Presidential retirement and the secret of longevity: What he does at 95 Jimmy Carter, 39th head of the United States

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

On October 1, 2019, the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, turned 95, but he is not afraid of illness or very old age. He is still vigorous and full of energy, he studies Spanish in the evenings, and even minor health troubles will not force him, even at such a respectable age, to abandon the business that he considers important and necessary. What is the secret of Jimmy Carter's inexhaustible strength and longevity, and what allows him to maintain his sanity and good spirits?

From the hospital to the construction site

In October 2019, Jimmy Carter, who served as President of the United States from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981, was hospitalized twice. The first time he fell, he suffered a black eye and 14 stitches above the eyebrow, hitting a sharp edge.

As soon as he was discharged from the clinic, he, along with his wife Rosalyn Smith, who turned 92, went not home to recover from the operation, as one might assume, but straight to the construction site. Together with other volunteers, the former president participates in a program to help people in difficult life situations. This assistance is organized by Habitat for Humanity, which builds or refurbishes housing for citizens in need.

Jimmy Carter and his wife truly believe that helping people is much more important than their health and need for rest and recovery. The ex-president is convinced that a house is not only and not so much a roof over your head. This is an opportunity to live with dignity and respect yourself. True, the house, built with the support of Habitat for Humanity and the Jimmy Carter Foundation The Carter Center, cannot be obtained just like that. The future owners themselves work at the construction site, and then purchase housing on a mortgage.

The ex-president and his wife feel truly happy at the moment when the people who worked side by side with him receive the keys to their house, where they will now live, raise children or enjoy the arrival of grandchildren. It is these moments that make the venerable gentleman of years put on work overalls and pick up a hammer again and again.

He only laments that health problems do not allow him to work with the same speed and dexterity as a couple of decades ago. But it is impossible to force him and Rosalyn to refuse to participate in the construction. On the day he was discharged from the hospital after the stitches, Jimmy Carter said: "… I had priority number 1, I had to go to Nashville and build houses."

Strong marriage

Another secret of Jimmy Carter's longevity lies in his happy marriage. He has been married to his beloved Rosalyn for 73 years and still looks at her with tenderness and love. They are always and everywhere together and do not even imagine how you can get tired of the company of a loved one or get bored with each other.

Together they went fishing or hiking in the mountains, studied foreign languages together and went for walks. For 40 years they have been reading the Bible to each other in the evenings, and in recent years they have decided to read the Eternal Book in Spanish to practice the language.

Americans consider Jimmy Carter not the best president, but he himself is sincerely proud of the fact that during all the years of his rule his country has not got involved in any military conflict and has not even initiated hostilities. At the same time, Jimmy Carter was never afraid to take responsibility, just as he was not afraid to make a mistake. He just steadily and confidently walked towards his goal.

This was the case when doctors told 90-year-old Jimmy Carter about cancer. By that time, melanoma had already struck the brain and liver, and, according to all forecasts, the former president had very little time left to live. Neither Carter himself nor his wife gave up before the disease. They asked God to give them the right attitude towards death. And they continued to build houses.

Throughout their life, thanks to their personal participation and assistance, more than 4,300 houses have been renovated in different countries. Now people live in each of them under normal conditions. And Jimmy Carter's illness receded. It's been five years since he learned about the disease, and now he says in Sunday school classes at the Baptist church he attends with his wife that he is not afraid of death.

Conquering good

It seems that it is in helping other people that the secret of the longevity and activity of this amazing person lies. Unlike his predecessors and successors, Jimmy Carter never aspired to wealth. He and his wife have been living in a modest house for many years, which they built back in 1961. After the end of the presidency, they returned here, having no idea what they need mansions for, while millions of fellow citizens are forced to wander without a roof over their heads.

The Carter Center, organized by the ex-president in 1982, is primarily concerned with the eradication of those diseases that large institutes, foundations and research centers do not get their hands on. Jimmy Carter is not fighting HIV, AIDS and malaria; he directs his foundation's efforts to eradicate the Guinea worm, a parasite that has infected more than three and a half million people. It also helps patients with river blindness, elephantiasis and trachoma.

Jimmy Carter is called a real spiritual leader, and for his sermon in the church, you need to book places in advance, because everyone who wants a room simply cannot accommodate. He and his wife are grateful to God for the fact that he allows them to do good deeds for several decades now. And the secret of their active longevity lies in the fact that they fill their lives with gratitude, joy and peace every hour.

Unfortunately, more and more often the former president is let down by his health. In October 2019, after being discharged from the clinic, he fell for the second time and suffered a pelvic fracture, and in November he was hospitalized due to high intracranial pressure. But he is not at all afraid of the prospect of retiring to another world. He is confident that he will work until his very last breath, helping and building.

The attitude towards presidents in each country is different. Somewhere for the sake of the cortege of the head of state, the main thoroughfares of the city are blocked for half a day, and somewhere the president can be seen standing in line at the ATM. The head of Ireland, Michael Higgins, is adored by the Irish for his golden character and humanity.