for not reading your book - this one also sounds like a worth while project. Had so much on my mind recently and now have a heavy cold. Only so much one woman can do. i will get round to both. In the meantime - hugs and blessings xxx

Mel said...

Wooooohoooooo!!!!!!!! One I've read!!!!

Awesome read--and talk about a testimony of integrity.

AND I love the photo at the header.
But I loved the other one..and the one before that...

Annie Wan said...

i was beginning to wonder if your header pictures change on its own everytime we visit your blog.

hear hear to your post

virtualjourney said...

Good post and sounds like a great read!

Fire Byrd said...

sorrow, thanks hon!

QV, get better soon we've go a night out to do!

mel the header pic at the moment is of Ullswater in the Lake District, I took it at 5am when I couldn't sleep.

mei, like to keep you on your toes with frequent changes. I used to do it with my furniture, but this isn't as heavey!!

VV,it is a fantastic book and well worth reading.

G. Girl, don't bother coming here trying to advertise your poker site, go put your adverts somewhere else.

xxxxx