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

What does America look like from inside the Oval Office, and what do you learn about leadership when you've actually run for President of the United States? I don't normally talk politics on this show, but when I got the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Ben Carson, I couldn't pass it up. This isn't a political conversation. It's a rare opportunity to hear from someone who's run for President and had a front-row seat inside the most powerful office in the world. Dr. Ben Carson has occupied seats very few human beings ever will. He went from growing up in poverty in Detroit to becoming one of the most accomplished neurosurgeons in the world, then stepped into an entirely different arena and ran for President of the United States. What surprised me in this conversation is that he told me he never really wanted to be President. He entered the race because he was deeply concerned about where he believed the country was heading and felt called to do whatever he could to make a difference. Along the way, he competed against Donald Trump, developed a friendship with him, and ultimately went on to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Today, Dr. Carson gives us a rare look at what he saw from inside presidential politics and the highest levels of our government. I wanted to know what happens when the cameras turn off. What is it actually like inside an administration? What surprised him about being that close to the Oval Office? Dr. Carson talks about the competing personalities and opinions inside government, the intense energy required at that level of leadership, and why disagreement behind closed doors can actually be healthy. We also have a fascinating conversation about President Trump, including what Dr. Carson told him while they were still competing for the Republican nomination, why he believed Trump was going to become President, and what he observed working alongside him once he was in office. Whatever your politics are, this is a perspective very few people can give you firsthand. But what struck me most is the temperament Dr. Carson brought into an arena that rewards conflict. We talk about how divided the country has become and why he believes we've lost the ability to disagree with someone without treating them like an enemy. He shares why leadership requires listening to different viewpoints, why a "my way or the highway" mentality doesn't work in a country as diverse as ours, and why our ability to see each other as neighbors again may matter more than any political label. We also get into home ownership, the expectations of the next generation, AI, parenting in a rapidly changing technological world, and what he believes families can do instead of waiting for Washington to solve their problems. And then you hear the story behind the man. This calm, measured former presidential candidate was once an angry teenager who tried to stab another young man. The knife struck a metal belt buckle and broke. Dr. Carson went home, locked himself in a room, turned to God, and experienced a transformation that changed his entire future. As he told me, God took the knife out of the hand of an angry teenager and replaced it with a scalpel that would save lives. When you hear about his mother, his childhood, his faith, his journey into medicine, his run for President, and eventually his time inside a presidential administration, you begin to understand why his perspective on leadership is so different. Key Takeaways: Why Dr. Carson says he entered the presidential race even though he didn't really want to become President What happened between Dr. Carson and Donald Trump while they were competing for the Republican nomination What surprised him after getting an inside view of a presidential administration What he learned about leadership, disagreement, and decision making at the highest levels of government Why he believes Americans must relearn how to disagree without treating each other as enemies His concerns about AI, parenting, home ownership, and the future facing the next generation How faith transformed him from an angry teenager who nearly took a life into a surgeon who spent his career saving them There are very few people who can tell you what it's like to operate on the human brain, run for President, serve in a presidential cabinet, and sit inside the rooms where decisions affecting millions of people are made. Dr. Carson can. Regardless of your politics, this conversation is about something bigger: leadership, faith, character, family, and what each of us can do to build a better future. This is one I genuinely didn't want to end. God bless you. Max Out your life. Visit Upwork.com today to post your job for free, and connect with top talent ready to grow your business. Go to ButcherBox.com/MYLETT to get $20 off your first box, plus your choice of free ribeye, new york strip, or filet mignon in every box for a year — with free shipping always. For a better way to stay hydrated, go to instanthydration.com/MYLETT and use my promo code MYLETT for over 40% off your first subscription order - it’s Instant Hydration’s best offer available 👉 SUBSCRIBE TO ED'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW 👈⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → → → CONNECT WITH ED MYLETT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ← ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ➡️⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FACEBOOK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LINKEDIN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WEBSITE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Ed Mylett?

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• 0:45Ed Mylett?

  Over 20 years in business, over 12 billion deployed to small business across America. Stop letting bank delays slow down your momentum. Head to cardiff.co/ed. That's cardiff.co/ed. Cardiff.co. Real growth, fast funding. Cardiff, borrow better.

• 1:01Speaker 01

  Mr. President, my company, for me, of the explosion on our rig.

• 1:05Speaker 02

  On October 2nd.

• 1:06Speaker 01

  Causing massive water displacement and triggering a tsunami. They all heap the blame on me.

• 1:11Speaker 02

  Tom Cruise is. Digger got us into this mess. And Digger's gonna dig us up. From the director of Birdman and the Revenant.

• 1:18Speaker 03

  What would happen if I stopped moving? You stall, you freeze to death, that's what.

• 1:22Speaker 02

  With great power comes great deniability.

• 1:25Speaker 03

  I'm not the first then.

• 1:27Speaker 02

  Digger, see the trailer online. Only in theaters October 2nd. Rated R, under 17, not a middle without parent.

• 1:35Ed Mylett?

  This is the Ed and Mylan Show.

• 1:39Ed Mylett?

  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. And 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 gonna hear than the one you're gonna hear today. Let me tell you a little bit about him. Ends up becoming, grows up in poverty in Detroit with a single mother,

• 2:22Ed Mylett?

  ends up becoming one of the top neurosurgeons on the planet. That wasn't enough. So then he decides he's gonna 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 philanthrop work is unbelievable. And the IQ disparity today is gonna be very obvious as we kick this thing off. Dr. Ben Carson, thank you for being here.

• 2:46Speaker 04

  Well, thank you for having me. I'm delighted to be here.

• 2:48Ed Mylett?

  I want to know about your mom. I've always wanted to know about your mom.

• 2:52Speaker 04

  Well, she's, 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.

• 3:04Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 3:05Speaker 04

  Achieved less than a third grade education, bounced around from house to house, got married at age 13.

• 3:11Ed Mylett?

  13?

• 3:12Speaker 04

  Trying to escape poverty. And they moved to Detroit. And.

• 3:18Ed Mylett?

  Is that where you go to escape poverty at that time?

• 3:21Speaker 04

  Well, actually Detroit was kind of booming.

• 3:23Ed Mylett?

  At that time?

• 3:24Speaker 04

  At that time. Automobile capital of the world.

• 3:27Ed Mylett?

  True.

• 3:28Speaker 04

  And not long before that, Detroit had proclaimed the most prosperous city in Detroit. I mean, in the, in the United States.

• 3:35Ed Mylett?

  There you go, okay.

• 3:36Speaker 04

  So the factory jobs were what, what made it that way. My, 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 her older sister and brother-in-law. Typical tenement, large multifamily dwelling, boarded up windows and doors, sirens and gangs, roaches every place. First time I saw a water rat, I thought it was a dog. This is so big.

• 4:18Speaker 04

  But that, that was the environment. Both of my older cousins, who we adored, were killed. A lot of drugs, and it was, 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.

• 5:01Speaker 04

  And I was just the worst student you can imagine.

• 5:04Ed Mylett?

  No, you weren't.

• 5:05Speaker 04

  I was terrible. And there were, in the fifth grade, we had eye exams done.

• 5:12Ed Mylett?

  Oh, okay.

• 5:13Speaker 04

  And that was amazing because I didn't know that anybody could see the board.

• 5:20Ed Mylett?

  You thought everybody was like you?

• 5:23Speaker 04

  So once I got glasses, I had amazing transformation. I went from an F student to a D student.

• 5:34Speaker 04

  But, you know, my mother was still very unhappy because, you know, she, she saw the beautiful homes that she claimed. And then she saw where we live. 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, but we had to read. And that's where the real transformation began.

• 6:13Ed Mylett?

  Reading?

• 6:14Speaker 04

  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. And if I had five minutes, I was reading a book. And within, 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.

• 6:45Ed Mylett?

  Did it change the way you thought about yourself also?

• 6:47Speaker 04

  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.

• 7:02Speaker 04

  By the end of that first semester, I was wondering what I was doing there at all.

• 7:06Ed Mylett?

  Really?

• 7:06Speaker 04

  Yeah. Because, you know, the, the way I operated at Southwestern High School in Edith City, Detroit, I could study for an hour before the test and get an A, you know, it was not a problem. But wasn't quite like that at Yale.

• 7:21Ed Mylett?

  The standard changes.

• 7:22Speaker 04

  Very, very different. And, you know, the Lord got me through that. I was failing freshman chemistry. He got me through that.

• 7:30Ed Mylett?

  Really did.

• 7:33Speaker 04

  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.

• 7:48Ed Mylett?

  If the Lord and your mother didn't have such a great relationship.

• 7:51Speaker 04

  Right.

• 7:52Ed Mylett?

  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, as a civilian in, on the planet. So that's, she did something right.

• 8:07Speaker 04

  She did. Even though she got a lot of complaints from her friends.

• 8:12Ed Mylett?

  From your friends?

• 8:13Speaker 04

  From her friends.

• 8:14Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 8:15Speaker 04

  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.

• 8:26Speaker 04

  We still had to do it.

• 8:27Ed Mylett?

  What, what about, so you, I'm trying to pick apart the recipe because there's a lot of parents that listen to the show.

• 8:31Speaker 04

  But, but, 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.

• 8:42Ed Mylett?

  I wanted to ask about your brother. Is that what your brother, really? That is unbelievable from the circumstances, end up with both turning out like that.

• 8:51Speaker 04

  But it, 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 search.

• 9:03Ed Mylett?

  The right life search. On that, one of the things, I'm gonna spin all over the place with you today because I want to ask you a bunch of different things. But you were the head of HUD, Housing and Urban Development. And one of the, about that, the paths that worries me in the world today, my son's in the room here today, you met him, is the, 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 nonexistent now.

• 9:37Speaker 04

  Right.

• 9:37Ed Mylett?

  Does that worry you? Is there a path for that that could be changed?

• 9:42Speaker 04

  It is worrisome, but, but also remember, when I was a youngster in Detroit, there were GI homes. They were 700 square feet. They had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen eating area. All in 700 square feet. Now, you tell people, you're gonna live in the 700? They say, what are you talking about? You can't, you know, it's gotta be at least 2,000 square feet. So downsizing, downsizing one's expectations.

• 10:26Speaker 04

  Because what we have to remember is that it's a climb. It's not.

• 10:33Speaker 04

  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. Remember the Vietnamese boat people?

• 11:08Ed Mylett?

  Sure.

• 11:08Speaker 04

  When they came here. Uh, they couldn't afford houses either.

• 11:13Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 11:15Speaker 04

  What did they do? Three or four families in one house. And then as they became gaiety employee, 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, you envision an endpoint. You envision a strategy to get there. You don't just sit there and complain about what's going on.

• 11:42Ed Mylett?

  Do you feel like there's too much of that?

• 11:44Speaker 04

  There's way too much of it.

• 11:45Ed Mylett?

  You said something interesting. So I've been doing the show for 10 years. So probably about almost 1,000 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?

• 12:10Speaker 04

  Well, our expectations were that we would do very well. But we knew there was a pathway to get there. It wasn't just wishing that you're going to be there and boom, you're there.

• 12:22Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 12:23Speaker 04

  Not a magic wand.

• 12:24Ed Mylett?

  Do you, 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.

• 12:30Speaker 04

  Well, that's.

• 12:31Ed Mylett?

  Everything now.

• 12:32Speaker 04

  That's the problem. Everybody wants everything immediately.

• 12:35Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 12:35Speaker 04

  And there is a pathway to get there. And I think this country probably is the best country in the world to do it. And you'll notice that there are a lot of people who come here uh, from disadvantaged areas. Places like Cuba. And they do very well.

• 12:54Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 12:54Speaker 04

  They say, why do they do so well? Because 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. And the approach that gets you where you want to be.

• 13:16Ed Mylett?

  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 or, or Asian friends that have immigrated here. I mean, for people from every country, we should probably name countries. But I do think about that. I also think about you. I've always wanted to ask you this. I, 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.

• 13:44Speaker 04

  Right.

• 13:45Ed Mylett?

  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.

• 13:51Speaker 04

  Right.

• 13:51Ed Mylett?

  I mean, you know, unbelievable career as a neurosurgeon. Then you're running and immediately you stand out. You, 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. He'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.

• 14:21Speaker 04

  Right.

• 14:22Ed Mylett?

  Honest answer, please. Do you think there's any room for a guy like you in the political arena nowadays? You, you know exactly what I mean.

• 14:29Speaker 04

  Prob- probably to help people think about things.

• 14:35Ed Mylett?

  Meaning move the conversation.

• 14:36Speaker 04

  Right.

• 14:37Ed Mylett?

  But not get elected.

• 14:38Speaker 04

  Right. Well, I didn't really want to be elected.

• 14:40Ed Mylett?

  You what?

• 14:42Ed Mylett?

  You didn't want to be elected?

• 14:44Speaker 04

  No. The reason I got into it is because I was afraid of where the country was going.

• 14:50Ed Mylett?

  So you wanted to.

• 14:50Speaker 04

  I 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, uh, Donald Trump and I became friends. And he really wanted to be president and I really didn't.

• 15:16Speaker 04

  And we actually were both doing very well.

• 15:19Ed Mylett?

  I think after the first debate, you were in front of him and everybody else.

• 15:23Speaker 04

  Well, it was actually in August when I first hit uh, for the lead position.

• 15:30Ed Mylett?

  When that happened, were you going, oh my gosh, I'm out over my, I don't really want to do this?

• 15:34Speaker 04

  Well, I tell him that he was going to be president. I said, because that is something that God has retained 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.

• 16:03Speaker 04

  So he knows the end from beginning. But he always remembers, you know, that I tell him that. But I philosophically, uh, we have a lot of the same philosophies. We have very different personalities.

• 16:22Speaker 04

  But I still talk to him and, you know, he, he really does want to save this country. But, you know, his personality grates against a lot of people.

• 16:36Ed Mylett?

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• 17:21Ed Mylett?

  Visit upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That's upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's U P W O R K dot com. Upwork.com. Have you ever opened the fridge, like opened it, stared into it for five minutes and somehow convinced yourself there's nothing to eat? I know I've been there a bunch of times and it happens more often than I really want to admit. And let me tell you who solved it for me. ButcherBox solved that big time. ButcherBox delivers 100% grass-fed beef, organic chicken, wild-caught seafood and more. All sourced to standards they can actually tell you about. So all you have to do is decide what's for dinner. I love ButcherBox because they keep my fridge stocked up with protein like ground beef and chicken breast.

• 18:06Ed Mylett?

  If you're looking for an easier way to get great meals on the table, listen, give ButcherBox a try. Go to butcherbox.com/milet to get $20 off your first box. Listen to this. Plus your choice of free ground beef for life or free chicken thighs or top sirloins in every box for a year with free shipping always. That's butcherbox.com/milet. Again, that's butcherbox.com/milet. Be sure to use our link so they know we sent you. I wish there were more men and women with your personality. I really do. And by the way, everybody watching this, regardless of their politics, wishes the temperament of our country would change.

• 18:47Ed Mylett?

  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. I, I, I, 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.

• 19:06Speaker 04

  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. We've, we'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 or Republican? If I can talk to you.

• 19:30Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 19:30Speaker 04

  It was, you're my neighbor. You need help? Hey, I'm here. That's a real problem right now because uh, there are those who really want to divide this country. You have to, 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 gotta get them fighting each other. And uh, it was Lenin who said, you'll never change a country like America.

• 20:11Speaker 04

  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.

• 20:27Ed Mylett?

  Interesting. This rise of socialism in the country.

• 20:32Ed Mylett?

  There's a backdrop to it. And 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. And so if that's true, tell us about it. And then how do we change that? And how did you change it?

• 21:06Speaker 04

  Well, I would get so angry that I would become irrational. Like, once Phil hit me with a pebble, it didn't hurt. But I was angry that he would hit me. Would dare hit me. I picked up a big rock, hurt that his face, broke his glasses. Almost put his eye out. 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, 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. I didn't want to wear it. I picked up a hammer, went to hit her in the head with it.

• 21:45Ed Mylett?

  Oh, my God.

• 21:45Speaker 04

  My brother caught it from behind. You can see, other than that, I was a pretty good kid.

• 21:53Ed Mylett?

  That's shocking to hear, based on your.

• 21:55Speaker 04

  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 on under his clothing. And the knife blade struck it and broke.

• 22:12Ed Mylett?

  You're kidding me. Your life could have been totally different.

• 22:15Speaker 04

  Just like Camilo Anthony, the kid down in Texas. I mean, it's just that anger and boom, and your life is completely gone at that point. But, long story short, God.

• 22:34Speaker 04

  God took the knife out of the hand of an angry teenager and replaced it with a scalpel to save lives.

• 22:43Speaker 04

  That's what he does, you know? That's his specialty.

• 22:46Ed Mylett?

  I wish everybody was watching us. It's not audio, just to see your face change right there.

• 22:52Ed Mylett?

  Why is that so emotional for you? The part when you talked about God, it's like 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 on your face?

• 23:04Speaker 04

  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. And he can take them and fashion them into something that will be extraordinarily successful if you allow it.

• 23:25Speaker 04

  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.

• 23:36Speaker 04

  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, I was saying, Lord, if you don't change me, I'm not going to make it. There's just no possibility. You 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.

• 24:18Speaker 04

  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 1919, there's no point getting an angry man out of trouble because he's just going to get right back into it. But Proverbs 1632, mightier is the man who can control this 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. That spoke to me too. And the Spirit helped me to understand while I was sitting in that room.

• 25:02Speaker 04

  That the reason I was angry all the time is because I was selfish. Because it was always about me. Me, 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.

• 25:25Speaker 04

  That was the last angry outburst.

• 25:28Ed Mylett?

  The last angry outburst.

• 25:29Speaker 04

  That was the last one. And some people say, you just learn how to hide it.

• 25:33Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 25:34Speaker 04

  But no. God, when he fixes it, he doesn't do a paint job. He fixes it.

• 25:42Ed Mylett?

  That is so good. You, you.

• 25:44Speaker 04

  But let me tell you a little more about God there, though.

• 25:48Ed Mylett?

  Please, give it to me.

• 25:50Speaker 04

  You know, from that day until this day, I start every day reading from the book of Proverbs.

• 25:55Ed Mylett?

  You do?

• 25:57Speaker 04

  Who wrote the book of Proverbs? Solomon. Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs. My middle name is Solomon.

• 26:06Speaker 04

  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.

• 26:27Speaker 04

  He has a sense of humor too.

• 26:28Ed Mylett?

  Oh, my God.

• 26:31Ed Mylett?

  Did you? Let's talk about, let's stay in faith for a second. I feel like the story is there. I want to stay in there.

• 26:38Ed Mylett?

  You also have a very scientific mind. And 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.

• 27:02Speaker 04

  And they say, why can that happen if God is a loving God?

• 27:05Ed Mylett?

  Correct. What would you say to them?

• 27:07Speaker 04

  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. It 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.

• 27:53Speaker 04

  It's coming. And, you know, I'm particularly concerned about AI. When people have a hard time deciphering between what's real and what's not real.

• 28:08Speaker 04

  And so I don't think it's going to be that long before it comes back.

• 28:13Ed Mylett?

  You don't think it's that long?

• 28:13Speaker 04

  I don't think so.

• 28:14Ed Mylett?

  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? 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 that's deeply concerning to me. So how do you feel about regulating it?

• 29:00Speaker 04

  Well, I'm not conservative or liberal.

• 29:06Speaker 04

  I'm logical.

• 29:10Speaker 04

  But, 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's where, that should be of interest to people from both sides of the aisle.

• 29:34Ed Mylett?

  I think it is. But I'm surprised I don't hear much about it from either side. Did you know that over 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated? And 90% don't even don't get enough potassium? A key electrolyte responsible for energy, muscle function, and clear thinking. That's why so many people feel tired, foggy, crampy, or even off, or late day, kind of just fatigue. Even when they drink tons of water. Instant Hydration is a premium electrolyte drink designed to support hydration, energy, recovery, and focus, actually, overall performance. Instant Hydration is known for their refreshing flavors, not overly salty, smooth taste, and an easy daily habit. I love the icy and watermelon flavors. Watermelon's the best. They are the most refreshing packets that taste great.

• 30:18Ed Mylett?

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• 31:01Ed Mylett?

  You can have all these supplements for $2.61 a day. I've changed my mornings. The whole IM8 routine has changed my mornings. I feel great, and I bring energy to the entire day. Go to im8health.com/ed10 right now, or click the link in the description and use code ED10 for a free welcome kit. Five free travel sachets plus 10% off your order. That's code ED10 at im8health.com/ed10. Code ED10 at im8health.com/ed10. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It's this, it's the greatest change of our time, right? And I, of all the things that are discussed.

• 31:45Speaker 04

  It's like the internet. I mean, see how that changed everything?

• 31:49Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 31:50Speaker 04

  It may be much more so than the internet, though. So we have to take it seriously. The, the real challenge is going to be for parents whose children are growing up in the world of AI and virtual reality. I mean, it's hard enough to get kids off the Nintendos and the Playstations. Can you imagine when they can disappear into their own world? And if parents don't exercise significant control, parental control, those kids aren't going to have a chance.

• 32:29Ed Mylett?

  That's scary and sad at the same time. I see it on your face, too, when you talk about it. What's it like inside? I'm just curious. And so, we're talking about, you know, you're logical, you're not left or right, or conservative or liberal. By the way, I don't know that I'm even logical, but I'm certainly not left or right. The logic part sometimes escapes me, too. But, give us a peek. You've had a very rare seat in your life, to a lot of different seats in your life. But inside the Oval Office, inside the, the operating system of our country, which is really that of the world as well. What would, what would surprise most of us that you saw, or that surprised you? Is it the bureaucracy? Is it the, what, what about it? I don't want to lead you in a direction.

• 33:14Speaker 04

  Well, I think what might surprise people is how involved the president was. I don't know where he got the energy. I really do not understand. I asked him once. I said, that's when he was 78, he's 80 now. I said, most people 78 years old are sitting on a porch in a rocking chair. And here you are doing that. Where are you getting all this energy? And he said, God.

• 33:49Ed Mylett?

  He said that?

• 33:49Speaker 04

  That's what he said. And I don't think it was just because he thought, I wanted to hear that.

• 33:57Ed Mylett?

  That was my first thought. My first thought.

• 34:02Speaker 04

  But, you know, he was, he was deeply touched by what happened in Butler, PA. He, he thinks about that every day. And, but he does have an inordinate amount of energy. I think most people would be shocked. You know, he's up at 2:00 in the morning. If there's something going on in, I mean, it's, it's just unbelievable. But I think most people might be surprised to know that inside, it's just like it is outside.

• 34:37Ed Mylett?

  In the sense that?

• 34:38Speaker 04

  You have different opinions, people feeling very strongly about their opinions. And that's why there's always turmoil in any administration. You're never going to find everybody on the same march. But in a way, that's a good thing.

• 35:04Ed Mylett?

  Some dynamic tension?

• 35:06Speaker 04

  Because you need to always consider all the different viewpoints. In a country like ours, which is composed of so many diverse components, my way or the highway is not the right way. You always have to be willing to sit down and talk. And that, that's what has not happened historically. In societies that have the conflicts that are going on with us right now. One side of the other side wants, and they want to obliterate the other side. And the record has not been good in the world.

• 35:47Speaker 04

  We did well for the first 250 years, based on our constitution. Now we have people who want to get rid of the constitution, who want to rewrite the constitution. You know, who want to do all kinds of things that make absolutely no sense. If you have something that's working, but is not perfect, you don't destroy it and start all over again. It just doesn't work that way. You say, what can we learn? And what can we do together so that we all can live with us? And I think we're capable of that.

• 36:30Ed Mylett?

  Well, I'm glad that you have some optimism about it. Because when I sit in a seat nowhere near as close to that as yours, I, and I think most people listening to this or watching it, I don't know, there's some angst, some fret, some real concern about where the world is heading. And it's not just the decisions, it's the, it's the way we are treating one another. The thing you said about energy, I want to go back to that just for a second. I've had the good fortune, I've met President Trump a couple of times. I'm fortunate that I, you know, had a relationship with President Obama. I had a friendship with George W. I've had, I've met Bill Clinton. They all, there is a commonality, and you're right about something, even though their ideology may be different. These people, when you're around them as a leader, have an energy of frequency, of vibration about them somehow.

• 37:15Ed Mylett?

  Have you noticed that in leaders you've encountered in your life? That just literally energetically, there's something about them that is a little bit different? And they're conscious of it, almost, it would seem to me.

• 37:27Speaker 04

  Well, I think that's the thing that brings them to a point of leadership. That's why it was, you know, the previous president to this one was sort of not energetic, to say the least. But that was a very unfortunate episode in our chain of leadership, which adds, unfortunately, some severe ramifications. But we'll, we'll get through those things, hopefully. As long as we have that kind of energy and a desire to actually resolve the issues.

• 38:11Speaker 04

  And, you know, the next president and the next administration, be it Republican or Democrat, if they have that desire for healing, I think good things could potentially happen.

• 38:28Ed Mylett?

  Let's assume for somebody, the last question. First off, I would do 25 hours with you. But you're going to be on stage in a few minutes. There's all these things I want to know from inside of you, and I've got some of them today. So you've talked the last part there about, you know, what maybe the government can do to help, you know, the next leader, whoever it is, to create healing and bring people together and those things. And that's, hopefully, I think everybody would pray that that would be the case. But let's assume that someone's not going to wait around for the government to do that or change that. And you would speak to somebody right now who's the head of a family. And they said, Dr. Carson, I, I want to take my family to the better place, like your mom and your brother and you took your family. And what, what should I be focusing on?

• 39:13Ed Mylett?

  What should I be doing to change my family's stage in this world? And, and have us make a bigger difference, make a bigger impact, a little bit more abundance and freedom in our family and change?

• 39:26Speaker 04

  There is no better place that you can take them on this earth. But there is a better place you can take them spiritually. It's that relationship with God. That's what really brings peace. As it says in the book of Isaiah 26:3, thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on day because he trusteth in thee. I've found that to be the case. When, when, you know, I've faced tension and troubles, I just turn back to God. You know, it's so easy to forget about Him. Start trying to do things our way. And He's always there. He's just, He's not going to force Himself on you.

• 40:10Speaker 04

  But if you want to call upon Him with faith, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not into your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path. That's the better place.

• 40:27Ed Mylett?

  I feel like I don't want to let you go.

• 40:32Ed Mylett?

  Can I just sit here with you for another hour? I have to tell you, it's, you know, it's great in life. You see somebody from a distance and you hold them in high regard. And then you meet them and they exceed your expectations. That there's a, there's a kindness, a gentleness, but yet there's some strength about you at the same time. That's just, makes me just want to sit with you.

• 40:55Speaker 04

  Praise, praise the Lord. You know what they used to call me in the hospital?

• 40:58Ed Mylett?

  What's that?

• 40:59Speaker 04

  Gentle Ben.

• 41:00Ed Mylett?

  Gentle.

• 41:03Ed Mylett?

  Thank you for today.

• 41:04Speaker 04

  Absolutely.

• 41:05Ed Mylett?

  This was like, just remarkable. You guys, you don't get a chance to have, sit in on a conversation like this very often. Whatever your politics are, he's a treasure. And there's so many lessons that came out of this last 45, 50 minutes together that I hope you feel compelled to share this with somebody that you love, that you care about and that you believe in. Dr. Carson, thank you for today.

• 41:26Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 41:27Ed Mylett?

  God bless you, everybody. Max out your life.

• 41:31Speaker 01

  This is the Ed Miliband Show.

• 41:38Speaker 01

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• 42:08Speaker 05

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