THINK BIG

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The Big Picture

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No Excuses

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Puzzle Fun

NO EXCUSES

Whatever one's handicaps or hardships in life, individuals can choose how to respond to difficulties, says Dr. Ben Carson. "We do not have to be victims of circumstances, however grim," he says.

In his books and before audiences, he draws upon his own experience of growing up impoverished and confronted by racism, and the life he brought forth. In his book Think Big, Dr. Carson writes: "Young folks need to know that the way to escape their often dismal situations is contained within themselves. They can't expect other people to do it for them. Perhaps I can't do much, but I can provide one living example of someone who made it and who came from, what we all call, a disadvantaged background."

To those who cite racism as the impediment to their success, Carson replies that obstacles of any kind are to be hurdled, and ignorance confronted where ever it's found. In childhood and in his medical career, he experienced the personal affronts and low expectations of those who judged him by the color of his skin. He refused, however, to allow them to become excuses for inaction, failure, or anger: "I've always remembered my mother telling us, even as children, that when it comes to prejudices, some people are just ignorant, and need to be educated."