Letter to the Editor

Jimmy Carter, Goodness is its own reward

Remembering and celebrating the life of Jimmy Carter has been good for us. Thousands stood in line to pay silent homage at the Carter Center and at the Capitol. Many others waited along the roadways as his motorcade passed by. Jimmy and Rossalyn have long been admired for their work through the Carter Center and with Habitat for Humanity. But with these commemorations of Carter’s life, we’ve been reminded, or perhaps learned for the first time, of all that was accomplished while he was Georgia’s governor and during the four years of his presidency. Jimmy Carter never saw himself as a political insider and was willing to make tough calls whenever he thought they were called for. We realize now that he was a man ahead of his time — in his clarity about civil rights, economic inequality, our overreliance on fossil fuels and need for energy independence. He was a land conservationist and a deregulator of industry. He appointed scores of women to leadership positions and championed human rights here and around the world. The Camp David Peace Accords he negotiated remains a signal achievement. And then there were all the years of advocacy, peacemaking, and life-saving health initiatives that came after.

Each of the commemorations for Carter were powerful to witness. Thank goodness for the beauty of ritual, for music, for reverence, and for the language of faith. And for state occasions, for flags at half-mast across the land, for honor guards … that make us proud and remind us of essential things. To have some of our history recalled, see something more than the latest crisis or political spin, to take a longer view and have hope rekindled. Transcending if only for a moment the pettiness that too often defines political life today. And then again there was the blessing of being able to celebrate so fine an American statesman. Over and over Carter was remembered for his character, for his honesty and decency, his integrity, his humanity.

The authenticity and depth of Carter’s Christian faith is certainly a big part of his story. It was his faith that shaped his values and his whole way of approaching his life and the leadership opportunities afforded him. And it seems important here to point out a difference between this and some expressions of faith today. Carter’s deep appropriation of faith and his commitment to democratic principles gave him a clarity that is tragically lacking in today’s Christian nationalism, which many would argue is an expression of faith that has lost its way.

The other thing that stands out for me is his rare apprehension of the dignity of every person and the responsibility we each have to make the world better. The eulogies offered at the Washington National Cathedral service were all so fine. In his remarks, Jason Carter spoke of his grandfather’s campaign to eradicate the scourge of Guinea Worm. He noted that “this disease is not eradicated with medicine. It’s eliminated … by neighbors talking to neighbors … And those neighbors truly were my grandfather’s partners for the past forty years and have demonstrated the power to change the world.” When he “saw a tiny 600-person village … he recognized it. That’s where he was from … He saw it as a place to find partnership and power … Essentially, he eradicated a disease with love and respect. He led this nation with love and respect.”

Finally, I want to recall here that unforgettable moment when on his Inauguration Day, January of 1976, Jimmy and Rosalyn got out of the limousine and walked up Pennsylvania Avenue. They were people like us and wanted to share the moment with us. Jimmy Carter never forgot where he came from and what life was for. Despite all the noise we live with today, we still recognize goodness and truth when we see it, because we all carry the seed of this within us. Because we are all called to it.

Thank you, Jimmy Carter, for what you did and for what you showed us. You make us proud to be from Georgia, proud of our country, proud to be human.

Steve Bullington

Adrian, GA