One Nation Book Summary - One Nation Book explained in key points

One Nation summary

Name: One Nation
Author: Ben Carson

Ben Carson

What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future

15 mins

Brief summary

One Nation by Ben Carson is a political book that presents a conservative agenda for America. It discusses the challenges faced by the country and offers solutions based on the author's experience in the medical field and his understanding of the Constitution.

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Culture

Table of Contents

One Nation
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Learn how America can return to greatness.

Why are political pundits talking about Ben Carson as a hot conservative pick for the presidency in 2016? What’s special about his worldview?

Carson has a biting, logical and down to earth way of thinking about America’s biggest problems, from faith and morality to the media and ignorance. In these blinks, you’ll find out more about how he thinks America can be saved from its current decline and returned to its rightful position, leading the world.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

how the liberal media is hurting progress;
why America’s experiencing a moral crisis; and
why government handouts make us all serfs.

Liberal elites and political correctness prevent America from facing its problems.

Have you ever wanted to say something but in the end decided against it because you were afraid that your comment could be interpreted as being politically incorrect? That was a mistake. Political correctness is an invention of the liberal elites of the Far Left. All political correctness does is prevent the sort of discussion that can move America forward.

The Political Correctness Police, including the media and some politicians, forbid people from speaking freely about a continually growing list of topics, and bludgeon people who violate their rules.

For example, when appearing on TV to discuss how marriage is a long-standing tradition that shouldn’t be changed, the author compared gays to others that engage in non-traditional sexual relationships, including pedophiles.

Immediately, the secular progressive media seized on the comment, twisting the author’s words and silencing what could have been a useful debate on marriage.

Meanwhile, elites create entitlement programs for less fortunate groups of people in order to solidify their positions of power in the media or politics. Yet these liberal policies have done little to improve the lives of those unfortunate people in our society. Black communities in particular have been destroyed by these handouts, while continuing to support those that provide them.

Martin Luther King Jr. and other black leaders understood this danger and supported self-reliance and self-help. Unlike the liberal elites, they believed that all people are capable of helping themselves.

Ignorance and bigotry divide America and prevent progress.

Sometimes, people do wrong not for malicious reason, but simply out of ignorance. However, this simple ignorance, which leads to bigotry and political infighting, deeply harms the unity of American society as a whole.

America suffers in particular from ignorance of history. We must remember and understand the history of America and the values upon which it was built. If we always keep those values in mind – particularly the values of small government, individual rights and citizen engagement in politics – America cannot be astray.

Excessive government spending and national debt is enslaving American children.

Do you ever stop to think about the future of America and get terribly worried? The author does. For example, many of the author’s friends were wealthy people. They lived lives of abundance and extravagance, but when their circumstances changed, they had little to leave their children.

Similarly, America today is leaving little to its children. Instead, national debt is topping $20 trillion. And we know that debt leads to disaster: just look at what’s happening in Greece.

Push back, respectfully disagree and try to find a compromise.

Have you ever been bullied? The author was, until one day he challenged his bully to a fight – the bully never bothered him again. Similarly, Americans should stand up to bullying by the liberal elites, bigots and overzealous spenders described above.

One place where bullying is rife is on liberal university campuses. Most professors are liberal and they penalize students with different views. At one Florida university, a professor asked students to stomp on a piece of paper with “Jesus” written on it. When one devout Mormon requested to be excused, the professor insisted, and after complaining to his superiors, the student was suspended.

Yearn to be wise and well-informed.

As a neuroscientist, the author knows one thing for certain: You can never learn enough! Learning – from childhood to old age – is important not only for employment and prosperity, but also because America’s political system can only work with an educated populace.

How so?

Help others, care for your neighbors and become your brother’s keeper.

Do you know of anyone with a disability? Do they receive government assistance or do they get help from others? Take the author’s uncle Albert. He was developmentally disabled, but his brother cared for him from a sense of duty – a model that has been sadly losing ground in recent years.

Everyone should take charge of their close ones, instead of relying on the government.

We need worthy role models to help give us a vision for our lives.

Did you have a role model when you were growing up? The author grew up in a neighborhood where most role models for kids were either factory foremen or drug dealers, but he saw doctors as his heroes.

Even though he rarely met them, the author’s medical role models guided him as he strove to educate himself, escape poverty and become a celebrated neurosurgeon.

Everyone must understand the origin of morality.

Throughout life, everyone has to deal with the basic questions of morality: What is right and what is wrong? How do we know?

These questions aren’t just important for us as individuals – they concern the nation too. Seeking the answers together is vital to preserving America’s unity.

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What is One Nation about?

One Nation (2014) outlines what America should do to stop its current decline and to once more become the most prosperous and successful nation in the world. These blinks share recommendations that are based on faith, common sense and the values upon which the country was founded.

Best quote from One Nation

In their heart of hearts elites see themselves as societys savior, but they are blinded by pride to the results of their actions.

—Ben Carson

Who should read One Nation?

People curious about Ben Carson’s political ideas
People concerned about the future of America
Anyone interested in American politics

About the Author

Ben Carson is a celebrated neurosurgeon who is mulling a run for president in 2016. Candy Carson, the co-author, is the author’s wife, and a co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund.

Categories with One Nation

Politics

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