Mountains Beyond Mountains Analysis

The infamous abolitionist Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” This statement is definitely true as people can’t bring about change easily or without opposition. This declaration is personified in Paul Farmer’s story as he tries to cure the world of tuberculosis. In Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, we see all the challenges and opponents that Farmer faces in attempting to bring about good, but we also see the reward of fighting the long defeat and how these challenges are active in our own lives as we try to bring about change.
I once saw a cartoon and it showed a man behind a podium asking a group of people the question: who wants change? Everyone raised their hands. He then asked: who wants
to change? Not a single person raised their hand. It’s amazing how many people want change, but few are actually willing to change or put in the effort to bring about change. Farmer faces similar opposition when he tries to eradicate the world of tuberculosis. He deals with a plethora of conflicts along the way. These include sacrifices of time, money, health, safety and even happiness.
When I joined the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program my freshman year of high school, I had one goal in mind: to be the best cadet in the program and to change it for the better. My freshman year I was awarded the Cadet of the Year award, which is awarded to the best freshman cadet in the program, and then sophomore year I was promoted to the position of Platoon Sergeant and was in charge of about ten people. I was also awarded the NCO of the Year award, which is awarded to the best sophomore cadet. My junior year I was promoted to the position of S-3 Operations Officer which is in charge of planning all the events for the battalion. I was also the Platoon Leader for the JROTC Drill Team and mentored the freshman Color Guard Team. During my junior year I was awarded the Superior Cadet award for being the best junior cadet. My senior year I was promoted to the position of Battalion Commander, the highest position possible in the program and was, overall, in charge of the program’s success or failure. I was ultimately responsible for all the administrative tasks being completed efficiently and punctually. I was also the Female Squad Commander on the Drill Team and the Female Color Guard Commander on the Color Guard Team. I was also awarded the Superior Cadet award for a second time as the best senior cadet.
During my time in the JROTC program, I helped bring about many changes.
During my junior year the biggest event I had to plan was the social event for the battalion: military ball. The event was one eagerly looked forward to, and rightfully so, as it was always a blast with the cadets and fostered many memories that will last a lifetime. I took planning this event very seriously and in the end many told me that it was the best military ball to date. Several cadets came to me after the formalities had concluded and thanked me for putting in the time and effort to make military ball happen. Seeing their gratitude and smiles on their faces made me feel appreciated and I knew that all the hours I had put in and almost wanting to tear my hair out in frustration had not gone in vain. During my senior year, another crucial event within the program changed. The criteria for our annual inspection had been altered drastically and we had to start from scratch will almost everything. This inspection is what JROTC works toward the entire school year, due to the fact that if a program receives a low score a certain amount of times, then the program can be disbanded. I, along with my staff, worked for months making sure that we had everything we needed and that our presentation was the best it could be. When the day of inspection finally came around, our hard work paid off. The battalion received a perfect score and was officially the best JROTC program in the county. This was the first time since my high school JROTC program’s conception in 2000 that we had received a perfect score on the
inspection.
These changes did not come without opposition, however. I learned a valuable principle early on in my junior year as the S-3: it’s impossible to please everyone. During the planning phase of military ball, the staff and I deliberated over every little detail including changes in the theme, senior song, decorations and food. On nearly every topic someone disagreed and I, as the main planner, had to keep everyone somewhat happy with the outcome. I also had to make sure that everyone’s opinion was heard. This experience correlates to Farmer’s involvement in trying to get the health care world on the same page about MDR TB treatment. Farmer’s new idea of treatment for the disease came with heavy opposition but through many cases the opposition came to welcome the new treatment. Another “sacrifice” I made as leader of the program was a lot of sleep, happiness, and food. During other various events the battalion puts on throughout the school year I had to make sure it was running smoothly and that there were no problems. This usually included me running from place to place looking like a chicken with its head cut off. At the end of the event, nevertheless, seeing the cadets having a good time laughing with smiles on their faces made the hard work pay off. Another example of this was the inspection. During the preparation process I skipped a few lunches, especially the week before, to make sure everything was in order and going according to plan. This experience correlates to Farmer having to constantly travel and work. He even came to the point of being put in the hospital due to his lack of attention to his overall well-being.
One issue that I hope to help resolve in the future is the matter of backlogs in scientific labs. This concern is gradually becoming a larger problem to solve as time goes on. According to Pew Charitable Trusts, more than 91,000 DNA samples went untested in 2011. These DNA samples can include mouth swabs, blood, hair and even rape kits. In Chicago more than 50 rape cases haven’t been tested for years. Some have even been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for over 25 years. In fact, this subject has become such a problem that the Forensic DNA Backlog Reduction Program was created for local and state governments to apply for funding to help alleviate this problem. To demonstrate the severity of this issue, when my father passed away in January, the mortician conducted a toxicology report and the backlog is so severe that to this date we have still not received the report. One way I hope to resolve this issue is to create a partnership between the police departments and private laboratories to eliminate squandering. This will allow the departments to use that money to further fund their laboratories and ease the backlog situation.
In summation, changes is a difficult thing to deal with, but is necessary throughout life. Portrayed in Mountains Beyond Mountains, Farmer had to deal with a plethora of resistance and enemies trying to cure the world of tuberculosis. Even though I didn’t face quite such extreme opposition, I did face conflict when trying to change military ball and adapting to change with the new inspection criteria. In the end, the hard work payed off with a night full of great memories and a perfect score on the inspection. As the saying goes, “The only constant in life is change.”