Outside Reading Post 6

While Mortenson's efforts in Pakistan were truly heroic, the fact that he left his family for months at a time, and constantly was waking up at 3 am to work on Pakistan time can't be overlooked. Many people consider Mortenson as a hero for his brave, persistent efforts to educate Pakistan's rural poor, especially girls, and counter terrorism in his education of moderate beliefs and hope for a better future that he installed in the children. However, his wife, Tara, and their children had to live with their father continually entering a dangerous environment, with the very likely possibility that he would not return. Christiane Letinger stated that she believe Tara to be as heroic as Greg. Letinger argues, "Tara not only allows it, but supports it, because she believes so strongly in Greg's mission. If that's not heroism I don't know what is" (304). Tara had to go through countless nightmares, and even when Greg is at home, can count on him sleeping odd hours and traveling for fundraising speeches. Tara is clearly the perfect match for Greg, as she supports and puts up with his crazy lifestyle.
The lifestyle that Greg leads made me wonder if he made the right ethical decision when he decided to start a family and get married. While Tara does support him, he really isn't a functional part of their relationship, and seems to have limited influence and interaction with his kids. Does Greg's care for the people on the other side of the world block him from acting as he should at home? From what I could pick up from the reading it seemed that he wasn't leading a ethical life at home, by his neglect of family duties. However, this may be the correct ethical decision, as by neglecting his family, he is helping thousands of people worldwide. While I think Greg leads a very ethical life, I believe he could do more for his family, even while maintaining his involvement on his project.

Mortenson, Greg, and David Relin. “Three Cups of Tea”. New York: Penguin Group, 2006.

Outside Reading Post 5

When learning about the many negative affect of drugs, we were introduced to the idea that the money spent on them world go to helping many illegal organizations around the world. My health teacher traced through the money that was spent on heroin would hurt the environment and help fuel wars, while also hurting your body. The idea of bad money is one that many people understand, and no ethical person wants to use the money a drug dealer made. Mortenson needed a lot of money to finance his many projects in Pakistan, and few Americans were willing to donate to his cause. As Mortenson saw his funds dwindle and became scared for the future of his organization, he accepted money from anyone that would donate to him. Mortenson thought of the conflict when he was paying his respects to Mother Teresa just after her death. He recounted how she had been criticized for he acceptance of money from corrupt persons, but Mortenson agreed with her actions (237). Mortenson saw how difficult it had been for him to collect even the 20,000 dollars he needed for a school, and understood Mother Teresa's actions.
Should money be accepted to help a good cause that came from a corrupt source? The point can really be argued either way. On one hand the money would go to help many people, such as the children the Mortenson was helping in Pakistan, and any money received would help. However, accepting the money indirectly contributed or supported the corrupt persons actions. Mortenson believed that the fact that the person donated the money may have showed a change in heart, and accepted any money thankfully. I agree that for the most part his actions spoke to the more ethical choice, however there will always be special cases that do not fit with his generalized assumption.

Mortenson, Greg, and David Relin. “Three Cups of Tea”. New York: Penguin Group, 2006.

Outside Reading Post 4

When Greg Mortenson decided to become the founder and head of the Central Asia Institute, he took on an challenge that he was ready for. As his trips to Pakistan increased in frequency and duration, he found more areas that needed his help, and found himself traveling to the outermost regions of the country. As his duties increased, he had less time to spend talking to the heads of the villages he was going to build in, which lead to a lack in some of his social understanding of their unique culture. When Mortenson visited Wiziristan, a desert area on Pakistan's border, he had the intention of building them a school. He soon learned that the regions hatred toward Americans was growing, however this enlightenment occurred after his capture. As I read of Greg's travels and his decreasing intimate contact with town leaders, I thought of the struggle that must be going through his mind. He had to make a choice, either he would build less schools learn more about each individual towns culture and needs, or he could build as many schools as possible, and lose his close relationships and the possibility to cater directly to the area's specific needs. This decision required Mortenson to think of what he cared about most. Mortenson was able to come to some middle ground by hiring Pakistani employees that could share important cultural information, while leaving Mortenson with the time to build as many schools and town centers as possible.
As could be expected, conflicts arose from Mortenson's lack of relationships with town leaders. On his trip to Waziristan, the Haji Wazir, their town leader, captured Mortenson and held him hostage for ten days (165). Mortenson realized that he must make some diplomatic relations before planting himself in an area and attempting to solve their problems. After he learned that Haji Wazir had taken him in to see if he was anti-Islam or a secret agent, Mortenson was sure to get to know important Pakistani leaders personally so they could see his works were for the better of all the people of Pakistan. Mortenson had many difficult decisions to make on his quest to help as many children as he could, but his ethical choices help define him as the hero many people consider him to be.

Mortenson, Greg, and David Relin. “Three Cups of Tea”. New York: Penguin Group, 2006.