Ethical leadership that relates to the book three cup of tea - Essay Example

Tens of thousands of children in Afghanistan and Pakistan have seen the light of the day through his organization. Educate a child, you have educated a generation. Educate a generation, you have educated a country! Revolution through the pen is mightier than the revolution through the gun. The former will come to stay and enrich the society. The later, in the ultimate analysis, will destroy the humanity. Many failed revolutions, bear testimony to this fact and pages of history are daubed in the resultant bloodshed on account of such mindless revolutions.

Mortenson was out to conquer K2, the world’s second tallest mountain. That failed, was a personal disaster, he was rather terminally ill caught in a very difficult situation. Residents of a small village in Pakistan, Korphe came to his rescue. He recouped his health with a determination that resulted in a precedent-shattering silent revolution in the field of education. One man’s determination and will had fructified to benefit countless impoverished children. A small project has since grown up into the Central Asia Institute that has demanded attention of all right thinking people across the world.

He achieved the impossible in an impossible region. Mortenson recalls his initial experience in the land of so-called Muslim extremists. “Mortenson was unsure how the mullah felt about having an infidel in the village, an infidel who proposed to educate Korphe’s girls. Sher Takhi smiled at Mortenson and led him to a prayer mat.”(p.142) Humanity had triumphed over religious bigotry! I entirely agree with the viewpoint of Mortenson that America or any other country for that matter must fight Islamic fundamentalism, through collaborative efforts by fighting poverty and providing access to education, including educating the girl-child.

This is the only option to permanent peace and to terminate mindless military adventures. I find a very interesting observation about the mind-set and culture of the people in the backward mountain area where Mortenson was operating. “If you want to thrive in Baltistan, you must respect our ways,” Haji Ali said, blowing on his bowl. “The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time, you are an honored guest. The third time you become family.”(p.150) This is the significance of Three Cups, which is a great cultural decoction, that blends people of diverse origin, diverse beliefs and diverse religious affiliations, together.

Philosophy and spirituality are not about the scriptures and lengthy text books alone. That which is not practical cannot be spiritual either! Every spiritual idea must stand the test of practicability. To speak about good ideas is good; but to go good work is the best option for humanity. Oratory is not experiencing. Mortenson has shown to the world that a school in a village is more beneficial to the humankind than, lengthy research papers on education read in the air-conditioned auditoriums.

The best revolution is silent. The first chapter of the book titled “Failure” is the foundation stone for the “educational empire” that Mortenson was to build during the next twelve years, in the region that perhaps gave him his second life. He was spearheading his campaign of education in a region where the literacy rate was 3%. Children wrote on dirt with sticks. The very interesting part of the book is, according to me is the transformation of Mortenson to a