I must try desperately to absorb all information I can about the

Amanda Lindhout, who walked through both wonder and unspeakable trial, once declared: “I must try desperately to absorb all information I can about the Middle East. I want to excel. I want to speak articulately about the politics of the Middle East and its religion.” These words are not light musings, but the burning confession of a soul drawn to knowledge as a pilgrim to sacred ground. In them, we hear the cry of one who yearns not only to learn, but to excel, not only to observe, but to speak with clarity and truth about a land steeped in history, faith, and conflict.

The ancients often praised the virtue of the seeker—the one who would cross seas, scale mountains, and endure hardship for the sake of wisdom. Lindhout’s desperation to absorb all information is of this same spirit: she saw that to understand the Middle East was not to skim its surface, but to plunge deeply into its rivers of politics, poetry, religion, and blood. For in that region lies one of the oldest crossroads of humanity, where prophets walked, empires rose and fell, and the world’s greatest faiths were born. To speak articulately of it is to attempt to touch the very heart of civilization.

Consider the story of Gertrude Bell, the English traveler, scholar, and diplomat of the early 20th century. She, too, immersed herself in the Middle East—learning Arabic and Persian, studying Islam, mapping deserts, and earning the trust of tribes. Her knowledge allowed her to influence the shaping of modern Iraq. Though her choices remain debated, her story reveals the power of one who refuses ignorance, who strives with all her might to understand a people and their faith before presuming to act. Lindhout echoes this same hunger: the conviction that knowledge of the Middle East must be earned through study, humility, and devotion.

Yet Lindhout’s own life also bears witness to the dangers of misunderstanding. As a young journalist, she was taken hostage in Somalia, enduring months of captivity. Her ordeal was bound up with the forces of poverty, extremism, and fractured politics—realities that cannot be grasped by distant observation alone. Perhaps it was this crucible that deepened her resolve: to speak articulately of these struggles, one must labor fiercely to understand them. Without knowledge, words are hollow. With knowledge, words may heal, enlighten, and transform.

The meaning of the quote, then, is not simply personal ambition, but a call to all who would speak of the world’s great issues: do not speak without knowledge. Do not let your voice be shallow when the matter is deep. Religion and politics in the Middle East are not simple puzzles; they are tapestries woven of centuries of memory, conquest, devotion, and pain. To honor them requires study, humility, and the courage to admit how much there is yet to learn.

The lesson is clear: if you desire to excel, then thirst for knowledge as the desert thirsts for water. Do not fear the work of learning; embrace it with desperation, as Lindhout did. For in mastering your subject, you not only gain clarity for yourself—you also gain the power to speak truth to others, to bridge misunderstanding, to replace ignorance with wisdom. To be articulate is not merely to speak beautifully, but to speak truly, with knowledge rooted deep.

Practical actions flow from this wisdom. Read widely, not only from your own tradition, but from the voices of others. Learn languages, for in every tongue lies a window into the soul of a people. Seek out teachers, travel if you can, listen more than you speak. And above all, remember that knowledge is not for pride but for service—for in understanding, you can build bridges where before there were only walls.

O seeker, remember Amanda Lindhout’s cry: absorb all information, excel, and speak articulately. Let your thirst for knowledge be relentless. Let your speech be shaped by truth, not ignorance. For only then can you honor the depth of history, the power of politics, and the sacred weight of religion. In this way, you will not only excel—you will become a voice that enlightens, a light in a world too often darkened by shallow words.