Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Power of Education

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a TimeI'm sure everyone has either read or heard about the book, Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. Well, there was an interesting article in the New York Times the other day that, I think, really strengthened the cause that (he) is fighting. The article was written after the failed bombing incident in Times Square. The author, (Nicholas D. Kristof - who writes a lot of great articles about global public health), concludes the article with: "It costs $1,500.00 to sponsor a D.I.L.* classroom for a year, and that's just about the best long-term counterterrorism investment available."

*D.I.L. (Developments in Literacy) is an organization that builds schools for girls in Pakistan.

It's amazing and inspiring how education, particularly of girls, in Bangladesh made such a huge difference for the country.

This made me think of how we view education in our society. My parents taught me to value education, (that statement is a total understatement). I think our society sometimes takes education for granted, and, sometimes, even though we are "educated," selfishness rather than ignorance leads us to believe in or fight for things that aren't really worth fighting for. Often we don't take the time to learn the facts, or, even more often, we don't know where to find the "true" facts when we want them. It is sad to see what the lack of education has created in Pakistan.

Anyways, if you haven't read this book, it's a really good one; my dream to work in a foreign country with my husband (and our kids) seemed much more realistic after reading it.

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