Being a teenage in ancient Rome wasn't easy. There were no X-box 360's to play or cars to drive, or even chariots to cruise around in. Don't get me wrong, there were chariots, but the only teens that got to drive them were those young men going off to fight the latest Roman war, or, if they were lucky enough, race around the colliseum, a sport that often resulted in death. According to A Glimpse of Teenage Life in Ancient Rome while your average American teenager devotes more than seven hours a day to imbibing media – to watching TV, playing video games, hanging out on Facebook — the average 17-year-old Roman kid (circa 73 AD) had some more serious business to deal with. Like mastering reading and writing in two languages, fighting in imperial wars, taking care of (obscenely young) spouses and various other items. See for yourself: The video was created by Ray Laurence, a classics professor, from the University of Kent. How is being a teen tough today? Do you s
Helping the people of Korphe seemed to be a better way for Mortenson to achieve what he wanted for his sister, to help other people in the biggest way he can. In order for Mortenson to build this school he would have to spend the next few years away from his family but the people he did bring with him to help build this school made it all worth while. His sister would have wanted nothing but this, Mortenson knew that this, if anything, would be a much better way to reach out and give something back to his little sister rather than climing K2 and leaving a necklace on the very top.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about Mortenson's background that might have helped him to build a school in Korphe is the fact that he was born and raised in a country (kenya) that is very similar to Korphe in many respects. It is geographically isolated from the developed world, economically poor to the developed world, and socially very hospitable unlike the developed world. On that level Mortenson might feel a much deeper bond with the people of Korphe and a great appreciation for the difficulty of their situation. I'm also going to agree with Caragurl and say that Mortenson might very well feel that as far as means of honoring his sister go, building a school for girls in a place very similar to where they grew up would seem to fit the bill. Also there is again the fact that the people of Korphe were very hospitable to Mortenson in his time of need, and he would naturally feel the desire to thank them appropriately. Building a school would, again, fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteMortenson's family background has encouraged him to take a brief decision, to build a school for the people of Korphe. He has witnessed how the people in Africa lived under the poverty line since he was a kid. His parents once had a missionaries teaching in Africa. His father himself had ever built a hospital for the Tanzanian people. This fact had forced him to do great things just like his father did. Moreover, building a school for the people of Korphe could be an honor to his sister, Christa
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