Three Cups of Tyranny

Ok, so the real title to the book I want to discuss is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.

If no one has heard of it, Greg is a climber who on a failed attempt to summit one of those huge mountains, loses his Pakistani sherpa (they have another name) and stumbles into a mountain village where he is taken care of. Upon leaving he promises to come back and does along with builing them and others schools to teach their children-- and not just the boys, girls too. Going against the Islamic extremist's who want to keep the wome in the dark. And he builds rec centers for the women to learn skills to help earn money.

Brillaint idea, no? You will be amazed at the young people who risk their lives; one father sending his young boy on a raft down a river that at best is the worst part of the Lil lunch counter at Hoback Junction in Wyomin.; to attend school. Last month I read in a magazine that some of the girls even get acid thrown up in their faces when they try to go to school.

I found myself aching to help these women shrouded behind dark burqas symbolic of their literally being kept in the dark.

So when my Aunt suggested I read the book Escap by Laura Jessop a former FLDS woman who escaped with her children I about lost it. Sure I have seen the women in their pioneer pastel garb splashed around the news. Watched the kids loaded onto buses and taken from their parents. Etc etc. I thought they needed their moms. But that the abuse they were suffering was unbelievable and they needed help. After reading half of Escape I realize that what I thought was taking placing only in the third world countries was in our own back yard under the guise of 'Freedom of Religion'

My mind goes back to Jefferson's quote about him being dedicated to tyranny of the mind in all its forms till he died. America has made amazing progress in its short life span. I look at even the amount of women doctors I have and they make up half. That is astounding because 10 years ago I didn't have one.

I know that the answer is education. And kindness. I can't fly over to Pakistan and teach them a short lesson on Dickens. But I can invite the little girl up the street who has both parents working, is bored, and doesn't have my son to play with till he comes back from Dad's, to come help me weed the garden and teach her a poem. I can open up the world to her by teaching her to read, taking the time to read out loud to her and let her read to me.

I have tried not to be preachy in my emails, but informative. This topic really struck me and I felt impressed to send out a "push" to you all. If it is just to read those works and then see where they take you-- awesome! And if you are too busy then I hope that I shared enough to inspire you.

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