Through the Lens: A Good Man
On December 29, 2024 President Jimmy Carter passed into history at the age of 100. For twelve of those years, he first served his district and then state and his country. In 1946 he began serving in the Navy. Jimmy Carter from his simple beginnings realized his duty was first to his faith, and family and then his nation.
Now the truth is that I never knew the man but from what I have read and seen in the news, I think we could have been friends. He was straight forward and spoke the truth. He believed each person had rights given to them, not by the words of man, but by the gift of freedom from his God.
Jimmy as his friends called him, was a liberal Democrat from the south. And yet he rose to the top position in our country. He was not known for his political maneuvering, but for his honesty and beliefs.
In all cases, when historians write about past presidents, they tell of their ability to govern by skills or political maneuvering. Some past presidents had none of these skills, and were swept away by history and forgotten.
Jimmy Carter will not be swept away or forgotten in future history books. They will, by my account, label him the most honest president that ever sat in the Whitehouse. Now, I will have to say that President Abraham Lincoln could be included in the short list of truthful Presidents. But Lincoln also used the power of the Presidency to maneuver his opponents into seeing the future through his eyes. Many had deep ties to the southern beliefs, but I believe they knew the question of freedom was a just cause, especially after Lincoln twisted their arm.
Jimmy Carter came from a part of the country that had deep feelings for its past. Still, Carter pushed forward knowing the Constitution and the Bible gave him power. If used correctly it could build a country where all could share in the benefits of being an American.
If you set aside the years in the military and governing the country, that leaves 82 years that Jimmy Carter gave of himself to better his fellow man. He spent many years as a peace broker. He labored to build homes for the less fortunate, and he foresaw that the earth’s energy was not forever, and its use was harming the planet. He didn’t try to limit fossil fuels usage, but he set his goal to understand the abundance of those fuels and their future availability. He also believed we should look at other sources.
All of these forward-looking ideals of Carters made him a target for those who felt his soft liberal ideals made him an easy target for the next election. The Religious Far Right believed him to be too soft to govern when it came to the Iran Hostage crisis, long lines at gas pumps and the country’s interest rates were increasing into the teens.
Carter was soundly defeated in his bid for a second term. Some said he was a nice man, but could not govern. Historians have already begun to write his epitaph. They will say he was the most beloved President we ever had. Those were not the words of the press when he was leaving office in January of 1981.
During the last presidential race some asked, “why were there no other choices. Why don’t good men step up and run for President.” Jimmy Carter will always be a case in point of a good man who stepped into the Washington Swamp and was mired down into political mud.
Good-Bye President Jimmy Carter, and thank you for your time in our lives. May the Man up-stairs welcome you and say, “Job well done my good and faithful servant”, as God sees him Through the Lens.