Trust

Pete Buttigieg recently published a book, Trust: America’s Best Chance, on Jimmy Carter’s 95th birthday. A few years ago Carter was very kind to me (and other teachers at Emory) by talking in our classes.  He also did interviews with me on topics of aging and staying active that appeared in my 1994 book, Elder Wisdom. He dealt with the idea of isolation that often impedes altruism: I really think most Americans want to do something altruistic,” Carter told me. “The most difficult thing to me is crossing that chasm of encapsulation. We want to live in a cozy environment, preferably among people like ourselves, for whom we don’t have to be responsible. But we must learn to break through our encapsulation to respect human diversity and serve human need.”

Throughout his presidency and many years after, Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn dealt with many anxieties. His Christian spirit helped him handle disappointments and continue his lifetime of positive works, as his commitment to Habitat for Humanity testifies. His Carter Center in Atlanta continues to serve an international role. Yet when he lost the governorship of Georgia to Lester Maddox in 1966, it was a crushing blow. “I didn’t understand how God could let this racist beat me,” Carter told me in his interview. It was his sister, Ruth Carter Stapleton, who told him that the disappointment gave Carter a chance to reassess his life: “you may find a better path if you submerge your ego.” “That was the most profound turning point in my life,” Carter told me.