In the book "Three Cups of Tea" Greg Mortenson needs to decide whether he will help the people of Pakistan by building them a school, or if he will stay in America with his girlfriend and settle down and have a family. Greg chose to go to Pakistan and build the school. This shows that Greg knows that it is the correct choice for him to do what is better for the greater society, in his case helping the many people in Pakistan. He could have also made this decision and known that if his girlfriend was really the right fit for him as a life partner she would share his ethical standpoint and understand his actions. While reading a bit more reveals that his girlfriend does indeed share his drive to help other people, leaving shows that he is willing to take a risk to do what he believes is right. Not only does this show that he is a sound person ethically, it shows that he is not afraid to be a whistle blower and stand up for what he believes to be right.
Mortenson is faced with a similar problem later on in the book, when the people of the village he was building a school at asked him if he could build a bridge for them. While Mortenson hadn't enjoyed sleeping in his car and living in a storage space, he knew that the people in Pakistan didn't enjoy walking through a river many times a day. Mortenson saw that he could build them a bridge, and he wanted to. He knew that it would be in the best interest of many people, and while it might not be fun for him, it was the best thing to do. Mortenson liked helping people, but also did it because he knew he would feel that if he didn't he would regret his poor decision. This steadfast loyalty to serving others is a testimony to the strength of his character ethically.
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This sounds like a very interesting book. In fact, I almost read it for outside reading. The ethical choice between staying in America and helping education in Pakistan is a very good example of Mortenson's code of ethics. While it seems like the obvious thing to go to Pakistan, since staying in America could be seen as selfish, I don't know many people who could actually do it. He must have a very strong moral compass to have done all these great things.
Greg Mortensen is one of my heroes. They choices that he makes throughout this story just blow my mind. He is an everyday average Joe, apart from climbing K2, and he puts his whole life on the line just for a small village on the otherside of the world. These choices are mindblowing. His ethics are much higher than anyone who reads this book could ever imagine. He is amazing, and your examples show just how dedicated he was to this cause. Great work.
This is interesting that his choice to build the school helped him figure out if he was with his girlfriend for the right reasons. Apparently he was not because they did not share the same ideas, and what he did was right. This guy seems like a real hero to Pakistan and a moral crusader because he is being very unselfish.
Greg Mortenson makes his decisions seem like easy ones to make, when, in fact, they are extremely tough ones. He seems to have little problems deciding what is right. His actions show his unselfish nature. I wonder if his girlfriend and loved ones will be able to be as unselfish as Mortenson is.
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