Round Table Discussion #1

2.         One of the most valuable lessons that Mortenson learned was that he couldn’t dictate the shape his humanitarianism would take if he wanted the best results. He also learned that his reluctance to rely on Pakistani ways of doing things was partially due to prejudices he didn’t even he even know he had. How does his growing dependence on guidance from his Pakistani friends show his eventual awareness of his unconscious sense of cultural superiority? Which scenes best illustrate the lessons Mortenson learns about relying on his Pakistani friends for advice?

We all live with our prejudice that we are unfortunately taught growing up. The only way to lose those is to learn the truth about how a culture lives and survives. One of the ways to do that is to go to the place that we are prejudice against and live with them for close to a month. Mortenson ended up during that when he was rescued by the Pakistani people when he got lost on K2. He saw that the education of the children had fallen into the shabby region of life and decided to turn that around. In his quest to do so, Mortenson had learned to accept the people’s culture and banishing all unconscious sense of cultural superiority that he had before in his mind. There are many instances that the Pakistani people try to help him out along the way. One example is in chapter five when Mortenson is typing the letter to help build the school for the children. He was surprised that anyone in Pakistan even knew how to use a computer than he could. But, Mortenson needed some guidance in order to try and get money to help build up the school for the kids. If had been rude and hateful to the Pakistani people there, Mortenson would not have gotten far on his mission. The whole plot to build a school for another culture is another fine example of tolerance and working for one’s fellow man can be a rewarding thing.