PRINTThe value of education
August 14, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
For a 20th Century American History class I took a few years ago, I read The 9/11 Commission Report. It provided great entertainment during pointless Friday microeconomics labs. But seriously, I was excited to be reading the informative document. I felt like a responsible citizen as I educated myself on world-changing events.
As valuable as I considered that piece of nonfiction, another work has taken its place. Three Cups of Tea does so much more than tell the story of what’s happened in the life of Greg Mortenson, a night nurse and mountain climber turned humanitarian. More importantly, the book tells the story of what he’s setting into motion in order to make the world a better place. Reporter Erin Bernard’s story, “Learning from students," explains Mortenson’s tactics for accomplishing peace in an unstable world. Instead of fighting terrorism with bombs, his answer centers on providing children with the tools to combat ignorance.
This story also explores the influence Mortenson’s book will likely have on young people here in Columbia, as MU’s freshman class will read and discuss Three Cups of Tea.
Former Outside magazine editor Kevin Fedarko traveled with Mortenson to do some reporting and witnessed a young woman challenge cultural norms by working toward becoming a doctor. “What you’re doing here is a much more important story than the one I’ve come to report,” Fedarko was quoted as saying in the book. “I have to find some way to tell it.” With this, Fedarko admitted that he’d lost his objectivity as a journalist.
As Vox editors and writers, we’re nowhere near as embedded in the story. But through reading, researching and talking to those who believe in what Three Cups of Tea says, we, too, have become a little biased.
The transparency Fedarko shows speaks to the importance of the story. So read this feature with care. There’s a lot at stake for those who educate themselves.
