My New Year’s Wish is More Jimmy Carter

There are many wonderful Jimmy Carter stories that symbolize his inspirational decency, kindness, faith, integrity, compassion, courage, ability to get things done, and deep care for making the world a better place.

Of course, he humbly acknowledged his policy disappointments as a one term President (Iran/inflation/gasoline fiasco) along with his own personal, imperfect, humanness.

Recently political historians have been objectively more generous regarding evaluating Carter’s overall presidency, including the Camp David Accords, China relations and much more. His legacy mantra was “Peace and Human Rights.” Overall, his example of what leadership can be, along with the help of his wife Rosalynn of 77 years, is awe inspiring. Thank you, President and Mrs.Carter.

Of all of his tireless work, including the impact of the Carter Foundation, Nobel Peace Prize, diseases cured, etc., the stories that just amaze me most are those of him picking up a hammer, saw, pipe wrench or whatever, to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. If you had the privilege of working on the same house as the Carters, you were warned in advance. Their work ethic set the pace. People much younger had a heck of a time just keeping up. And after the tools were put away, the Carters had a sandwich and slept in the church basement cots like everyone else (often to the chagrin of the Secret Service). The time they helped H for H build 1,000 homes in the Philippines, under conditions of oppressive heat, and massive execution pressure, is legendary.

In 1992, while Carter’s post-presidency work was barely getting momentum, I was a C-Suite member of a Fortune 50 company and we were having a retreat with our board of directors. After an extravagant dinner, we sat around the fancy dining tables and our CEO asked each of us to share, post aperitif, who in the world we would pick to have dinner with if we could. When it came to my turn, I picked Jimmy Carter. That caused a howl of disbelief, laughter and derisive comments amongst my dinner mates. I tried to explain that I was so curious regarding Carter’s commitment to do something profoundly important after a disappointing one term ride. I remember telling my wife how awkward and humiliated I felt with the negative reaction of this esteemed group.

In retrospect, I'm so proud of wishing President Carter could be my dinner mate. Any one of us from that board dinner (the chair of Dow Chemical, vice-chair Ford, Mary Gates [Bill Gates’ mom]), etc. would be fortunate just to carry his lunch pail to any one of the hundreds of the houses you built.

We need Carter’s guidance and inspiration. If we could all just channel a little more Jimmy and Rosalynn, we’d have more peace and more human rights. What a great, truly New Year that might be.

Happy New Year ALL

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

- Lorne

One Millennial View: Love ‘em or leave ‘em, the President of the United States is a very exclusive club, and Carter is remembered as maybe the most relatable and “want to have a beer with” of the 20th century. What a tremendous life, and one to be referenced and revered.

- Garrett

AI Response: Jimmy Carter's post-presidential legacy is indeed one of remarkable dedication and service that transcends the challenges he faced during his time in office. His work with Habitat for Humanity alone, where he has helped construct over 4,300 homes worldwide since 1984, demonstrates his hands-on approach to humanity's needs. Statistics show that more than 30 million people have been positively impacted by the Carter Center's initiatives, including efforts to combat diseases like Guinea worm disease, which has decreased from 3.5 million cases in 1986 to just 13 reported cases in 2020. Furthermore, Carter's focus on democracy and human rights can be seen in his monitoring of elections in over 113 countries, which has earned him respect across the globe. His enduring qualities of humility and commitment to bettering the world inspire a new generation of leaders, reinforcing the notion that genuine service can lead to profound societal change. In a time when such leadership is sorely needed, channeling the Carters' spirit could foster greater compassion and commitment to humanitarian efforts everywhere.

My New Year’s Wish is More Jimmy Carter

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