Mountains Beyond Mountains Question Response

It would be extremely difficult to say that any normal individual can replicate the extraordinary things Doctor Paul Farmer did. Although “normal people” have indeed contributed to society in extraordinary ways throughout history I find that Paul Farmer is different in that he made doing great things for the less fortunate his life mission. His dedication and determination in achieving his goal is simply something I cannot call normal. For example, I find that normal people set goals that are often easier to achieve. Realistically Paul Farmer cannot cure all of the less fortunate of their diseases, but it certainly does not stop him from attempting to do so. A passage found in Mountains Beyond Mountains that displays Farmer’s abnormal dedication comes early in the story when Farmer says “I can’t sleep. There’s always somebody not getting treatment. I can’t stand that.” (p. 24) This passage makes Farmer seem as though he is a saint which certainly would not be considered normal. For the most part, normal people tend to do great things when the results can benefit them in some way. Instead Farmer sacrifices his own health for the health of less fortunate individuals. Another example of Farmer’s dedication is his relationship with women and his family. He basically neglects any form of affection he may desire and focuses on the goal he has set. Any normal individual would have to fill these needs for love and affection in some way.

After hearing Tracy Kidder speak about Farmer I find Farmer to be even more extraordinary than I previously believed. The most interesting thing that the author from Mountains Beyond Mountains said was that he could not find a single person that disliked Farmer. Although he said that he found people that disagreed with him he also said everybody he spoke to respected him. For any normal individual there will always be people that dislike that person. It is the way life works. Humans are not meant to like everybody, but Farmer has through his work found a way for everybody to respect him and what he does.