Dr. Ben Carson remains 'extremely hopeful for America'

Dr. Ben Carson will speak at the Sikeston Field House on Saturday

You won't find many stories more inspiring than that of Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned former neurosurgeon and current political commentator.

Based on his book, Carson's life story was made into a movie titled "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" that starred actor Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carson.

The doctor's story is compelling. Growing up in poverty with a single mother and his brother, Carson, as depicted in the movie, was a TV-watching kid. His mother, wanting something better for her children, required them to read.

This commitment and no-excuses attitude of his mother is part of the story of the youngster who grew up in poverty but became a widely recognized surgeon.

Dr. Ben Carson

His medical career includes becoming the first doctor to successfully separate twins who were conjoined at the head.

Recently Carson spoke over the phone from Virginia Beach, Va., about his upcoming visit to Sikeston, Mo., and some of the big topics facing the country.

"I'm extremely hopeful for America," he said, pointing to huge crowds at events when he speaks and the excitement from audiences.

"I think there's going to be a real change," Carson said.

In one answer Carson gave in the interview, he referenced a stabbing incident.

Growing up, Carson had a temper that at times led to violent outbursts.

During his teenage years, he attempted to stab another young person.

The knife broke when it struck the boy's belt buckle, preventing an injury Carson says would have taken his life in a different direction.

It was then, Carson said, he realized there was a higher power.

The Carson talk Saturday will be at the Sikeston Field House. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and there will be no admission after 5:30 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased online at drbencarsonevent.com.

Proceeds benefit the Bootheel Scholarship Fund through a partnership with the not-for-profit Restoration Center

Q: You'll be speaking in Sikeston later this month. Can you tell me a little bit about the theme of your message?

A: I'll be talking about some of the things that made America into a great nation. How incredibly important it is to have a well-educated and informed populace who can actually interpret things for themselves -- they don't have to have pundits and politicians interpret things for them, which can or cannot be accurate. And how that is really one of the foundations of a continued free society.

I'll also be talking a little bit about our obligations to each other, responsibilities versus rights, and about the direction that our nation is taking and whether we want to be involved in helping to reverse that direction or are we comfortable with the slide into a completely different type of nation.

Q: You have a really compelling story. You were raised by a single mother, getting out of poverty. Is there one thing that your mother did that has particularly benefited you?

A: Yeah, I think the fact that she refused to accept excuses was probably the most beneficial thing for both me and my brother.

... When you become a solution-finder or problem solver, it changes the trajectory of your life.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to parents and to young people, whether they are in a situation like you were in growing up or not, what is that advice?

A: What I would say to them is recognize that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you in life is you. It's based on the decisions you make and the energy you decide to put into it. Only you can determine whether you're a victim or whether you're a success.

Q: Your faith has obviously played an important part in your story. Tell us a little bit on how your faith has shaped you.

A: I sort of grew up saying Bible verses, knowing the Bible stories, but it was really the stabbing incident that I think had the biggest influence on my faith. Because I recognized that very day that had that belt buckle not been there, that the trajectory of my life would have been extremely different. And recognizing that in fact there was a force there that was looking out for me and was guiding me.

It gave me the courage to do a lot of things that I did in my medical career. A lot of people said that I was a maverick and I would do things that no one else would do. But it was really a matter of having faith and recognizing that there was a power greater than myself at work. And I recognize that even now in my post-medical career.

As I've found myself more in the spotlight on the political scene, a lot of people would not be there because they would be afraid.

But I believe that if God be for you, who can be against you? You have to have real principles and values that guide your life. And you can't be afraid to stand up for it.

Q: Your talk at the National Prayer Breakfast last year sparked a lot of attention. Are you running for president or would you run for public office? What are some of the factors you're considering?

A: I think I would be an awful politician because I don't believe in political correctness. I never will. And also, there's no way I would get in bed with special interest groups. I don't think that makes for a viable candidate, quite frankly.

So I kind of leave that in the hands of God. I don't seek public office. I fully thought that when I retired I was going to learn how to play the organ and improve my golf game and learn some new languages. Obviously the Good Lord had different plans for my life.

Q: You're out there speaking right now. Tell us about some of the other things you have on your plate these days.

A: Obviously I'm doing a ton of public speaking.

Last week we opened up five new reading rooms in California. These are places that we put in to encourage young people to read and to love reading. These are places that no little kid would possibly pass up. We're putting them in all over the country.

We also have our scholarship program which is not needs-based; it's merit-based. It's not based on anything except an individual's ability to achieve at the highest levels and also to demonstrate humanitarian qualities. That's in all 50 states now.

And of course ... my teaching as an emeritus professor and corporate board work and all of those kinds of things. And writing books. I have a new book coming out in May.

Q: Tell me a little about the new book that's coming out.

A: This one is called "One Nation," and it really is to help the American people realize that we're not each other's enemies.

The enemies are those people that try to drive wedges into every crack and create a war on everything so they can divide and conquer. And talking about some of the principles that made us, again, into a great nation, and what the action steps are that people can take, that every individual can take to help preserve our nation.

Q: The Carson Scholars Program is in all 50 states now. How many scholars have you recognized?

A: 5,700. And we'll be well over 6,000 shortly.

Q: You retired from neurosurgery earlier this year. As a doctor who has practiced for a number of years, what do you believe are some of those significant challenges that, one, physicians face and, two, the medical community as a whole face in the current state?

A: I can't find very many happy doctors any more. Their lives have gotten pretty miserable.

The big challenge is having everybody interfering with the doctor-patient relationship. We need to work on finding a way to get that relationship back where it belongs. Getting all the bureaucrats and people who know nothing about medicine out of it. It would be much cheaper that way. And we could do a lot more with a lot less.

So, that's something that I'm working on and a number of other people are working on.

Obviously we're going to have to kind of let Obamacare play out so that people can see it naked and then they'll finally understand what it's all about and then they'll be ready to listen to something else.

Q: What are some of the books or publications that you read?

A: I start every day and end every day reading from the Bible -- in particular the book of Proverbs, which has a tremendous amount of wisdom.

I also read a lot of biographical books. I was reading a book recently about the founders of America -- the founding fathers. I like history because I think if you don't know history, you're at a tremendous disadvantage.

I could easily recognize things that have been tried before, time and time again, and don't work out so recognize those things that have worked pretty consistently, and I think that's what should inform decision-making rather than ideology. Ideology doesn't care about history. It only proclaims that it can only be right and if something doesn't work, it's somebody else's fault.

Q: In the movie "Gifted Hands" it appears you had this insatiable appetite to learn. Was this more of an acquired deal or even before did you have that desire?

A: No, I did not have that desire. That was an acquired desire, by my mother who made us read, and I didn't realize how fascinating reading was.

Unlike watching TV, when you read, you have to take those sentences and make them into concepts. You have to use your imagination, which is actually quite a bit more exciting than watching television.

Q: If you didn't become a doctor, do you have an idea of what you would have done professionally?

A: Yeah, I probably would have become an engineer. I love to create things, to think of different ways to do things. I like to think out of the box.

Lucas Presson is the assistant managing editor and editorial-page editor for the Southeast Missourian. His email is lpresson@semissourian.com.