Jimmy Carter is in his last days. This is the second time in his life that I thought we have seen the last of him. The first was when he left the White House in 1981. The commentary about him was so critical and cruel. “Loser.” “One-termer.” “Inept.” And those were the kindest canards. (The report card on his presidency often leaves out his remarkable solution to the Middle East War, and the groundwork he laid for standing up to the Soviet Union’s record on human rights and the turnaround in the U.S. economy.)
Jimmy Carter could have retreated into ignominy. Instead, with his wonderful wife Roslyn at his side, he returned to the roots that had made him a leader. They are deeply faithful people who always put others ahead of themselves. They opened the Carter Center and did non-profit work to bring housing to America’s neediest, and food and water to poor in Africa. They brought programs around the globe to improve health and create peaceful resolutions to longstanding conflicts. They did not merely attach their names to these projects. Roslyn and Jimmy Carter did the work. I urge you to read the Carter Center website for a complete review of what they accomplished through their faith and commitment to make the world a better place.
I am reflecting on the lesson that from “defeat” can come inspiring work. It’s folly to compare the work of former presidents to one another, but I think it fair to say that some have taken the post-presidency and its aggrandizement to create great personal wealth (and to be fair, to create non-profit work.) However, I also think it accurate and fair to state that no former president has been as selfless as Jimmy Carter.
By political standards, some might criticize his presidency as a failure. But his life after the presidency makes him one of our greatest leaders.
Thanks Tim. Well said. I am a huge fan of Habitat for Humanity and President Carter!