Learning from the obvious

I'll give one thing to ancient mankind. When they made an observation, they thought about it. They often came to the wrong conclusion, as in the cause of weather phenomena, but at least they tried.

Modern man seems to prefer turning a blind eye to things most visible. British Historian, Paul Johnson, said, "The study of history is a powerful antidote to contemporary arrogance. It is humbling to discover how many of our glib assumptions, which seem to us novel and plausible, have been tested before, not once but many times and in innumerable guises; and discovered to be, at great human cost, wholly false.”

It isn't just history. There are everyday things we might honor, but many ignore. 

Recently we've heard much about crime among black youth in America, and many opinions as to the solution. Most of those opinions seem wrong to me. For example, Thomas Sowell decried the fact that these are often called "troubled youth". He said "... they are not troubled... these young thugs are having the time of their life."

I look at black Americans and I see so many quality people. I am reluctant to start naming names, as I know I will forget some of the best. But here are a few: Dr. Benjamin Carson, Dr. Thomas Sowell, Dr. Walter E Williams, Star Parker, Col./Congressman Allen West, Deneen Borelli, Charles Payne, Ken Blackwell, the list is much longer. These are individuals who have earned the respect and admiration of a vast swath of America.

Barack Obama spoke of white people being afraid of black men. Col. Allen West said that no white woman ever 'clutched her purse' when he stepped into an elevator. No one fears the likes of Dr. Carson or Larry Elder. Personally I'd give anything to spend an hour or two in the presence of any of the aforementioned. Just to hear them talk.

Shouldn't every black child be taught to emulate these extraordinary people? Yes, I can imagine a single black mother, working two jobs to support her family; fighting the kids to do their homework, clean their room, take a bath, etc. She has little time for morality lessons.

Still, A number of these men attribute their success to a mother who insisted upon a certain code of behavior. Often we hear "mother made me study". Yet, several of these successful men were raised in poverty by a struggling single mother.
 
It seems to me that the blueprint for success is glaringly apparent to every black child in America. What can be done to make every one of them see it?