Assigned Book: Mountains Over Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Year Published: 2003
Thought-Provoking Quotes (Gems):
"He would catalog what he called "the geography of blame" and the scapegoat role assigned to Haiti." (Kidder 106).
Response: Our government will do what it can to keep it's reputation looking pristine and untouched and so, several faults and blames are put on other countries. For example: The U.S. is without empathy when it had identified Haiti as a "risk group", disregarding the harm it would cause on the Haitian economy. Assuming the degree of disregard, the U.S. government makes decisions based upon the benefits that would arise from a certain action to aid their own country and ultimately, not that of others.
"From where he sat, Cange looked like a collection of small dwellings scattered in no particular pattern on the side of an almost treeless mountain"(Kidder 106).
Response: Aside from the riots and demonstrations leaving the soil of Cange colored red, the site is broken and shattered that defining its state would be difficult. What word would suffice?
"The rocks in the water don't know how the rocks in the sun feel" (Kidder 110).
Response: Will karma will take its course over time so Haitian elite will feel the suffering of the Haitian poor? Is a government of saints enough to make reform happen?
Precis (Chapter 11: The Tin Roofs of Cange):
In midst of everything, Farmer had acquainted himself with a priest names Aristide and studied the origin of AIDs, proceeding to incorporate his research into this thesis. By then, it was 1990, and Farmer had received his Ph.D. from Harvard although he had an outstanding record of absences and was awarded permission to publicize his thesis. Still militant in his efforts to lift oppression off the Haitian poor, Farmer had trouble disconnecting himself from the many faces and past events he saw and experienced in the hospital rooms.
Thoughts:
How much can our brains keep track of the faces of healthy and sick people? I'm amazed at the capacity at which Farmer can hold a great number of faces solid in his mind. With so many memories filled with gore, I don't think I would be able to face the corruption and blood-ridden world without being a mere bystander. I wonder if compassion and determination are enough to save a people from complete devastation? Farmer has a mnemonic structure where he remembers all faces and the mere stuffed animals placed in a patient's hospital room to remember a thousands of ailments. I don't believe I could ever carry the burden of not being able to cure someone of a disease and have their face branded into my mind. It's a scary thought to be the middle man between death and life. I'm grateful to have not been in this situation. My view of life and death is very obscure compared to that of Farmer. Having seen several die from the worst of diseases, Farmer is nonetheless never depressed, a concept I am unable to fathom. The hope Farmer holds within his efforts and Partners of Health organization gives me hope that there are other doctors in the world that are as willing as he is to rid the world of diseases and deaths. I wonder as to why doctors dedicate their lives to saving and curing people, is it because they want to be reassured that their power is enough to evade death? Or do they seek a sharp slap in the face to remind them of the reality of life?
I find your response to the first thought-provoking quote interesting. While I certainly agree that our gov't does not have pure, unsullied motives about anything at all, I wonder if any other country is out there making decisions based on anything other than its own best interests. I don't think so. In light of that, why are expectations so high for the good old USA? Many blame the US for its role as "peacekeeper" or "police force" of the world, but in the next breath also blame them when they don't take action. I'm not sure what the solution is here, but it's a quandry for sure.
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