Mountains Beyond Mountains

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Inequality Beyond Inequality Austin Webberley Dr. Mesle 2 Oct. 2011 Riding in the back of a decrepit pick-up truck in the thick jungles of Haiti, Paul Farmer waits impatiently, worrying that he won’t get to the sick man in time. Not too soon after passing a crashed car on the side of the road, the pick-up stutters, and then dies. With the destination only a couple more miles away, Farmer hops out of the truck with his medical equipment and slogs through the thick mud, devoted to make it there before it is too late. A typical day for Paul Farmer. Tracy Kidder goes over every detail of Farmer’s life in his book, Mountains Beyond Mountains. Farmer, an extremely skilled doctor, has dedicated his life to working in third world countries to aid and stop the spread of diseases such as Tuberculosis and AIDS. He created a multi-million dollar non-profit organization which has put its resources not only into fighting diseases, but to the good health of people in poverty. Farmer is extremely humble about the daily sacrifices he makes, that when someone does call him a saint, he comments, “People call me a saint and I think, I have to work harder. Because a saint would be a great thing to be” (16). The reason I bring this up is not to praise Paul Farmer, but to talk about the ideals that he graciously spreads around like jam on a planet sized piece of toast. The phrase “Every man for himself” seems to have little relevance in the world. Since the early civilizations with hunter-gatherers, humans have worked together as a community, and taken care of each other if need be. So why are there millions of men, women, and children who are sick and starving in our world, while many of us thrive on excess? Farmer smartly states, “God gives us humans everything we need to flourish, but he’s not the one who’s supposed to divvy up the loot. That charge was laid upon us” (79). The
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