Jimmy Carter Believed in Humanity. Do We?
I was seven when Jimmy Carter took office in 1977, at a time when the country was deeply divided, struggling to emerge from the shadows of Vietnam, Watergate, and the loss of faith in institutions. I didn’t understand much of it then, but there was something about Carter’s approach that stirred a quiet sense of hope. In a world that often seemed broken, he had this fundamental belief in people—in the capacity for change, for goodness, for the potential in us all.
To believe in humanity isn’t just to hope that things will get better; it’s to act on the conviction that people—flawed, imperfect, and struggling as we may be—are still capable of extraordinary things. When Carter said, “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles,” he wasn’t just talking about policy. He was speaking to something deeper: the human capacity to hold fast to values like justice, compassion, and integrity, no matter how chaotic or fractured the world may seem.
What does it mean to believe in humanity? At its core, it means accepting the complexity of people, their flaws, their contradictions, and their potential for both good and bad. It’s easy to believe in the goodness of humanity when everything is going well, but true belief comes when the world challenges it. Believing in people means showing up, even when the odds are stacked against us. It means committing to the belief that we can change, that we can evolve, that we have the capacity for redemption, not just as individuals, but as a collective.
It’s not about turning a blind eye to injustice or pretending we are perfect. It’s about confronting those imperfections head-on and still believing that change is possible. It’s about understanding that the work of building a better world isn’t flashy, and it doesn’t come with immediate results. It’s steady, quiet, relentless work. It’s a commitment to seeing people—not as they are in their worst moments, but as they could be when they’re given the opportunity to rise.
Carter’s life reminds us of the power of this kind of belief. He didn’t just say he believed in humanity—he proved it with every action, with every year spent building homes, fighting disease, and supporting human rights. In a world that sometimes seems hell-bent on division, Carter’s example is a beacon. It’s a challenge to us all: Do we believe in people? Do we believe in the best of humanity, even when it feels impossible?
To believe in humanity isn’t to ignore its flaws—it’s to believe that despite all of them, the potential for good still exists. Carter saw that potential in all of us. It’s time we ask ourselves: Do we? And if we do, how will we act on it?
