Good Books Foster Global Citizenship

After getting married, my husband and I had seven years to fashion a general philosophy about how we would raise our kids before we ever were blessed with any. After vowing we would never let our children run screaming around tables in restaurants, we talked about the importance of education.

In addition to wanting to furnish them with every educational advantage within our power, we talked about the importance of providing a solid family life grounded in faith and buoyed by a zeal for life and love and respect for others. Bright, beautiful and balanced children. Was that too much to ask?

Indian philosopher Mahatma Gandhi said, “If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”

Books – Ticket to Diversity
The echo of Mr. Gandhi’s wise words touched the future we imagined for our children. (We eventually had two beautiful daughters.) So, when we got our family underway and were in the throes of raising our girls, it was a relief to have access to the wisdom of other successful parents and to have tools available to us – namely books! We read to our girls from the time they were infants, including books we felt would arm them to fight the slithering ways of prejudice and overcome our natural myopic tendencies.

I recently discovered a horizon-broadening book called “Listen to the Wind,” which I would have loved to have had when my girls were younger. It is the children’s version of the New York Times bestseller “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson, an American mountain climber who stumbled lost and emaciated into a remote Pakistani mountain village after a failed climb. Balti villagers nursed him back to health, and Mortenson promised to come back some day to build a school for their children.

Man with a Heart for Kids
Mortenson kept his promise, and “Listen to the Wind” retells the inspirational story of his rescue and fulfilled promise from the perspective of the Korphe village children. Mortenson has since founded the Central Asia Institute, which has brought books and education to thousands of impoverished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan – 130 schools and 51,000 kids at last count.

“Education saves lives, empowers women and communities, and helps connect often exploited indigenous societies isolated by illiteracy to the outside world,” says Mortenson, a humanitarian who is billed as the guy who promotes peace “one school at a time.”

Website Without Borders
There are many other good multicultural books available besides “Listen to the Wind.” The children’s reading and writing website Big Universe offers a nice assortment of books to broaden the horizons of youngsters, including “Kids Around the World,” “Greece,” “We Share One World,” “Sub-Saharan Africa,” “China,” “Places Around the World,” “India” and “Holidays.” These books are perfect for introducing children to other cultures and spurring discussions about diversity.

By using the written word, I was able to help my daughters develop respect for other customs while deepening their fondness for their own family traditions. Lining that learning curve were curiosity and compassion, spurred on by the books we read, the games we played, the discussions we had, and the prayers we prayed.

Nelson Mandela on Education
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” said Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa.

I, too, believe parents, writers and educators are in a pivotal position to nurture the good neighbors, peacekeepers and humanitarians of tomorrow. We have a wonderful opportunity to bolster multicultural appreciation while doing battle with prejudice and learning to lend a helping hand.

Combine good books with hearty discussions, listening to “world music,” tasting various foods, traveling, and participating in service projects like Pennies for Peace. These are just a few avenues to help cultivate the broadmindedness necessary to thrive in today’s global society.

One Comment

• ‘Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes’ Revisited | Big Universe Learning - Blog says:

  April 12, 2011 at 1:29 pm

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