Why I stan Jimmy Carter

Today Jimmy Carter came to speak at my school. Hearing him made me feel reinvigorated to pursue a career that serves the public. Here were some of the highlights

"And lying there in that crib, was my future wife."

I'm a hopeless romantic, and it tugged on my heartstrings how Carter began the night by recounting meeting his wife when she was a newborn and he was a young child. He also mentioned frequently how his wife was his main partner in all of his humanitarian work after the presidency. That's real relationship goals right there. Makes me thankful for my boyfriend and all of my other close pals who provide emotional refuge through these years of fighting the good fight.

It's a principal in all major religions to show kindness to visitors

This is a paraphrase, but Carter draws upon his own religious background (Baptist) as well as teachings from other world religions to back up his politics. I find this so endearing and powerful. Personally, this perspective helps ground me in the values behind the work. He mentioned Hinduism alongside other religions and cited the emphasis on hospitality as justification for why "there should not be an immigration crisis right now." Carter argued that immigrants should be given a path to citizenship if they want to be here, and he didn't muddle the conversation with criminalizing rhetoric.Hospitality culture is the primary thing that kept me attached to the label of being a 'Hindu,' despite the fact that this is something I now associate more with my ethnic heritage than my religious upbringing. Still, it was wonderful to tie that value back into politics. I recently learned that Carter teaches Sunday school. Now I want to go just to find more ways to connect faith and politics.

Q: What's the biggest threat to this generation?

A: Like I said before, not treating fellow man with kindness. And also the environment.

Carter emphasized the importance of environmental efforts, especially in light of incoming Hurricane Florence, which is now being projected to touch our state. I was surprised to hear environmental issues being highlighted as the most relevant, given that other politicians tend to focus more on issues that people tend to vote on, such as immigration, gun control, etc. Still, Carter did not hold back, saying that Trump's decision to pull the US from the Paris Agreement was a mistake. And I agree, the environment is in dire need of protection. Just this week, in a student organization dedicated to assisting resettling refugees, our 1L rep brought up the often neglected demographic of environmental refugees, who are forced from their homes because of issues related to global warming and climate change. (In other pressing environmentalist news, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS! Put it on the map already, people, it's larger than most European countries!) Carter reminded me today that environmental issues are human rights issues and cannot be ignored or left to a future generation to handle.

"I'd like to be remembered as a president who kept this country at peace, as a champion for human rights, and as a distinguished professor at Emory University."

Carter claimed earlier in the night that his religious beliefs, his belief in the values instilled in him at the naval academy, his beliefs in the constitution, and his beliefs in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were all part of the same, mutually compatible system of faith. I think that during polarizing times like these, it is so important to recenter all work on upholding the dignity of all people, and to not fall prey to temptation of using force, violence, or censorship against political opponents. Carter said that sanctions against North Korea should be rolled back, because they hurt the common people and their access to resources more than they hurt political leaders. Carter's focus on Human Rights was a little jarring to my political sensibilities, but was a necessary shock.Granted, I'd be surprised if Jimmy Carter really never authorized the violation of human rights. As my friend who came to the speech with me put it, "all U.S. presidents are low-key war criminals," and it's likely that Carter has blood on his hands. Furthermore, I'll admit my appreciation for his Human Rights focus may have been skewed by the sentimentality of the evening and the fact that I simply don't remember much from my history classes about his foreign policy. Regardless, I'm comforted and motivated to hear from a former president who has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to Human Rights in various forms after leaving office.And with regards to being associated with a university, I'm grateful for the reminder never to take the privilege of law school or any education for granted. I'm almost done with my first month here, and it truly goes by so fast. I've learned so much and can feel my analytical skills expanding daily, but I've only scratched the surface of utilizing the plethora of resources available to me. These moments are precious. I hope to appreciate these blessings as deeply as possible and take advantage of every opportunity to give back.