When Jimmy Carter left the White House in 1981, no one could have predicted the unparalleled impact he would go on to have as a former president. Over the next four decades, he redefined the role, turning the post-presidency into a powerful platform for promoting peace, democracy, and human rights around the globe.
A Mission to Alleviate Suffering
At the heart of Carter’s efforts was a firm belief that every life has value. Through the Carter Center, which he and his wife Rosalynn founded in 1982, he launched initiatives to combat neglected diseases, monitor elections, mediate conflicts, and advocate for the oppressed.
One of the Center’s crowning achievements has been the near-eradication of Guinea worm disease. This painful parasitic infection once afflicted millions across Africa, but thanks to Carter’s leadership, cases have plummeted from 3.5 million to just over a dozen. Similar campaigns have targeted river blindness, trachoma, and lymphatic filariasis, transforming countless lives.
Building Homes and Hope
Carter’s commitment to serving others also found expression through his decades-long partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Despite battling cancer in his 90s, he still donned a toolbelt and picked up a hammer, working alongside volunteers to build affordable homes for those in need. To date, the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project has constructed over 4,000 houses worldwide.
We have not assumed that super strength guarantees super wisdom . . . . Global challenges must be met with an emphasis on peace, in harmony with others, with strong alliances and international consensus.
Jimmy Carter, Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech
Diplomat and Peacemaker
On the international stage, Carter emerged as a respected diplomat, mediating conflicts and monitoring elections in hot spots from Haiti to Ethiopia to North Korea. He played a pivotal role in negotiating peace between Israel and Egypt in the late 1970s, an achievement that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Even in his 80s and 90s, Carter remained engaged, penning over 30 books, teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, and speaking out against injustice. His 2006 book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid generated controversy but also renewed debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A Moral Compass
Perhaps Carter’s most enduring legacy, however, is the moral leadership he provided. In an era of growing polarization and declining trust in government, he stood as a beacon of integrity, compassion, and tireless service.
As Carter poignantly observed in his Nobel lecture: “The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices. God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes – and we must.”
In the annals of American history, there may never be another post-presidency quite like Jimmy Carter’s. But in his example, we find both inspiration and a challenge – to wield whatever influence we have in the service of others and the betterment of our world. For that, we owe him an immense debt of gratitude.
