Greg Mortenson
Greg Mortenson completely won me over today in his forum address to students at Brigham Young University. I was actually struggling to get through the book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time. However, the reasons I was struggling through it were completely cleared up today.
I made it a field trip. Ustaz Mohamed and I took about 45 students practically running up the hill from Provo High to make it for a descent seat. We even had commandos scout ahead for group seating possibilities.
First, Did you know his book is required reading for a large number of military personel in Afghanistan?
After listening to him speak, I see the unique characteristics that make him so successful in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
1-He ditched the podium mic for a hand-held to speak to everyone, turning around to catch even the establishment.
2-He obviously did some research on the community to whom he was speaking.
Which for example includes: At least 90% or more of the audience was Mormon (of about 5000 seated in the building and probably another few hundred in overflow). At least 1/3 of the audience would have served full time missions to countries all over the world. Many in the audience have built schools in all parts of the world as well.
He talked to us like we are the same kind of people; relating his parents’ missionary experiences to ours, using religious values/terminology that are important to him and us, helping us to understand concepts through our own experiences working with impoverished people, etc. He was so good at speaking ‘our language’ in fact that one of my students leaned over to ask me if he was Mormon.
3-Really I believe this means he’s good at making people feel their contributions to the world are valid and important. Because of his skill in doing this with us, I have no doubt of his skill in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
I got excited today. I like what he did today for us and hopefully these impressionable students that we brought.
aud'acious 
I’m glad the forum was such a positive experience…it would have been a shame to make the trek up the hill (and on a cold day!) to not be impressed. I was struck as well by your point #2, like when he was talking about elders and how we respect elders in our church community. I’m not sure it’s quite the same way as in Afghanistan/Pakistan, but it does show that he is intentional about trying to understand others’ cultures and find commonalities where they exist.
It didn’t seem fake, though. Whatever he was doing, it was working.
I heard Mortenson talk today and what I thought was impressive was his humility, as I was expecting someone to talk about how great he was. But instead Mortenson talked about the importance of humility and service, and really tied it in well with the service mission the Mormons share. We should really never pre-judge someone.
Susan Reynolds
Now I want to read the book.
My unheard of web project:
http://clarissa.w.telrock.org