DR. Ben Carson
I recently returned home after two weeks of
engagements in New Zealand and Australia
focusing on empowerment through reading.
The Kiwis and Aussies are not very different
from Americans, even though they inhabit the
opposite side of the globe.
I was struck by the way many people
perceived the political atmosphere in the
United States. Although the well-educated
individuals who have access to all of the
American cable channels tend to be well
informed on the issues, most people had only
heard that America has finally repaired its
broken medical system with the advent of
Obamacare and now everyone, including the
indigent, has excellent health care. They were
under the impression that most Americans are
very happy with Obamacare and with their
wonderful president, who had ushered in a
great new day in America with his brilliance in
many areas.
Many people were shocked when I relayed the
facts about the deleterious effects of
Obamacare on employment, skyrocketing
insurance premiums and the displacement of
health care providers. Furthermore, they had
little knowledge about Benghazi, the Internal
Revenue Service scandal, the Veterans Affairs
debacle or the depth of our financial woes. In
other words, they were just like a multitude of
Americans who pay little attention to their
news sources and are not curious enough to
seek multiple sources and arm themselves
with enough historical knowledge to be able to
decipher truth from fiction.
Fortunately, I found that most of the people
Down Under are not nearly as dogmatic in
their beliefs as Americans have become. Our
people on either side of the political spectrum
tend to be more close-minded, partaking only
of news sources that align with their
ideological beliefs and in many cases engaging
in the demonization of other information
sources. This, of course, leads to intolerance
and ignorance, which are associated with a
whole cadre of societal problems. Frequently,
that narrow-mindedness is encouraged by
hyper-partisan individuals who actually call
out news outlets such as the Fox News
Channel for ridicule.
Such people might do well to ask themselves
what would become of our country if people
only heard what the government wanted them
to hear. If they could be honest with
themselves, I think they would have to admit
that they would be uncomfortable in that
setting. The mainstream media could provide a
great service to the American people, as well
as people around the world, by embracing
their duty to be objective investigators and
reporters of the news. I realize the likelihood
of that occurring is small, but hope springs
eternal.
I was delighted with the enthusiasm for
reading Down Under, and with the
understanding that virtually any young person,
regardless of their economic background, can
empower himself with the knowledge that
comes from reading. This acquisition of
knowledge is the antidote to the herd
mentality induced by an agenda-driven media.
Reading was emphasized so strongly among
the early settlers of America that anyone who
finished the second or third grade was
completely literate, as is borne out in the
beautiful prose that characterized the writing
style and letters of the Western frontiers of
America in the early 19th century. Many
Southern aristocrats also exhibited impressive
writing skills and understanding of the English
language.
Interestingly, the same highly educated rulers
forbade under enormous penalty the teaching
of slaves to read. They fully understood how
empowering education and knowledge are. It
is likely that Frederick Douglass fled the
plantation to escape the wrath of his master,
who was displeased that his slave was
learning to read. Slaves were supposed to be
obedient and grateful for the magnanimous
protection and provisions afforded them by
their "wonderful" masters.
Today many people in America slavishly
devote themselves to a political party without
engaging in critical analysis of whether the
philosophies of that party are really in sync
with their true values and with the betterment
of their position in society. If decades of such
devotion leads to more broken families, more
out-of-wedlock births, more involvement with
the criminal justice system, more poverty and
more dependency on government, maybe it is
time to ask whether such devotion is
warranted.
I was honored to be able to encourage many
of the disadvantaged young people of Australia
and New Zealand to take control of their own
destinies through education and reading. I was
thrilled by the trip sponsors' generous
financial contributions to the Carson Scholars
Fund, enabling us to reach more American
students and emphasize the acquisition of
knowledge and the development of
humanitarian qualities.
I am convinced that the dream of our
Founding Fathers of a free nation filled with
knowledgeable and caring people who trust in
God and accept personal responsibility is still
possible. Each of us has a role to play in the
realization of that dream. A big part of that
role is self-education. We need to read all
kinds of books and articles and experience a
variety of electronic media. We should not
engage in self-censorship, which creates a
proclivity for indoctrination. I am convinced
that a well-informed American populace will
not be manipulated into relinquishing a
beautiful American dream for all.
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