America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great

by Ben Carson, M. D.

  IN WHOM DO WE TRUST?

  Traditionally, America has been a God-fearing nation. Evidence of that can be found in our mottos, in many of our songs, in many of our national documents, and carved into many monuments and buildings.2 It has traditionally distinguished us from many other nations of the world, and it is one of the reasons we are always first in line when it comes to humanitarian aid for others. It is also why we have not used our great might to conquer other nations of the world. We pay attention to the issues of morality and ethics because our nation was founded on principles revealed to us in the Bible by a righteous and just God.

  Have you ever stopped to think about what money represents? It represents wealth and power. As we have recently seen, when you lack money and incur great debt, your influence and power decrease. Considering what your money says about you, it is really quite amazing that our nation has chosen to inscribe the phrase “In God We Trust” on all of our money. By doing so, we proclaim to the world that godly principles are essential to our way of life, that we trust not in our money, not in the power that comes from having money — but in our God. Having declared that for the world to see, it is essential that we allow our lives to speak as loudly as our money.

  We have been favored by God because we have acknowledged him, but as the forces of political correctness attempt to push God out of our lives, we must have courage to resist them. That does not mean that we should retaliate or manifest the same intolerance they have shown. It does mean, however, that we must stand up and be counted. If they do not wish to accept the godly principles that we choose to live by, we should make no attempt to force them, but by no stretch of the imagination should we allow them to force their beliefs on us. For the God in whom we place our trust has entrusted each one of us with the freedom to choose our beliefs — as well as the mind to speak up for what we believe to be right.

  COMPROMISE, OPINION, AND PRINCIPLES

  The word compromise was referred to frequently during the debate in early 2011 about the national budget and again that summer in the debate about raising the debt ceiling. In general, compromise is good when dealing with issues about which there are legitimate differences of opinion. A problem arises, however, with the compromise of principles.

  For example, if one believes that killing is wrong in all instances, be it executing a mass murderer or aborting an unborn fetus, it will be very difficult to negotiate a compromise on the issues of capital punishment or abortion. If, on the other hand, an individual is opposed to capital punishment simply because of the great expense involved in each case, and only opposed to late-term abortion, that person would be quite capable of yielding to compromise.

  As a nation, we need to spend more time understanding who we are and what those principles are that define us. Once we identify them, there should be no apology and no compromise in applying them. However, on less vital issues, it is important to recognize that we are all in the same boat and will reach our destination much faster if we row the boat together. Our elected leaders need to spend much more time understanding the values and principles that made us into a great nation, and much less time worrying about what their party platform has on its agenda. More importantly, the people who select the leaders must recognize that they ultimately are responsible for what is happening in the country. If they don’t like it, they need to select different leaders. Each citizen should put at least as much effort into selecting their representatives as they do into buying a new car.

  I live in a small town in rural Maryland, and I must say it is a very pleasant place to live. People still speak to those they don’t know and are still willing to help someone in need. There was a time in America when people made a much greater effort to be neighborly. Now it is common for people to not even know their neighbors. People walk by others in their workplace who have been there for years and don’t even acknowledge their presence. News commentators, political pundits, and public officials verbally savage those with whom they disagree and demonize their motives. This is all very sad to me because it seems that as time goes on, we should be becoming more civilized rather than less so. There is absolutely no moral justification for adults to spend valuable time disparaging their political opponents rather than delving into logical solutions for the problems that face us all. They, of course, justify it by their need to be re-elected. How can we blame children for bullying and trash talk when we provide them with such excellent examples of how to go about doing it?

  I remember how much fun people in my high school had when they made fun of others. The people with the sharpest tongues were accorded the most honor and respect. It was only after I learned how to be verbally abusive to others that I was accepted as one of the guys in high school. But we were immature kids with poor judgment and lack of compassion; responsible adults can do much better, even though the temptation is always there to demonize those with whom we disagree.

  During the civil rights movement, the media played a tremendous role in changing public perceptions and attitudes with regard to race. If they choose to do so, they could once again play an important role in rectifying the mean-spiritedness that threatens to destroy the harmony and progress of the world’s most powerful nation. However, many people make a great deal of money by polarizing people and cultivating a following. It takes very strong character to resist the urge to denigrate others and create a wise and “all knowing” persona for themselves. I suspect that many in the media are pretty entrenched in their way of doing things and are not going to suddenly play fair. I should also point out that some in the media are real patriots and use humor, sarcasm, hyperbole, and satire in an attempt to awaken people to the realities of the times in which we live. Ultimately, the people still have the power, and just as they can rid themselves of undesirable politicians, they can vote with their money and remote controls, which will always have a powerful impact on the direction our media takes.

  THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOLERANCE

  AND ACCOMMODATION

  Because of all the conflicting views necessitating compromise in our nation, the difference between tolerance and accommodation is an important one to understand. Principles of fairness and brotherhood should make us tolerant of everyone. We really do not have the right to impose our values and lifestyle on people who have a different point of view. For example, several years ago a fourth-year general surgery resident at a hospital in the Midwest tried to enlist my help because she was being fired for praying with patients before surgery. I asked her if the patients requested prayer and she said no, but she went on to state that they did not refuse to pray with her. I told her that she was abusing her position of power and that she needed to recognize her error and apologize to everyone involved. It is an abuse of power to make people pray just as it is an abuse of power to keep people from praying. Our founding fathers understood this and wisely instituted a policy of separation of church and state, which is totally different from the concept of separation of God and state.

  I am happy that people with lifestyles with which I strongly disagree are free to live their lives as they please, as long as their lifestyle does not infringe upon my way of life. Some people, for example, believe in nudity as a way of life. I have no problem with them pursuing that belief in a nudist colony or some other place where young children would not accidentally be exposed to something they were not prepared for. That is tolerance. Accommodation might mean arming all the nudists with whistles, which they would be required to blow every time they rounded a corner in my community so that those not wishing to see them could turn their back or shelter their children.

  This is of course an extreme example, but it clearly shows the difference between tolerance and accommodation. As God-fearing people, we should absolutely exercise tolerance, but changing our way of life to accommodate everyone is not only impractical, but it is also very unfair to the existing culture. Again, in order to be fair, we must have a firm grasp of who we are as a people and what is important to us. If we don
’t, the forces of political correctness will gradually blur the lines between tolerance and acceptance, to the point that we will soon have no idea who we are or what we stand for. This process has already begun in our nation, and we must recognize it in order to stop it in its tracks.

  An example of how political correctness tries to usurp power and impose rules occurred a few years ago when some lawyers approached my wife and me to inform us that our “Think Big” banners could no longer be displayed in public schools. The letter T is for talent, which everyone has to some degree; the letter H is for honesty; I is for insight; N is for nice; K is for knowledge; B is for books; I is for in-depth learning; and G is for God. Because the G stands for God, they felt that was clearly a violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment. We informed them that the First Amendment prohibits government suppression of religious expression and a rather vigorous argument ensued. I told them that we could resolve this at the level of the Supreme Court, which may have seemed like a bold and reckless statement. It really wasn’t, because I knew that I was going to the Supreme Court the very next week to receive the Jefferson Award, and I figured I would ask Justice Sandra Day O’Connor while I was there. I did, and she said they had no idea what they were talking about, and that of course you could put such a banner in a public school without violating any part of the Constitution. The audacity of some of the secularists who try to get God out of everything with no legitimate legal backing is astonishing, and they must be challenged and their objections defeated if our value system is to survive.

  BEING LOGICAL, NOT POLITICAL

  By now you might have gotten the idea that I don’t like people who practice political correctness, but that would not be true. Many such people think they are doing what is right and necessary to cultivate a civil society. I do, however, believe they are misguided. Instead of advocating for unanimity of speech and thought, they should be emphasizing learning to respect and be gracious to those with whom they disagree. Think about how boring the world would be if everybody agreed with everything you believed. As I love to say, “If two people believe the same thing about everything, one of them isn’t necessary.”

  Many recent polls have shown that most Americans believe that we are on the wrong path as a nation. They are discouraged about our future and the future of our children. I say, be not discouraged, for God is on our side if we really trust in him, as is indicated on every coin in your pocket and every bill in your wallet.

  We must stop being political and start being logical. The human brain has gigantic frontal lobes when compared with the brains of all other species. Why do we have these enlarged cerebral areas? The frontal lobes are where rational thought processing takes place, and it is there that information from the past and the present can be processed and integrated into a plan for the future. Unlike most animals, because we are so equipped, we do not have to simply react to our environment. We have the ability to plan and strategize, which allows us a great deal of control over our course in the future.

  BUILDING ON OUR SOLID FOUNDATION

  I feel blessed to have lived here in America for sixty years, with hopefully many more to come. In all those years, I have never met a perfect person — and since nations are simply collections of imperfect people, I have never seen a perfect nation. In looking back through the history of the world, however, I feel very comfortable in saying that there has never been another nation like the United States of America. Yes, we have made mistakes, but we continue to learn from them, and as long as we remain capable of embracing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as our goal, and we are willing to guarantee those things to our citizens, I believe we will continue to grow in greatness.

  When our forefathers knelt and prayed for wisdom at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, then stood up and together assembled a seventeen-page document known as the Constitution of the United States of America, they were clearly guided by the hand of God. Today the forces of political correctness would expel God from every public sphere in American life, and the hearts and minds of every man, woman, and child in America are up for grabs in this cataclysmic battle between the lovers of men and the lovers of God. Some would rather never choose between the two, but life is full of choices, and our individual and collective choices determine the quality of our existence.

  I believe it is time for us to stand up and be counted. We can no longer be passive because the Judeo-Christian way of life in America is at stake. We need not be ashamed of our faith, and we certainly should not allow those who believe differently to change who we are in order to be politically correct. Yes, we should accept them with brotherly love as we have been taught, but we should never compromise our belief system. We do believe in God, and we do believe in the right of everyone to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We do believe in an orderly government that facilitates these goals rather than impedes them. It is time to set aside political correctness and replace it with the bold values and principles that founded our nation and caused it to race to the pinnacle of the world faster than any other nation in history. It is time to stop apologizing and to start leading, because the world is desperately in need of fair and ethical leadership. If that leader is not America, then who will it be, and where will they lead?

  If we apply logic to solving our problems and add the godly principles of loving our fellow man, caring about our neighbors, and developing our God-given talents to the utmost so we become valuable to those around us — allowing these values and principles to govern our lives — then not only will we remain a pinnacle nation, we will truly be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

  It is my prayer, America, that God will continue to shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. I pray that with his blessings our past will be but a stepping stone to a bright future and that our best days will truly lie ahead of us — a beautiful new beginning!

  NOTES

  CHAPTER 1: AMERICA’S HISTORY OF REBELLING FOR CHANGE

  1. If you’re an armchair historian thinking, I have never heard of the Battle of Breed’s Hill, that’s because in the confusion of battle some thought the skirmish took place at nearby Bunker Hill, but the actual fighting took place at Breed’s. In fact, the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Breed’s Hill are one and the same. Robert V. Remini, A Short History of the United States (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), 38.

  2. Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, A Patriot’s History of the United States (New York: Penguin, 2004), 79.

  3. Craig Nelson, Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations (New York: Penguin, 2007), 90.

  CHAPTER 2: WHO ARE “WE THE PEOPLE”?

  1. See 2 Samuel 2:4, 1 Chronicles 29:22, 2 Chronicles 10:16, and Exodus 19:8.

  2. Colin Rhys Lovell, English Constitutional and Legal History (New York: Oxford University Press, 1962), 3 – 50.

  3. James MacGregor Burns, The Vineyard of Liberty (New York: Knopf, 1982), 33.

  4. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-politics/, section 3, chart under subhead “Supplement: Political Naturalism.”

  5. Federalist Papers, no. 10, 81.

  6. Federalist Papers, no. 39, 241.

  7. Federalist Papers, no. 51, February 8, 1788.

  8. William J. Federer, America’s God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations (St. Louis: Amerisearch, 2000), 458.

  9. Federer, America’s God and Country, 453.

  10. Kenneth C. Davis, Don’t Know Much about History (New York: HarperCollins, 2004), 118 – 19.

  11. Letter to Colonel Edward Carrington (January 16, 1787); see www.wideworldofquotes.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson-quotes.html.

  12. Letter to John Jay (August 15, 1786); see www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/george-washington-quotes-9.html.

  13. See www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,677214,00.html; www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article28957.html; http://econ
omicsnewspaper.com/policy/german/portugal-ireland-belgium-italy-juncker-fears-contagion–35019.html; www.taipanpublishinggroup.com/tpg/taipan-daily/taipan-daily–062411.html?sub=TD&o=385937&s=389028&u=48412125&l=275791&g=198&r=Milo.

  14. Matthew Spalding, ed., The Founders’ Almanac (Washington, DC: Heritage Foundation, 2008), 203. Excerpted from a letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 1816.

  15. Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XIV, 1781.