I’m going to add three cents to the discussion about Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea, the book about his embellished school-building program in Afghanistan. First, the expose by Jon Krakauer, longer than an article but shorter than a book, is available online through a new service, Byliner, that hopes to commercialize more works of this length. As a writer, I’m excited!
Second, Mortenson proves something that I have long believed, which is that charity is best left to professionals who can distribute funds professionally and efficiently – at least more than an individual with good intentions can. By doing it himself, Mortenson had an inspiring yarn to spin. Who wants to buy a book about someone who wrote checks to Catholic Relief Services or the Red Cross? But Mortenson also had to set up a new organization with new infrastructure that had to be covered before a cent could be distributed to the needy. A bad manager may find that the infrastructure is more than the funds raised. It’s good for our economy to create work for accountants, lawyers, and fundraisers, but it doesn’t do a darn thing for the people in need.
Third, Mortenson talks about the powerful bonds that can form over something as simple as a cup of tea. We all know that; we meet friends and acquaintances for coffee, for lunch, for drinks all the time. And we are always learning new things about each other. In emerging markets, it’s easy to fall prey to an idea that you are dealing with people who are very different. Cultures are different, and they do matter, but at heart, we are all human beings with all the good and bad that entails. It’s dangerous to assume that someone is better or worse, smarter or stupider, kinder or ruder, just because he or she lives somewhere else.
