Introducing...Dr. Ben Carson

I have been an admirer of Dr. Ben Carson long before recent events have brought him to the forefront.  Dr. Ben Carson.

Years ago, I purchased a movie about Carson's life. Ben Carson Movie  My daughters and I watched it and I was spellbound by the inspiring story of this man and the wonderful commitment of his mother.  Better yet, I read later how faith in God interwove this story and I  understood:  This was a tale that needed to be shared.

I shared the movie with a child I mentor from my home town of East St. Louis.  East St. Louis is known for having the lowest per capita income in the US and probably one of the highest crime rates, but there are children there...and those children, like Dr. Ben Carson, deserve a future.  

To learn more about the great things happening in ESL see www.cacesl.org .

My little boy LOVES Dr. Ben!  

Here is a detailed report of  a talk Dr. Ben Carson recently presented in Illinois:


All had a vivid memory of Dr. Carson's poignant remarks at a prayer breakfast with President Obama sitting near by with an evident scowl on his face.

It was shortly afterwards encounter with the President that Dr. Carson was audited for the first time by the IRS.

In a lighthearted way, Dr. Carson wasted no time in noting that he's neither a Republican or a Democrat, but if he were a member of a party it would be the "logic" party.

Dr. Carson then continued to relate some amazing details about his life. When only eight years old, Carson dreamed of becoming a mission doctor. By age thirteen Carson decided to  become a psychiatrist, as he was already providing a sounding board for his fellow classmates. With a bit of bravado, Carson declared that he was going to become the greatest psychiatrist the world had ever known.

Beyond becoming a psychiatrist, Dr. Carson began to understand God had endowed him with good hand and eye coordination so why not become a terrific brain surgeon? Dr. Carson went on  to become a much heralded surgeon and philanthropist.  Dr. Ben Carson.

Dr. Carson said it is an amazing thing it was to be a member of the medical profession and to be able to contribute to the well-being of mankind

In commenting about ObamaCare and the haste in which it was put together, Carson noted this program is not about health,  but instead is about government control. It involves people at the pinnacle of power who wish to place government in charge of our lives.

It requires courage to remind elected officials that they work for us and not the other way around. Carson also bemoaned political correctness and called it "a scourge on our society." Freedom of expression is so important and is to be cherished.

Dr. Carson subtly compared what is happening in the White House to the teachings of Chicago native, Saul Alinsky, whose "Rules for Radicals," published in 1971, served as counsel to young radicals on how to change society. Two key Alinsky rules being applied by the White House through its actions and policies: 1) If you push a negative hard enough it will gain traction and become a positive and 2) Driving a wedge between people or groups of people will create class warfare and with it, division and unrest.

Dr. Carson's dream of becoming a doctor suffered a major setback when his parents divorced, prompting these thoughts about marriage. To Dr. Carson, marriage is a relationship between God and His people. "Just as the secular progressive movement is currently indicating that it's fine for a child to say that 2 + 2 = 5 if the child is able to explain why this is so -- as sanctioned through Common Core initiatives -- so secular progressives are likewise pushing the idea that homosexual marriage is fine and dandy by summarily dismissing the covenant between God and His people," he said.

Although there exists a legal way to establish a homosexual union, secular progressives seem intent on changing what is a pillar of our society -- traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Anyone who doesn't believe as they do are called haters, Carson said.

Dr. Carson was an object of such derision when a "Chik-fil-a" -like attempt was made to paint Carson as a homophobic, only to be backed away from when the accusation about Carson proved to be unfounded.

Carson reminded the audience not to be afraid of those who try to discredit what they firmly believe, for God is with them and will provide the strength and the courage needed to prevail.

Regarding Dr. Carson's mother who had only a 3rd grade education, she decided after her divorce that welfare was not for her.  She did not want to become a victim,  knowing that handouts zap motivation.

Although it would have been easier for Carson's mother to sit down and wait for a handout, she took her two sons out into the country, knocking on doors of farmers, to inquire whether she and her two sons could pick apples, beans, or whatever else might have been available and in season. A three to one deal was offered. "We will pick four bushels, giving you three and taking home with us one bushel," his mother told the farmers    Through canning, there was plenty to eat in the Carson household.

Dr. Carson applauded Bishop Lance Davis of the Black Chicago Alliance for standing up against homosexual marriage. He applauded efforts to help African Americans to become strong, productive members of society.

Young black youth must also be schooled in economics, specifically, how to bring the dollar back into their communities to create jobs and develop entrepreneurship, Carson said.

He said, unfortunately, young people are being taught to be victims. He noted that young people speak about victimhood, content to receive Democratic handouts to insure loyalty to party, not realizing that such dependence on government rather than self will only result in continued feelings of victimhood.

As to the plight of this nation's education system, Dr. Carson painted a rather dismal picture, one in which this nation's students rank 22nd out of 23rd among the richest countries surveyed in solving math and scientific problems. He mentioned additional worrisome figures: 30% of young people don't graduate from high school, and 40% end up taking more than four years to finish college.

"In this technological era we live in, this nation has a great need for physics and math majors," he said.

"Students must be encouraged to sign up for the difficult courses required for preparation to become engineers and scientists, which call for more work and study. Education standards started slipping when this nation's moral compass went down the tubes."

Carson, a great student of history, noted when Alexis de Tocqueville, an aristocratic Frenchman, visited this nation in 1831 to see what made democracy tick, he found a superior educational system where students were completely literate by the 2nd grade.

This explained how pioneers could go from one part of the country to another. They knew how to invest and to solve problems. By middle school in the 1800s, students could answer questions that most college students would be unable to answer today, and we live in an age of technology!

There is a way for this nation to catch up very quickly in education through virtual classrooms where millions of students can be exposed to expert instruction simultaneously, Carson encouraged. "Students must return to a place where they are able to fit into a larger puzzle and not be islands unto themselves.

Spirituality must also be returned to become a guiding factor in their lives. With God removed, the void has been filled with worldly things, which has led to theft, selfishness, lack of respect and murder, etc."

Political correctness was shown for what it is and condemned by Dr. Carson. Individuals can easily be led astray by those intent on spreading false information presented as truth, which explains why this nation must concentrate on getting its people educated again. This doesn't mean to eliminate sports and entertainment from our lives, but these should not crowd out efforts at educating students with the Truth, so misinformation can be spotted and rejected.

Dr. Carson said he hated poverty.  In the 5th grade Ben Carson moved back to Detroit to live in tenement conditions. Upon observing people being shot dead in his own neighborhood, Carson deduced that he might not survive long enough to become a doctor.

In attending school in Detroit, Carson was considered stupid, but he did admire the bright students who always knew the answers, wondering how they became so smart. Carson's mother prayed that her young sons would receive wisdom through learning.

With only a third grade education Carson's mother couldn't read, but the boys didn't know this at the time. By requiring her boys to check out two books weekly from the local library and write book reports -- which she only pretended to read.

Carson found knowledge enabled him to answer questions like the smart kids in his class and to likewise become "smart".

It dawned on Dr. Carson that he had the brain, but it was necessary he change his attitude. After this revelation, Ben was no longer bothered by being poor, for he had the power to chart what course he wanted to follow in life.

Dr. Carson said,just like he changed his life with God's help,  we can change this nation.  He noted it takes courage to stand up for what we believe, as was displayed by patriot Nathan Hale.

During the American Revolution, before being hung by the British, Hale declared, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country"

He noted Patrick Henry intoned those famous words: "Give me Liberty or give me Death."

It is Dr. Carson's conviction that God has looked out for this nation from her very beginning, that He loves this nation and has allowed her to rise rapidly to reach her pinnacle of power and success. But just as quickly, we can lose our nation if we forget to focus on God.

Dr. Carson closed with these three thoughts:

___We became a great nation because values and principles were taught with the Bible serving as a guiding force.
___When this nation ceases to be good, it will fail.
___We can't be free unless we are brave, for as the final words signify in our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner:  "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

Dr. Benjamin Carson has five books to his credit. American the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great is worth purchasing as it provides inspiration and insight for leading a successful life.