I've been reading a lot of shorter books lately, so I'm struggling to keep up with the blog entries. Hence the need for two books in this one entry.
After giving Woods a tour, the school's headmaster says goodbye to Woods with the simple request that perhaps he could one day return with some books. Less than a year later Woods returned with thousands. The joyous reaction of the local village so overwhelmed him emotionally that he soon quit his job to build more libraries (and ultimately schools) in the developing world.
Perhaps I'm reading shorter books because I've been concentrating on some new topics. First out of the gates comes Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. Trying to quench my thirst for long term overseas travel at a time in my life when I can't do much of it, Vagabonding was both fascinating and heartbreaking. Potts describes a type of travel that almost no one actually does: Slow paced, long term travel that focuses on the experiences of everyday life, rather than sites and destinations.
Potts takes the time to explain the benefits as well as the challenges of long term travel. Not exactly a how-to manual, Vagabonding strips away the supposed glamour of luxury travel, replacing it with an inwardly rewarding method that touch the soul.
I enjoyed the book so much that I've added Potts' Marco Polo Didn't Go there to my wishlist!
As much as I enjoyed Vagabonding, my next read, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood left an even more profound mark. As I've written previously, I'm clearly approaching an age where I want to do something significantly philanthropic. Wood's story is inspiring to the extreme: While taking a two week hiking trip through Nepal as an escape to a high pressure job with Microsoft, Woods encounters a Himalayan school with virtually no books in its spacious library.
After giving Woods a tour, the school's headmaster says goodbye to Woods with the simple request that perhaps he could one day return with some books. Less than a year later Woods returned with thousands. The joyous reaction of the local village so overwhelmed him emotionally that he soon quit his job to build more libraries (and ultimately schools) in the developing world.Ten years later the organization he started, Room to Read, is having a massive impact on literacy and education around the globe.
I'm truly inspired by his work. Perhaps my upcoming trip to Honduras will instill me with similar inspiration!
No comments:
Post a Comment