JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 23, 2013 — America may be experiencing changes in its power structure, but Dr. Benjamin S. Carson said he believes God is not ready to let Americans relinquish leadership as a powerful and influential nation.
“If America ever ceases to be good, she ceases to be great,” Carson said Oct. 22 at Union University’s 16th annual Scholarship Banquet. “It is our responsibility as God-fearing Americans to once again make America good.”
Carson retired in June as a full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he directed pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for more than 25 years. He was the keynote speaker for the annual banquet at the Carl Perkins Civic Center, a sold-out event that raised more than $500,000 for student scholarships.
The author of five books, Carson holds more than 60 honorary doctorates and has received hundreds of awards and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008. In 2001, CNN and Time magazine named him one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists. The movie “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” premiered on TNT in 2009 and is based on Carson’s memoir.
During his address, Carson explained how his childhood experiences helped shape the man he has become.
Medicine was the only occupation that ever interested Carson, he said, as he was always excited to visit the doctor’s office or watch TV medical programs. He aspired at a young age to become a doctor, but his future seemed bleak due to his parent’s divorce and his childhood spent in the ghetto.
Carson said his chances at success also were hindered from being a careless student. But the one person to never stop believing in his potential was his mother – and she continued to push Carson and his brother to do their best.
“By not accepting excuses, she made us look for solutions,” Carson noted about his mother. “If you find somebody who can accept responsibility, then you’re generally going to have somebody who is going to be extremely successful in whatever they do.”
Carson said his mother had only a third grade education, but she worked hard to make sure her children learned all that they could. What often seemed like torture to Carson – such as giving up play time in order to read and write book reports at his mother’s request – actually set him on his pathway to success.
By the seventh grade, Carson had gone from the bottom of his class to the top. He also developed a new impression of himself, realizing his potential and his desire to pursue his aspirations.
As a result, Carson reminded the audience to invest in young people that lack direction or support from their families.
“We can’t afford to throw any of our citizens away,” said Carson, adding that each person has the potential to make valuable contributions to society. “We have to collectively understand in this nation that we’re all in the same boat. And if part of the boat sinks, the rest of us are going down, too.”
Carson noted that nearly a third of high school students fail to graduate, and many college students have to take remedial courses to learn basic college skills. In order for schools and universities to improve, he said Americans must once again become serious about education.
“The founders of this nation said our nation is based on a well-educated and informed populace,” Carson said. “If the populace ever becomes other than that, the nature of the nation changes.”
These changes impact more than just educational standards, as Carson said that the political sphere is quickly shifting due to increasing governmental power.
“I don’t have anything against government – good government,” Carson said. “But I have a real problem with government that expands and expands until it reaches into every part of your life. This is exactly what the founders of this nation warned against.”
Americans are facing their “last stand” against the government, Carson said, with the power structure beginning to change even faster as the government takes control of health care. But he also noted that God will honor the prayers for decency, honesty and a return to the stature that Carson said the nation deserves.
“The Bible says that without a vision, the people perish,” Carson said. “The same thing could happen with this nation if we don’t once again reclaim the vision and reclaim the values that made this into a great nation.”
The annual Scholarship Banquet has become one of the premiere events in West Tennessee each year, and is Union’s primary fundraising event for its student scholarship fund. Previous speakers have included George H.W. Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Condoleezza Rice, Mikhail Gorbachev, Laura Bush, Tony Blair and Robert Gates.
All told, Union’s Scholarship Banquets have generated more than $6 million for student scholarships.
