Afghanistan and Greg Mortenson

I am so heartened to hear that my hero, Greg Mortenson, author of best seller "Three Cups of Tea", who has devoted his life to building schools for girls in remote areas of Afghanistan & Pakistan, is being SERIOUSLY LISTENED TO by American military commanders. Check his blog for more on this: http://gregmortenson.blogspot.com/

I've just ordered his new book, "Stones into Schools", a continuation of the story, and really look forward to reading it. I've been immersed in readings about and by Gandhi this past month, in addition to my usual spiritual study and practice.

All of this causes me to know we have no business being in Afghanistan if we are not there to really bless the people. Not by changing them to be just like us, but by understanding their real aspirations, the hopes they have for their children and their country, and to partner with them in bringing those hopes to life.