Incredible President Jimmy Carter (1924-2024): A Belated Letter to The 'Great Beyond 'By: Godknows Igali, Phd
WHY THIS MONOLOGUE?
Mr. President, I have the honour to write this belated letter and take courage to disturb your peaceful eternal rest. Truth be told, I started writing something to you before you left this land of mortals, but nonetheless, I cannot hold it back, Sir, to pour out my heart. Nua, Sir. As you know better, mainstream monotheism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, not the least my own Anglican denomonational roots, forbid any communication whatsoever with the dead. But permit me, sir, for the importunity to express my deepest admiration for your life’s work and impact; the raison d’etre for my strongheadness to write you. Indeed, it is not easy to write a letter to a deceased loved one, not to mention a faraway global icon like you were. Sadly, I you are no longer likely to read or reply to my thoughts in a deserved manner. But then, writing a letter of this nature, beside its literary and intellectual worth, also affords a safe place to freely express oneself. And more importantly, this can bring therapy on behalf of so many in the world who would have liked to share some kind words with you.
The news of your transition to the great beyond at a comely age of 100 on December 29, 2024, has been received on this side of the divide with bitter-sweet emotions for several reasons. Pain, because your continued dedication to public wellbeing and human fosterage will be greatly missed in all four corners of the globe. But then, we all take solace because the Lord and Master has willed that you enter the celestial city “of gold” at this time for a deserved rest.
In your humility, it might not have occurred to you that none qualifies more to earn the euphemism “life well lived” than you. Little wonder, in your own country, the United States of America, an unprecedented streak of activities were lined up between your home town of Plains, Georgia and Washington DC, the nation’s capital, to pour accolades on your exceptionally fulfilling and productive life. By no means less, around the world, you were remembered for your unusual display of near perfection of human epical attainment and saluted with choicest platitudes for the finest human spirit.
For a man that had lived a life of great impact and left a record as the first American former Head of State to have attained the centennial age, so all the stately celebrations in the US, often dazzled over by your younger naval colleagues, and the political gentry, for your last rites were certainly well merited, due and fitting. Here in Nigeria, my country, our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saluted your unwavering commitment to the noble pursuits and indelible marks you left in the world, adding that “President Carter showed us all how to be relevant and impactful after leaving his esteemed position.” No less were the words of your close friend and associate, former President Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ), describing you as a “symbol of power with a lifelong commitment to humanitarian causes.” Interestingly, OBJ or Baba as Obasanjo is severally known here, hosted a funeral service in your honour in his hilly hometown of Abeokuta. I know you remember, OBJ who went back to school as an old man, earned his Doctorate degree in Theology, and teaches every Sunday in his local Baptist Church, just like you did, if not globetrotting. Encore, Nigeria’s third and wartime Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, whom you shared a lot in garb in praying and churchly instincts, on the eve of your funeral, eulogised your effort in the fight against diseases in various countries around the world, especially Nigeria.
A TRUE AMERICAN HERO
You will remember that national heroism and honour are great ethos that countries desire and painstakingly strive to encourage. You lived long enough to see that your country drenched in the throes of the Cold War in which you lived, as in the recent past emerging as the lone super power in the world. But, despite the fact that it has a population of 335 million people today, till death, you stood out as a true hero of all times; a feat which adumbrates the strength of your character, your sense of purpose and your unparalleled achievements in the fields.
Few before you who got so adulated in the self-styled “land of the free” and “home of the brave” are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jnr, Benjamin Franklin, Louisa Park, Neil Armstrong, John Kennedy, just to mention a few. Distinctively, you have carved out a niche for yourself in the very distinctive pantheon of men who embody the characteristics of being the best, both in their generation and those coming for hundreds of years after.
I assure you, Sir, that this is no flattery as such superlative qualities of bravery, selflessness, and leadership, for which heroes are known, are attributes which you had in abundance. Indeed, your gift of compassion, perseverance, sacrifice, humility, and love for the things of God made you transcend from fictionalism to actual historical value.
Added to these, your life signified what the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once said “the greatest wealth is to be content with nature”. You definitely understood nature. While you were president, some of your countrymen could not appreciate certain developments that limited your leadership in the White House to only one term, i.e., from 1977-1981. In hindsight, you are attributed to have come with the most fundamental conservation programme and plan for development of national parks, further underscoring your closeness to nature. So, what, politicians like you shout about as green economy and climate change today to win elections, like a prophet, you saw many years ago, during your tenure, that mother earth was bleeding and suffocating.
Very much related, while in the Oval Office, your national energy policy was ahead of its time. You focused on an energy mix, which was mostly on deregulation, energy efficiency, renewables, and respect for the environment. At a time of global energy crisis, you tried to reduce your country’s dependence on costly and at times, insecure foreign sources. Let me not forget that it was also during your tenure that you established Strategic Petroleum Reserve to safeguard the energy security of your country and ensure that the US had long-term independence.
What about the real economy, where you focused on taming inflation and reducing the deficit in public spending. You appeared before Congress and asked it to pass the “Economy Stimulus Act” to create jobs and improve the economy. Unfortunately, these efforts could not make the economy of your country come out of stagflation, which resulted in high inflation, low economic growth, high budget deficits, and high unemployment. Sir, from reading, I suspect that your countrymen know better now, and could have been more patient with you and given you a second term as you could have reversed the trend. Many have also come to appreciate the fact that the stagflation in the US in the late 1970s was not caused by you; but was a global malaise which all the economies of the West at the time went through especially with the large rise in oil prices, forcing all Central Banks to excessively stimulate monetary policies which resulted in recession and price spirals.
Sorry, sir, life they say is full of parallels. So permit me, lest I forget, there was a rural shoeless man in my country, “Uncle Jona” that once ruled us but was taunted out of power after a brilliant performance. He simply muttered without a whimper, like a poor being sheep led to the shearer that “one day, very soon you will miss and remember me”. Today, heaven is the infallible judge.
YOUR WHITE HOUSE DIPLOMATIC PORTFOLIO
During the period of your presidency, the United States moved from diplomatic posture of domino legacy to one of pacifism and peaceful engagement. From the time of your ancient predecessors, President James Munroe, in 1823, the doctrine which bears his name had amongst other things, asserted America’s manifest foreign policy theory which included promoting expansionism and assertiveness in global affairs. In slight contrast, during your tenure, you took a number of foreign policy decisions that underlined your commitment to peaceful coexistence worldwide.
Of particular note was your decision to hand over the 82-kilometre-long Panama Canal, which connects the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Though built mainly by American money, you transferred it to your smaller southern neighbour, Republic of Panama. It's definitely a great feat. Today, I hear the opposite may be pursued.
However, by far, one of your most important foreign policy gains was the successful hosting of the Camp David Talks, by which you brought the Israeli and Arab sides together. In the hot cauldron of post Six-Day Israeli-Arab conflict of 1967, Yom Kippur War of 1973 and the high level of mutual suspicion and hostility, you facilitated direct meeting between Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat who was the leader of the Arab world and then Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister, Begin Menachem in September 1979 to establish a framework for peace between the duo.
Much latter, in 2002, this created the pathway for the award of the Nobel Peace Prize as it reinvigorated the level of peace which we still have today and later culminated in the subsequent Geneva Peace Conference, achieving three main aims: (i). Arab recognition of Israel’s right of existence and peace; (ii.) Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories gained during the 6-day War of 1967; and (iii.) Securing an undivided Jerusalem.
Another major record of your diplomatic achievements was the renewal, which accelerated towards a breakthrough in full establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and China in 1979. This was nearly 30 years after the Communist Party seized power in 1949. On this, I know you would argue that work towards that effect had started under former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger and his boss, your predecessor, President Gerald Ford but you took it to the touch line.
In no way the least, as part of your foreign policy footprint, we all know that it was you that wrapped up the much delayed negotiations on Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) II talks which had started since the conclusion of SALT I in 1972 under then President Richard Nixon. By this, you brought the world closer to safety and security as the then Soviet Union, now Russia and your country - the US - agreed to limit and ban the manufacture of new strategic nuclear weapons. This included new missiles programmes, especially inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and long-range missiles. Despite the existence of mutual suspicion between yourself and your Soviet counterpart, Leonid Brezhnev, you were able to meet in Vienna by 1970 to sign this landmark agreement.
YOUR FAITH, YOUR CHARACTER
Since your passage to the other side, one of the greatest things you are remembered for, is the strength of your faith, its impact on your character, and the global service that came with it. On this, you must be very proud of your Grandson, Jason Carter who took all down memory lane and left none in doubt in his eulogy at the National Christian Centre in Washington DC that your life can simply be summarised as a product of faith. He boasted that you "walked the walk of faith" every minute. Many others continue to associate you with peace and integrity and this has been acknowledged by no less persons as current U.S President Joe Biden, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and former comrade in arms, a fellow Georgia Ambassador, Rev. Andrew Young.
Setting politics aside, both your foes, or rather their children as they are all long gone and friends gathered, especially in Washington, to eulogise the fact that you came to limelight with faith as your mantra. In the words of Vice President Kamala Harris, in line with the eight beatitudes in the Holy Bible’s Book of Mathews, Chapter 5, you kept every word that the Lord spoke. These include: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; Blessed are those who mourn; Blessed are the meek; Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; Blessed are the merciful; Blessed are the pure in heart; Blessed are the peacemakers; and Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.”
Sir, you never shied away from your “first calling” in life; that is creating time to teach at the local parish of First Baptist Church in your hometown. No one needed to remind you of your commitment to your open declaration of being a Born-Again Christian. So, for most of your life, you did not enter public service for self-aggrandizement but unveiling the soul of your country, America, and in search of the soul of global humanity. That seems to be why you pursued human rights, environmental conservation, and peace-making beyond mere secular humanism.
YOUR LATTER DAY OUTREACH TO THE WORLD
Your efforts after leaving office have brought the human community closer together. You were able to cut out a niche for yourself, not as a former American President, but as a fine bred humanist through your Carter Centre, which you and your wife Rosaline founded in 1982. It will be remiss to attempt to list in any exhaustive manner what you accomplished in the past forty-two years in this self-appointed global mission. Suffice to mention these as including:
i. You were a freelance peace advocate, global ambassador, and conflict manager. This ranged from conflict situations between countries to individual communities. So, you could cut out a key role for yourself in advising various leaders of the world on issues of peace and managing diversity, even attempting such complex subjects as the Korean nuclear dispute in 1984. More specifically, you left a mark in bringing a new understanding to the conduct of elections around the world by traversing the globe to observe elections. This is a legacy for which the world will ever remain grateful to you and has now become the currency.
ii. Your most impactful work was in the area of global health, where you devoted your earnings and life savings into fighting diseases all around the world, especially in poorer countries. Thanks goodness, groups such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation joined hands with you to fight such diseases as guinea worm, river blindness, meningitis, polio, sleeping sickness, and elephantiasis, especially in Africa.
iii. Other areas that you also directly impacted on human habitat and existence, which you ventured into, are agriculture and food production, especially in the 1980s and 90s when famine ravaged sub-Saharan Africa. You mobilized enormous resources and co-opted political leadership to ensure that new innovative approaches were adopted for crop and livestock development.
iv. In the same manner, you practised a hobby in building houses around the world, both in your country and other parts of the world. You promoted safe habitation; you garnered resources to build houses for people. With jeans and gloves in your hands, you directly taught people how to build affordable houses. It is on record that you built more than 4,331 homes as a volunteer for the non-governmental organisations, Habitat for Humanity, in at least 14 countries.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR REAL LIFE
Mr. President, in trying to describe your practise of faith as creating an atmosphere of decency and simplicity around you, all remember the fact of your shunning all the trappings of good life both in office and out of office. You lived a very austere and frugal life in your modest home, which, interesting enough, you and heartthrob Rosaline Carter built together in 1961. On the real estate scale, your house is valued somewhere between $167,000 t0 $239,700. This, according to many reports, appears to be a third what a decent home costs in the U.S. Permit me sir, to compare this with say former President Barack Obama's house in Chicago which is $1.65 million, as well as his other estates of $11.5 million in New York, and in Washington valued at $8.1 million. With no intention to scandalise others more, let me also mention en passant that your other young colleagues such as former President Bill Clinton whose home in Arkansas is valued at $345,000 but his current house in Chappaqua, New York has a current value of $1.7 million while the Washington home is listed at $5.3 million. This is no less the situation with your 43rd successor, George Bush Jnr, whose estate in Crawford, Texas was valued in 2018 at about $13.5 million. As they say, popularly in my country, "the difference is clear."
I need not bore you too much about money but just one tiny line. As president, by the laws of the USA, you earned $400,000 a year and got about half of that annually after leaving office. So many of your erstwhile colleagues traditionally make money from “speaking fees”. Reports are awash that Mr Clinton made a whooping $750,000 on one occasion in Hong Kong and remains above $200,000 when occasioned. The much lingual gifted Mr. Obama is on $400,000 on average and ditto for others. But the chronicles have it that yours was $50,000 highest, and you seldom take a ‘kobo’ as we say in Nigeria. More importantly, when and if you took money, it went into charity, especially building houses and medicals for the poor.
THE OTHER VIEW POINTS OF LIFE
Undoubtedly, you have left this earth with a record as one of the most impactful persons. However, without trying to hurt your feelings, not all seem to be happy with you, especially some of your political traducers. In your home country, USA, there are a number of people who have questioned the fact that as an American from the deep South, you did not openly come out to condemn your background of being a descendant of deep seated segregationists. As a matter of fact, one commentary maintained that while at Naval College in 1951, you befriended the first black cadet Wesley Brown in quietude but could not publicly speak out against the segregation which he suffered. In a similar vein, some hold the view that as Chairman of local school board in the early after-50's, during your naval career, you did not take any deliberate steps to push for the integration of schools, even though it was known that you held a view that the tradition was wrong. In fact, some harsh critics adduce that your racist moderatism, at the peak of the civil rights movement, saw you remaining silent on President Lyndon Johnson's Civil Rights Legislation.
On the other side of the coin, all these allegations have been debunked due to the fact that you openly endorsed and embraced the liberation struggle of the 1960s.
You proved to be a man of your own mind and cut out a path for yourself, notwithstanding that your life interspersed much with your family. Even as a private citizen, you often parted ways with the Old Confederacy of America’s deep South and racist establishment, which was led by your predecessor in office, arch-segregationist George Willis.
Quite early, you openly associated with the likes of Martin Luther King, Rev. Andrew Young, Rev Ralph Abernathy, etc. The duality of the past and your personal idealism of human equality have propelled you to work towards breaking down racial barriers and promoting universal human rights. In this, you seem to have taken a lot from your mother "Miss Lillian" who was a white nurse that loved and carried out her profession to the letter, showing exceptional love for black women and their children as contrasted by your ever loving father Jim Carter Snr, who maintained a rather lukewarm attitude to the question of segregation.
Indeed, all these criticisms became of no effect as your inaugural speech as Governor of Georgia left none in doubt when you said the "time for segregation is over" and appointed several black Georgians into key positions. This came to crescendo when you made clear your journey to the White House that you stood for the fight for civil rights to the level of global rights across the world. At the twilight of your life, you again demonstrated this by canvassing for the victory of Kamala Harris as the president of the United States.
About your domestic economic policies, your political adversaries and antagonists picked a lot of holes. At the time of the great global crisis, there was no doubt a contagion effect on America's domestic circumstance. Some think that you did not succeed because you never had a Chief of Staff, thereby placing undue intellectual and physical rigour on yourself still. Others posit that you could not have achieved all you desired to do due to the fact that in relative terms, you were a Washington outsider with no experience in Congress or a high position at the federal level. Also, was the fact that you were a rigid moralist in the class of Woodrow Wilson who was blind to the sensitivities of others. Maybe out of the fact that you were a military engineer like your friend, Obasanjo, you were not able to work the tight rope of under the table - give and take - in Washington. To make matters worse, the Iran’s hostage crisis, which saw your country men taken and treated ruthlessly, left you prostate and scandalized. It is obvious that your administration, as a writer, said, "was beset of misfortune at basically every turn."
Another major criticism against you was the fact that post office, you seem to have deferred a lot to what some of your opponents, particularly Republicans, regard as anti-American stance in favour of the Palestinians and Arab in the Middle East crisis. Also, a few people think that you had broken an unwritten code among American Presidents on completion of tenures to retire into quieter life, as you were seen all over the world and in some occasions disagreeing with some of the policies of your successors.
Dear Sir, in your very successful life, there were several heartaches and headaches. Perhaps one of the most painful was the tragic loss of your closest “special” grandson, Jeremy, from sudden heart attack. This event in December 2015 was obviously most devastating. You also had your own health challenges in the course of the years, including receiving treatment for liver cancer and melanoma (skin cancer). Fortunately, at every point, you bounced back. Most painful, however, was the death of your beloved wife, which you thought would not happen before your death; unfortunately, she left you in 2022. Again, this was not too bad as she had lived up to 96 years, so you had spent 77 fantastic years together.
THE VALUE OF YOUR LIFE SUMMATION
Going by all the kindly accolades poured on you, you kept faith with what one-time American First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt said that "the purpose of life is to live it, taste and experience it to the utmost, to teach out reach out eagerly without fear". You have definitely lived the life of your dreams and touched the entire globe. Perhaps more than most other American leaders and I dare say world leaders. You were not bothered about titles, positions, or flow charts, as once said by John C. Maxwell, but your main object in life was to fulfil your vision with all the passion that you had. Yes, at all stages in your life, you have been able to bring to reality your visions.
From your birth in Plains, Georgia, on 1st October 1924, as the son of a modest peanut farmer, you rose to become one of the greatest presidents ever in human history. Your life, therefore, is a lighthouse that will illuminate ⅗ the path of many generations to come. If it were in times past when men were easily deified as gods, you would have qualified as one. Or if one were to turn to the ancient Roman Catholic tradition where there is restricted posthumous upward movement, you could have easily been beatified or canonized as a Saint. Unfortunately, you are not one, and given your austere lifestyle, to want any of such things even if you qualified. Having failed to qualify as neither a saint nor a god, we would easily rate you as one of the greatest that ever trod this world with great heroic virtues which you demonstrated in your faith, works of charity, and hope which you brought to many lives. You have displayed yourself to be a true servant of God and can now, without any titles, rest with the Lord. Fortunately, you have directly poured out these virtues to your 4 children and 14 great grandchildren; and indeed, the whole global community.
Finally, President Jimmy Carter Jnr, on 9th January 2025, you became the only American President to have been buried in the obscurity of a village of 500 people in Plains, Georgia. Thanks, goodness, you are beside your wife, Rosaline.
We salute you and pray you continue to rest in peace.
On behalf of your admirers,
Godknows Igali, a citizen of Nigeria.
