The Man Who DID NOT Want to be Elected Feat. Dr. Ben Carson

0:03This is the Ed Mylett Show. All right, welcome back to the show, everybody. I have to tell you, the man to my left today, first off, there's two dress codes, one for the smart person and one for the idiot. And so I'm the one in the jeans. We're both speaking at an event here today. He came appropriately dressed. I came for the podcast. So I have to tell you, there's a short list of people that I've wanted to meet in my life because from a distance, I've had such admiration for them. and not only the things that he's accomplished, but the method in which he's conducted himself publicly is something that I admire greatly.

0:37And so he's really, he is truly one of the most remarkable people alive today in my book and his story. There is no better story you're going to hear than the one you're going to hear today. Let me tell you a little bit about him. Ends up becoming, grows up in poverty in Detroit with a single mother, ends up becoming one of the top neurosurgeons on the planet. That wasn't enough. So then he decides he's going to run for president and a lot of people were behind him doing that. Then he becomes the HUD secretary and he's also got an unbelievable think tank and his philanthropic work is unbelievable.

1:07And the IQ disparity today is going to be very obvious as we kick this thing off. Dr. Ben Carson, thank you for being here. Well, thank you for having me. I'm delighted to be here. I want to know about your mom. I've always wanted to know about your mom. Well, she's probably the wisest person I ever met. She didn't have much in the way of education. She came from a huge family in rural Tennessee. Achieved less than a third grade education, bounced around from house to house, got married at age 13. 13. Trying to escape poverty. And they moved to Detroit. Is that where you go to escape poverty at that time?

1:49Well, actually, Detroit was kind of booming at that time. Automobile capital of the world. True. And not long before that, Detroit had been proclaimed the most prosperous city in Detroit. I mean, in the United States. There you go. Okay. So the factory jobs were what made it that way. My father had one of those. But some years later, she discovered that he also had another family. So that resulted in a divorce. There she was trying to care for my brother and myself with little in the way of education. We ended up moving to Boston to live with our older sister and brother-in-law. Typical tenement, large multifamily dwelling, boarded up windows and doors, sirens and gangs, roaches every place.

2:39First time I saw a water rat, I thought it was a dog. This is so big.

2:47But that was the environment. Both of my older cousins, who we adored, were killed. A lot of drugs, and it was that kind of a place. And my mother worked hard because she wanted to get us out of the environment and back to Detroit. She worked as a domestic, cleaning people's houses, going from one job to the next job to the next job. but it worked and after a couple of years we were able to move back to Detroit still in a multifamily dwelling still with plenty of wildlife but nevertheless she was independent at that point and I was just the worst student you can imagine. No you weren't. I was terrible and in the fifth grade we had eye exams done Oh, okay.

3:42And that was amazing because I didn't know that anybody could see the board. You thought everybody was like you. So once I got glasses, I had an amazing transformation. I went from an F student to a D student.

4:02But, you know, my mother was still very unhappy because, you know, she saw the beautiful homes that she claimed. And then she saw where we lived, and she says, what is the difference? So she became a spy. And she said, you know, these people, they read a lot of books, and they don't watch much TV. So she came home one day and imposed that on me and my brother. And we were not happy campers, but we had to read. and that's where the real transformation began. Reading. Reading. Because all of a sudden, my world went from the streets of Detroit to the streets of the world. And I began to learn so much stuff and I got excited about learning.

4:57And if I had five minutes, I was reading a book. And within a year and a half, I went from the bottom of the class to the top of the class. And that really changed the way I thought about things. Did it change the way you thought about yourself also? Definitely the way I thought about myself. And won a scholarship to Yale. At that point, I thought I was the smartest person in the world. But if not, certainly in the top five.

5:30By the end of that first semester, I was wondering what I was doing there at all. Really? Yeah. Because, you know, the way I operated at Southwestern High School in inner city, Detroit, I could study for an hour before the test and get an A. You know, it was not a problem. But I wasn't quite like that at Yale. The standard changes. Very, very different. And, you know, the Lord got me through that. I was failing freshman chemistry. He got me through that. I really did. and I realized at that point that he really had a mission for me and that it was in medicine. But none of that would have been possible if he hadn't had such a relationship with my mother.

6:16If the Lord and your mother didn't have such a great relationship. Right. So education, reading, this is part of the formula. By the way, her son ends up growing up to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor you can get as a civilian on the planet. So she did something right. She did, even though she got a lot of complaints from her friends. From your friends? From her friends. Okay. You can't make boys stay in the house and read books. They'll grow up and they'll hate you. And I used to overhear them and I'd say, you know they're right, brother. But we still had to do it.

6:55What about, so you, I'm trying to pick apart the recipe because there's a lot of pairs that listen to the show. But let me just say this. She got the last laugh, her friends, because one son became a brain surgeon and the other became a rocket scientist. I wanted to ask about your brother. Is that what your brother, really? That is unbelievable from those circumstances to end up with both turning out like that. But it shows that this really is a land of opportunity that we live in. We just have to create the right pathway, as you might say, the right life surge. The right life surge. On that, one of the things I'm going to spin all over the place with you, because I want to ask you a bunch of different things.

7:39But you were the head of HUD, Housing and Urban Development. And one of the paths that worries me in the world today, my son's in the room here today, you met him, is the difficulty of this next generation of able to afford a home. There was a time when I was growing up that even on one income, somebody could at some point make enough money to own a family home. This is almost non-existent now. Does that worry you? Is there a path for that that could be changed? It is worrisome, but also remember when I was a youngster, in Detroit, there were GI homes. There were 700 square feet. They had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen eating area.

8:35All in 700 square feet. Now, you tell people, you're going to live in the 700? They say, what are you talking about? It's got to be at least 2 ,000 square feet. So downsizing, downsizing one's expectations, because what we have to remember is that it's a climb. It's not a declaration. You finish school and you get to be here. You finish school and you get to start at the bottom and climb your way up. And people want to get a bachelor's degree and they want to be executive vice president. That should be their first job. It's not like that. So that has to change. No question about it. But I think we also have to start thinking of new and different ways to do things.

9:33Remember the Vietnamese boat people? Sure. When they came here, they couldn't afford houses either. Yeah. What did they do? Three or four families in one house. And then as they became gapefully employed, that would move out, and then there'd only be three families. But the other ones would be making more money. And then there'd be two families, and the other ones would be making more money. And you know, you envision an endpoint, you envision a strategy to get there. You don't just sit there and complain about what's going on. Do you feel like there's too much of that? There's way too much of it.

10:13You said something interesting. So I've been doing the show for 10 years. So probably about almost a thousand episodes. No one's ever said downsize your expectations before. By the way, you'll catch some flack for that, as you know. I'm wondering, I want to merge the two worlds. This woman's raising you. She ends up with two sons with this extraordinary success, reading, standards, faith, God, all of that's part of the mixture. But what about expectations or dreams? Was that never part of the conversation? Well, our expectations were that we would do very well, but we knew there was a pathway to get there.

10:45It wasn't just wishing that you're going to be there and boom, you're there. Okay. Not a magic wand. Do you mean that? I want to understand. Do you think that there's too much immediate gratification with this Instagram click world? We think we should have the house, everything now. That's the problem. Everybody wants everything immediately. Okay. And there is a pathway to get there. and I think this country probably is the best country in the world to do it. You'll notice that there are a lot of people who come here from disadvantaged areas, places like Cuba, and they do very well. You say, why do they do so well?

11:25Because they have a plan. They have a vision. They know they have to start down here and work their way up. That's the difference. So it's not really so much downsizing your expectations as it is being realistic in the approach that gets you where you want to be. I do think about that a lot. The people that come here with no advantages, that it's their second language. And so many do find their ways. I think of all different groups of people. Cubans are Asian friends that have immigrated here. I mean, people from every country. We should probably name countries. But I do think about that. I also think about you.

12:00I've always wanted to ask you this. I almost picture your mother with these two boys though what an amazing accomplishment but I also when you were running the first time I didn't know who you were before right and I had heard the story about you separating the twins and I knew this legendary story but I didn't know that it was you right I mean you know unbelievable career as a neurosurgeon then you're running and immediately you stand out you stand out for a lot of reasons but the main reason was oh my gosh this appears to be a kind man, obviously of high intellect, but he is not doing that thing where he's going to tell you everything that's wrong with everybody else.

12:40He's doing that thing where he's painting a vision for what he thinks it should look like. Let's just be real. There's a way you conduct yourself that is very different than our politics today. Honest answer, please. Do you think there's any room for a guy like you in the political arena nowadays? You know exactly what I mean. Probably to help people think about things. Meaning move the conversation. Right. But not get elected. Well, I didn't really want to be elected. You what? You didn't want to be elected. No. The reason I got into it is because I was afraid of where the country was going. So you wanted to.

13:18I was afraid we were going to go off the cliff. And I was willing to do whatever needed to be done in order to keep it from going off the cliff. But during the campaigning, Donald Trump and I became friends. And he really wanted to be president, and I really didn't. This is so interesting to hear. And we actually were both doing very well. I think after the first debate, you were in front of him and everybody else. Well, it was actually in August when I first hit the lead position. When that happened, were you going, oh my gosh, I'm out over my, I don't really want to do this. Well, I told him that he was going to be president.

14:07I said, because that is something that God has ordained because of the position that our country is in right now. not because you're a wonderful person, but because you're the right kind of personality to get done what needs to be done to save this country. You know, God used a lot of interesting personalities in the Bible.

14:31So he knows the end from the beginning. But he always remembers, you know, that I tell him that. but I philosophically we have a lot of the same philosophies we have very different personalities but I still talk to him and you know he really does want to save this country but you know his personality grates against a lot of people this episode is sponsored by Rowe A lot of people assume GLP-1s cost a fortune, and that assumption keeps them from even looking into treatment. Rowe helps people find a more affordable path to FDA-approved GLP-1 treatment. Rowe wants to help people lose weight. That's why they have more affordable GLP-1 options, whether you're paying with insurance or cash.

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17:08I really do. And by the way, everybody watching this, regardless of their politics, wishes the temperament of our country would change. Because I do think that what comes from the top in leadership, whatever you believe politically, this has nothing to do with politics. And even having you on the show, I know there's people, there's a tone and there's a culture that of how we treat one another day to day that I believe the leader sets that tone. My preference would be your tone. Well, you know, what does the Bible tell you? It says to love your neighbor, not to cancel your neighbor if they disagree with you.

17:43We've changed considerably from who we used to be when we were a country that was a large community. And we didn't so much say, are you a Democrat? a Republican if I can talk to you. It was, you're my neighbor. You need help? Hey, I'm here. That's a real problem right now because there are those who really want to divide this country. You have to divide this country. It's too strong because of our faith and our families. So if you want to overcome it with communism, Marxism, whatever, you have to divide the people on the basis of race, age, income, gender, political affiliation, religion. You've got to get them fighting each other.

18:33And it was Lenin who said, you'll never change a country like America, they're too strong, unless you can get them to destroy their own future with useful idiots, people who will fight against their own well-being and that of their children without thinking. Interesting this rise of socialism in the country Is there's a there's a backdrop to it and the re one of the reasons there's a rise is that people don't see that path for themselves Whether they're right or wrong they don't see that path for themselves And so that's an appealing path to some people the other thing that's risen whether that's the leadership tone or just Frustration in life is anger people are angry it surprised me to read, correct me if I'm wrong, that you struggled with like an anger thing as a young man.

19:28And so if that's true, tell us about it. And then how do we change that? And how did you change it? Well, I would get so angry that I would become irrational. Like once a fella hit me with a pebble, it didn't hurt. But I was angry that he would hit me. He would dare hit me. I picked up a big rock, hurled it at his face, broke his glasses. almost put his eye up. Phil was trying to close my locker at school. I didn't want it closed. I struck him in the forehead with my fist. Unfortunately, he still had the lock in my hand, put a three-inch gash in his forehead. My mother was trying to get me to wear something.

20:09I didn't want to wear it. I picked up a hammer, went to hit her in the head with it. Oh, my God. My brother caught it from behind. You can see, other than that, I was a pretty good kid. That's shocking to hear based on your... No, but when I was 14, another teenager angered me. And I had a large camping knife. And I tried to stab him in the abdomen. And fortunately, he had a large metal belt buckle under his clothing. And the knife blade struck it and broke. You're kidding me. Your life could have been totally different. Just like Camillo Anthony, the kid down in Texas. I mean, it's just that anger and boom, and your life is completely gone at that point.

20:55But long story short,

21:02God took the knife out of the hand of an angry teenager and replaced it with a scalpel to save lives. That's what he does, you know? That's his specialty. I wish everybody was watching this. It's not audio just to see your face change right there. Why is that so emotional for you? The part when you talked about God. You have this thing that I respect in men when I'm with them. You have a tender heart for God. What is that, that thing I just saw in your face? Well, just because, you know, he can see the end from the beginning and he can see the good in us. And he can see what our strengths are and what our weaknesses are.

21:43and he can take them and fashion them into something that will be extraordinarily successful if you allow it. But you have to allow him to do it. You know, with my anger issue, after I tried to stab the youngster, I locked myself in a room and I started contemplating my life. I had changed academically by that time. I was a straight-A student. But I said, you'll never become a doctor with a temper like that. Your options are reform school, jail, or the grave. And none of those appealed to me. And I was saying, Lord, if you don't change me, I'm not going to make it. There's just no possibility.

22:34You know, I was reading psychology today. I was thinking I was going to be a psychiatrist at that point. And reading about behavioral modification and all these things. But I knew we didn't have the money for that. And I just said, unless you change me, this is it for me. And I pick up a Bible, open it to the book of Proverbs. There were all these verses about anger. Like Proverbs 19, 19, there's no point getting an angry man out of trouble because he's just going to get right back into it. but Proverbs 16.32 mightier is the man who can control his temper than the man who can conquer a city I mean it spoke to me and then there were all these verses about fools also and that spoke to me too and the spirit helped me to understand while I was sitting in that room that the reason I was angry all the time was because I was selfish because it was always about me.

23:39Me, my, and I. Somebody did this to me. Somebody took my space or they're in my space. I want this. And if you learn how to take yourself out of the center of the circle, you wouldn't be angry. That was the last angry outburst. The last angry outburst. That was the last one. And some people say, you just learned how to hide it. Yeah. But no. So God, when he fixes it, he doesn't do a paint job. He fixes it. That is so good. But let me tell you a little more about God there, though. Please give it to me. You know, from that day until this day, I start every day reading from the book of Proverbs.

24:23You do? Who wrote the book of Proverbs? Solomon. Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs. My middle name is Solomon. God must have known that was going to happen. But what was the first thing that Solomon did when he became the king that brought him great fame? Two women came to him claiming to be the mother of the same baby. What did he advocate? Divide the baby. That's when I became very well-known when I divided babies. Oh, my God. He has a sense of humor, too. Oh, my God. Did you? Let's stay in faith for a second. I feel like the students there. I want to stay in there. You also have a very scientific mind.

25:10And as a neurosurgeon, I'm sure you saw a lot of things that were heartbreaking as well. And so a lot of people have a hard time, you know, this reconciling a lot of very smart people, so to speak. Sometimes look at people of faith like, oh, that's cute. Or people that have seen a lot of hardship in their lives. and they say why can that happen if God is a loving God correct what would you say to them I would say that God loves us so much that he doesn't force us he gives us choices and we are on this earth living out those choices that started with the first man and woman and everybody will have an opportunity to see where those choices lead and I think it's becoming increasingly apparent in the world that we live in now and I think he will come back as he said he would I have total faith in that but he did tell us what would be going on and he said before he came back the world would be like it was in the days of Noah evil everywhere it's coming and I'm particularly concerned about AI when people have a hard time deciphering between what's real and what's not real.

26:36And so I don't think it's going to be that long before it comes back. You don't think it's that long? I don't think so. Amen. Let's stay on AI. Big topic on my show. Big topic. You'll look at it from a different perspective. I was just listening to something yesterday about this too. Pretty good debate about the here we go because i know you're also conservative as well so the regulating of it and how should there be regulation of it and if so how much also who but this notion that we're a year or two away from you know the idea that it is smarter than all of the collective minds in the world whether or not that's true or not i don't know but the fact that it could begin to shape culture and tone and um that's deeply concerning to me so what do you how do you feel about regulating it well i'm i'm not conservative or liberal i'm logical

27:38but you know i recognize that once it's out of the box you can't put it back in the box Okay, so it's coming. So what we have to do is figure out how do we use it and how do we make sure it doesn't destroy us. That should be of interest to people from both sides of the aisle. I think it is. Yeah. But I'm surprised I don't hear much about it from either side. So you know those pieces in your closet that you find yourself wearing like on repeat all the time? that sweater that kind of just goes with everything or these perfect pair of pants those are the pieces that make getting dressed easy and that's what quince does best quince focuses on high quality wardrobe staples with premium materials like 100 mongolian cashmere organic cotton the styles are timeless versatile and designed to become the dependable pieces you reach for every day it's what i'm wearing right now they give you the softness and quality you'd expect from a luxury brand without the price tag quince also makes premium pants fitted tees and polos and breathable active wear.