One Nation

by Ben Carson M. D.

Yet, surprisingly, these kinds of questions are much easier to answer when we are dealing with people as opposed to animals. Unlike animals, we have gigantic frontal lobes in our brains that allow us to extract information from the past and the present, and then formulate a plan that can be projected into the future to guide our actions. We do not simply have to react to the environment, but can actually alter the environment to satisfy our needs. We have reasoning abilities that far exceed those of animals and our behavior, once we mature, is generally based on choices. Some may say that this impressive ability evolved, but I prefer to think we were given it on purpose. Either way, human beings have a sense of morality that does not jibe with evolutionary theory. It is legitimate to ask the question, “Where did our sense of morality come from?” Even if you enter the deepest, darkest jungles of Borneo, you will find that a thief tends to ply his trade in the darkness, when there is no one around to see him. This is even the case when there have been no missionaries in the area and no Bible to read. All people inherently seem to understand some basic principles of right and wrong. It is much easier to see such morality as God given than trying to explain how it evolved. But everyone is entitled to their beliefs.

  Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to sit by and watch someone suffer? Almost everyone will try to help someone who is drowning. That might mean jumping into the water to save her, throwing her a lifesaver, trying to reach her with a pole, or calling for help. As a human being, this is your duty, because you certainly would want someone to do that for you. As an evolutionist who is also an atheist, your “survival-of-the-fittest” mentality should lead you to just walk on by, but of course your deep-seated humanity would not allow such callous behavior in most cases.

  So where does that deep-seated humanity come from? Where did my conviction that wantonly killing an innocent bird was wrong come from? Has it evolved, or is it possible that if we are made in the image of God, there is an innate sense of right and wrong that we all share as human beings? I believe there is good evidence for the latter.

  There are no people anywhere that I know of who don’t have a sense of right and wrong. Even a cursory reading of the Bible demonstrates that people certainly knew the difference between right and wrong before the time of the Ten Commandments. It was the outrageous behavior of the Israelites that necessitated the physical writing out of a behavioral code, despite the powerful evidences of God in their lives.

  I do not believe it to be necessary for us to all agree on the source of morality as long as we agree on the basic principles of what is right and what is wrong. I believe there is general agreement that lying, stealing, and murdering are wrong. There is probably less agreement about what constitutes adultery and whether it is wrong, especially in the nonchurch community. Nevertheless, our guiding principle should be to help rather than harm our fellow man. Doing so earns God’s blessing.

  Are We “Under God”?

  In America we claim to believe in God and in fact proclaim our trust in Him on every piece of our money. Many of our laws are based on the Ten Commandments, and in the bas relief crown molding that adorns the principal chamber of the U.S. Supreme Court, Moses and the tablets containing the Ten Commandments are depicted. Yet we take great pains to delete references to God and the Bible from all public spaces, especially our schools and municipal buildings. We seem to be having a difficult time determining whether we actually believe in God or whether it is something that we have gotten used to saying in a pro forma manner without actually thinking about our words.

  The words under God were not in the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance. They were subsequently added to signify the importance of God in every aspect of our lives. Admittedly, the acknowledgment of God in virtually everything we do does not show a great deal of respect for atheists and others who do not harbor traditional views of God, but as the Bible says, you cannot serve both God and man. This does not mean we must force others to believe what we do, but it does mean we have to make a choice as to what we believe and form our societal values around that choice.

  In no way does choosing God mean that we need to be unkind to nonbelievers. It is contrary to the American way to force our beliefs on anyone else. By the same token, it is most unreasonable for atheists to make attempts to legally force Christians and their beliefs underground. The persistent attempts by some atheist groups to have the words under God removed from our pledge or the phrase “In God we trust” removed from our money should be tolerated because we believe in being fair to everyone, but it is the height of absurdity to seriously consider such challenges in a country where religious freedom and freedom of worship are guaranteed.

  Interestingly enough, we in the United States have had many manifestations of God’s mercy and favor throughout history. In August of 1776, General George Washington and eight thousand troops were trapped on Long Island with British General Howe preparing to crush them the next morning. The island was surrounded by the British armada. Desperately, Washington drafted every local seaworthy vessel available, from fishing boats to rowboats, in an attempt to ferry his army across the East River all through the night. At dawn, many of his troops were still in grave danger by their exposure to the huge British fleet. However, most curiously, the fog that usually would rise from the river once the sun rose, did not move. It remained dense long enough for all of Washington’s men to escape to safety. This had been the British’s best opportunity to clinch the victory over the Americans. Major Ben Tallmadge, who was Washington’s chief of intelligence, wrote of that morning:

  As the dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety, and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty. At this time a very dense fog began to rise [out of the ground and off the river], and it seemed to settle in a peculiar manner over both encampments. I recollect this peculiar providential occurrence perfectly well, and so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance . . . we tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as dense as ever.

  Like the Israelites in the Bible, we have wandered away from our strong belief in God and many of us now don’t seem to know what we believe. Church attendance is steadily declining, especially among the millennials; traditional families are rapidly becoming a rarity; and many of the things forbidden by God are spreading like wildfire. Traditionally, once a nation starts down the path of lack of identity and vision for the future, it is destroyed, or deteriorates from within, losing most or all of its relevance to the world.

  Although we appear to be sliding downward, it is possible for us to reverse the trend, even though we are composed of many people with lots of different ideas about morality. It may be hard to agree on the origin of morality but it should not be hard to agree that that sense of morality, should guide our decision making and determine what kind of society we have. As human beings we have a strong sense of right and wrong. As Americans, we have a heritage of Judeo-Christian morality. Let’s remember who we are and unite around the vision dictated by our identity.

  Action Steps

  Ask your associates whether they believe absolute right or wrong exists.

  Ask your friends whether they would be okay with polygamy if most people said it was okay with them.

  Determine the basis for your moral code. Ask your friends how they have determined theirs.

  If you believe God to be the author of morality, consider how you can better cultivate a relationship with Him.

  TAKE COURAGE

  Those who fear the Lord are secure; He will be a place of refuge for their children.

  PROVERBS 14:26

  The power of a determined human being who is not willing to give up is truly inspirational. I have been inspired over the years by many of my patients who have had absolutely devastating diseases. One young lady has endured over one hundred operations and was near death on many occasions, but persevered and graduated from high sch
ool in June 2013. Another patient, Mandy, who is well into adulthood now, has faced death on numerous occasions while remaining cheerful, upbeat, and unafraid. She is wheelchair bound and has significant weakness of the upper extremities along with other serious issues, but she will never give up, and even completed a college degree.

  The question is do the people of this nation have the determination, drive, and willpower to seize the reins of power and return the country to its place as a beacon of light and inspiration for the world? A nation that is powerful, yet benign? Do we have the courage to stand up for what we believe or will we continue to cower in the corner and hope no one sees us?

  One way to develop courage is to consider what will happen if we fail to act. When considering action, I always do a best/worst analysis. I ask the following four questions about the prospective action:

  What’s the best thing that happens if I do it?

  What’s the worst thing that happens if I do it?

  What’s the best thing that happens if I don’t do it?

  What’s the worst thing that happens if I don’t do it?

  Let’s consider these questions with respect to being courageous enough to go against the flow of political correctness and demand your constitutional rights. What is the best thing that happens if we refuse to abide by the dictates of political correctness? I believe that we could return to a nation that truly cherishes freedom of speech and freedom of expression. A nation where people are unafraid to express their opinions and beliefs and are eager to engage in intelligent and constructive conversations about their differences. A nation where we value even those with whom we disagree and work together to accomplish common goals.

  What is the worst thing that happens if we oppose political correctness? I believe that every attempt would be made to silence those who oppose political correctness and to make examples of them to discourage others. World history demonstrates that it is very difficult to eradicate every single fighter for freedom.

  What is the best thing that happens if we don’t oppose political correctness? I believe we would achieve a very homogeneous society with little original thought but complete harmony. What is the worst thing that happens if we don’t oppose political correctness? I believe we could see a dictatorship with brutal domination of any individual or group that opposes the leadership. The worst things that can happen if we don’t take action are considerably worse than the worst things that can happen if we do take action. Therefore, we must take action.

  This exercise guided me as I considered topics for the National Prayer Breakfast. As it turns out, one of the better outcomes was achieved, because I have encountered thousands of Americans who had given up on our country, and now are reinvigorated and ready to stand up for the freedoms that are guaranteed in our Constitution.

  There is no freedom without bravery. As a society, are we free if we tolerate intimidation by government agencies like the IRS? Are we free if we allow the NSA to illegally search and seize our private documents without cause? Are we free if we allow the purveyors of political correctness to muzzle our thoughts and our speech? Are we free if we allow ourselves to be forcibly placed into an ill-conceived health care system that controls the most important thing we have: our lives? Are we free when our government controls every aspect of the business community and stifles the entrepreneurial spirit that built America? We are in the process of relinquishing the freedom that is America. Are we really brave if we allow all these things to occur and keep silent because we’re afraid that someone will call us a name?

  Freedom is not reserved for those unwilling to fight for it. When you see the American flag, think about George Washington, who fought alongside his men and led a ragtag bunch of militiamen to a victory over what was then the most powerful empire in the world. Remember Alexander Hamilton, who used his financial wizardry to establish a viable financial structure for a fledgling nation. Consider John Adams and Sam Adams, who were willing to give not only of their resources but also tirelessly of their efforts to establish an understandable legal foundation for our nation. Honor the millions of soldiers who fought and died to preserve our freedom when the world was threatened by tyranny. Revere Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream of a nation where people were judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. Imitate Henry Ford and Dale Carnegie, who used their entrepreneurial talents not only to enrich themselves but to provide a mechanism to proliferate and empower the middle class in America.

  Why did all of these people toil so relentlessly for an idea? It is because they had a dream of a nation that was different from any other; a nation where people could determine their own destiny and choose their lifestyle based on their own endeavors; a nation where people could choose how to disperse their own wealth after contributing a small, but reasonable amount of their resources to conduct the affairs of government. Through complacency, are we ready to throw away their ideas and the results of their labors?

  Our nation was formed by men and women of tremendous courage. If we think about it, I’m sure that each of us can remember numerous brave individuals whom we have encountered throughout life. I am aware of a multitude of my physician colleagues who have stood on principle and faced expensive and embarrassing public malpractice suits when they could have simply settled the case in secret. These courageous individuals refused to be blamed for bad outcomes when they not only did nothing wrong but had gone the extra mile to try to ensure the patient’s well-being. Each such fight will get us closer to badly needed tort reform in our country.

  When I was in high school, it was not uncommon for some of the tougher boys to intimidate and control many of the teachers. I was in the marching band and the concert band led by Mr. Dee. He was a short but stocky young man who refused to yield to intimidation. One of the boys who was particularly brutal repeatedly challenged Mr. Dee’s leadership and many verbal confrontations ensued. One day after a practice session, Mr. Dee publicly challenged the belligerent young man to back up his verbosity. The two of them remained in the band room after everyone had left and I never knew what actually happened, but I did notice that the troublemaker never challenged Mr. Dee again. This example of courage was not lost on all the other students and demonstrates how teachers can be an important influence on students even outside of their area of expertise.

  I have seen numerous examples of courageous patients and families throughout my career. In one case a young family from the western half of our nation had been told that their infant boy had only six months to live after a biopsy at the university hospital proved consistent with a malignant brain stem tumor. With help they made their way to Johns Hopkins Hospital where I performed a series of operations that would have been considered futile by many. The family never lost faith and endured many hardships, but had the courage and fortitude to persist in their efforts to save their child. A few years ago I was giving a lecture at the university in the home state of that patient and I was approached after the lecture by a young man and his family. It turned out to be the same young man on whom I had operated when he was an infant and he was now a junior at the university and had no neurological deficits. I feel confident in saying that he would not have been alive without the courage and persistence of his family. There are plenty of courageous people out there who can inspire all of us to undertake difficult tasks in order to achieve a better future.

  The next time you hear the national anthem, think about what it means: “Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave / O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” We are still the home of the brave, and it is time for us to stand up and preserve our flag and our freedoms.

  EPILOGUE

  We all have a tendency to assume that our day-to-day routines will continue as usual without catastrophes. I certainly made that assumption on March 20, 2012.

  I was driving to work and was one block away from the hospital, entering an intersection with the green light in my favor. Another driver ra
n the red light on the perpendicular street going sixty miles per hour. Our cars met in the intersection and the next thing I knew there were flashing lights, police, and medics all around. My air bags had deployed and my car was completely destroyed.

  I was relieved as I examined myself and found only a few minor scrapes and abrasions, as well as some chest discomfort from the explosive force of the steering air bag. My cell phone was broken, but an officer lent me his phone so I could call my wife. I also called the operating room to let them know that I would be slightly delayed, but intended to get there in time to complete the operations that were scheduled that morning. I convinced the officials that I was okay, and one of the police officers pried open the trunk to retrieve my briefcase. He then drove me the rest of the way to the hospital, where I completed three operations without incident.

  Since that experience, I have frequently thought about how lucky I was to have not been killed or seriously injured that day. I keep a picture of the mangled mass that used to be my car on my phone to remind me of how fleeting life can be. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us, and if something needs to be done, it is usually best to just go ahead and do it, rather than engage in endless cogitation with no action.

  If we are not an exceptional nation, we can quietly continue our slide into insignificance, but if this is the America of Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, Kennedy, Edison, Ford, King, and the millions who gave their lives for our freedom, then we must shake off the indifference that has gradually stolen our pride and our freedom and threatens the future of our children. We must exercise our duty as responsible and informed citizens and actively shape the nation we desire by investing time, resources, and energy into choosing appropriate leaders who share our vision. In some cases, we may even need to offer ourselves as candidates for public office.