A Universal Message in Mountains Beyond Mountains Essay

A Universal Message in Mountains Beyond Mountains The suffering and misery of the poor and destitute has long been reported on and documented by writers all over the world. The circumstances and stories of the less fortunate are accounted by authors who sometimes distance themselves from the people they write about. However, Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder focuses on the work of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who works tirelessly to comfort the sick and dying in the poorest countries in the world. Instead of being a simple biography about a wonderful man, Kidder weaves his own message of human rights into the book. Kidder successfully conveys his message that universal healthcare is a right a not a privilege through the words and†¦show more content†¦The suffering of a poor man in America is not the same as a poor man in Haiti. A man in America has more access to hospitals, shelters, and basic needs than a man in Haiti. Kidder’s main message lies in this principl e. While progress has been made in medical technology in powerful countries, moral progress has not developed at the same rate. A man who would agree with Kidder’s message of the universal right of health care is Mahatmas Gandhi. In his speech Economic and Moral Progress Gandhi says that many people mistake economic progress for moral progress. He points out those countries have become more industrial as well as technologically advanced but this upgrade has been at the expense of their obligations to their morality. He cites an example he is very familiar with- the cruel oppression of the British Empire over India. The people were rationed to one meal a day, â€Å"No one has ever suggested that grinding pauperism can lead to anything else than moral degradation. Every human being has a right to live and therefore to find the wherewithal to feed himself and where necessary to clothe himself† (334). Gandhi asserts his belief that there are a basic set of human rights th at all people are born with no matter what country they live in, what their status, or how much money they earn. In part II of the book Farmer explains some of the circumstances that have been laid upon the HaitianShow MoreRelatedTracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains Essay1942 Words   |  8 PagesTracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains â€Å"The only real nation is humanity† (Farmer 123). This quote represents a huge message that is received in, Tracy Kidder’s, Mountains Beyond Mountains. This book argues that universal healthcare is a right and not a privilege. Kidder’s book also shows the audience that every individual, no matter what the circumstances, is entitled to receive quality health care. 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