thanks to a generous gift from author Greg Mortenson. I got a call on Friday from the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies that a package was waiting for me from Amazon. I had no clue what it could be so you can imagine my surprise when I made my way there later that afternoon, opened the box, and saw there were two copies of Greg's most recent book and a personal note from the author.
I struggled with how to write about this or even if I should but I think it's a telling gesture from a private man who makes a number of decisions based on his gut feeling. Those who follow regularly will remember this post a few days ago - http://symplicityphoto.blogspot.com/2010/06/three-cups-of-tea-one-mans-mission-to.html. In the personal note attached, it is clear that Greg scrolled down and read a bit more about the work we've been doing recently with the Centre and the publication program we run as well as the library of war and society literature we have available to students and the general public. From the description in Three Cups of Tea I can picture him doing this from his home office while taking a break from the incessant email and administrative demands he must have or mounds of reading he surely has on the go. At the Centre, our informal library works mostly on accountability and trust, a little like the operations they run on the ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan. All you need to sign a book out of our library is a piece of ID that we photocopy and write down the titles you've taken.
I'll be honest, my blog is not exactly a site that attracts thousands of hits a day so I was a little surprised that this even registered on his radar. The Central Asia Institute now runs on an operating budget of over 4 million dollars a year and the small monthly donation I committed to after reading the book wouldn't even register on their charts. But this is typical of the introverted Greg Mortenson who I've come to know through his co-author's words in Three Cups of Tea
, his own writing through the first 200 pages of Stones into Schools as well as what other's have written on the web. In the preface of Stones into Schools he talks about a Colorado town that clamoured to hear him speak and donated $125,000, the majority of which came from small donations. He deeply appreciates the support that is given to his operation to educate girls and provide hope in that poverty stricken part of the world.
Greg with school girls in Pakistan - Taken from the CAI Website under Media Images
For my part, I have now lent my copy of Three Cups of Tea out and have many eager to borrow it when I get it back. My mother went out the other day and bought copies for those going to the dinner party they were hosting. I can't stop talking about the inspiration those pages are laden with and more importantly how fundamentally crucial his mission is if there is to be any hope of peace in that region. Here is someone who is doing 'nation-building' the right way - by providing the means for villages to build their own classrooms and all the educational tools for young boys and most importantly girls in the most remote regions of the Middle East.
Until recently I wasn't sure how I was going to focus the efforts of my blog and then I stumbled on a podcast where Jasmine Star was interviewed. Jasmine made it very clear that her blog and twitter account were her way of allowing her clients to get to know her in a more personal way. A window to her thoughts etc... She felt this helped her clients get to know her and it reflected her personality. It's also my personality to want to share and to want to teach and so her example served to clarify the direction of my own blog.
For now I'm going to go back to reading this book. Look for a fuller review soon. Thanks Greg.
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