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.