Today marks what would have been the 101st birthday of Jimmy Carter. Carter was, of course, the 39th President of the United States, and was widely regarded as having had the most accomplished and successful post-presidency of anyone, and by far. He headed the Carter Center, which tried to improve the lives of people around the world by fighting diseases in impoverished regions, overseeing fair elections across the world, and building houses for Habitat Humanity. President Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and he became a member of The Elders.
Also, he wrote close to two dozen books, and became the first former American president to publish a work of fiction.
For me, he was truly an American hero. At a time when the reputation of Americans, and the United States more generally, felt like it was in significant decline - possibly even plummeting - Carter was a welcome change. he earned the respect and even love of many people the world over, leading by example rather than flash or empty words.
So today, I am honoring him once again on what would have been his 101st birthday.
To honor him a bit more, it felt like this video from the New York Times seemed timely and appropriate. It features some small snippets of interviews with Carter himself.
Take a look:
The Last Word: Jimmy Carter
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