Be the Better Person

I was probably like many of you this week and took time to watch part of the funeral for former President Jimmy Carter. When looking back at his presidency, many political pundits would probably describe it in negative terms while most pundits would describe his post-political life and work in positive terms. His funeral brought together our country’s political leaders from both sides and it was a bit surreal to watch leaders who clearly have differing political views together to honor the life of a man who was known for his character and his humility. I think there are some excellent life lessons we can take from the funeral-the biggest one being one of my favorite sayings-be the better person.

President Carter’s legacy is about more than just policy achievements or moments of political triumph. It is about character. It is about how he consistently sought to be the better person, both in the public eye and in his private life. His life offers us important lessons on leadership, kindness, and compassion—qualities that are often undervalued in our fast-paced, achievement-driven world.

If Carter’s presidency was marked by challenges, his time after the presidency has been defined by a life of service that has only enhanced his legacy. After leaving the White House, Carter did not retreat from the public eye, nor did he rest on his achievements. Instead, he dedicated himself to some of the world’s most pressing issues through his work with the Carter Center. We all have seen his work with Habitat for Humanity and how he was physically doing work on houses well into his 90’s.

Carter’s commitment to service is a testament to his belief that being the better person is not just about grand gestures but about consistency and dedication to the well-being of others. For President Carter, this meant using his platform as a former president to shine a light on issues that many others overlooked or ignored. He didn’t just talk about human rights; he made them the focus of his life’s work. Whether monitoring elections in foreign countries or building homes with Habitat for Humanity, Carter exemplified what it means to put others first.

The funeral gave a couple of examples of the importance of being the better person and always treating others with respect. In 1976, President Carter defeated President Ford in a hotly contested election with typical emotion and partisanship on both sides. What most of us did not know is that Ford and Carter in the years after the election became great friends and worked together on a number of important projects. They agreed to give the eulogy at each other’s funerals so Carter did that for Ford a few years ago at his funeral. President Ford’s son gave a moving eulogy sharing a number of stories of how the presidents became great friends and put political differences aside. How refreshing for them to move past differences and find common ground for the better good.

Another interesting dynamic at the funeral was that all living former presidents and vice presidents attended and sat together, so you had a number of “interesting” greetings and interactions. For example, presidents Obama and Trump sat next to each other and appeared to have an amiable conversation at one point. Former Vice President Pence greeted President Trump and we are all aware of how their time together ended. Considering this group shares a very unique experience, you would hope they would have immense respect for each other and be able to communicate in a proper fashion and model proper decorum toward others, as President Carter did all of these years.

I saw some social media posts (very political posts…) that asked how could these leaders listen to or talk to someone “on the other side” when their views are so different and that the other side has spoken poorly about them in the past. A question I would have would be then at some point, haven’t most people irritated us in some fashion in the past so eventually will we be not speaking to anyone?! It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t speak up for ourselves and defend our positions, but we make the decision on how we communicate with others and how we treat them. Also, think of the occasion for these people to come together…funerals are a realization that none of us will live forever and is a good reminder that we will all hold a similar fate with people speaking about the life we led. How do we want to ultimately be remembered?

I want to add in a sports analogy: coaches of sports teams at the higher levels are very competitive and do everything they can to help their team win games. During games, I can remember some “challenging” feelings toward other coaches and how they were acting, but at the end of every game, teams and coaches shook hands, and I don’t remember bad words being said. There is generally a huge respect from coaches toward the opposing coach because we know what each other is going through and have great respect for the time and commitment they put in. Even when a team beats us, there is respect shown and proper communication congratulating the other team.

So when you are in situations where you are interacting with people you may not agree with or have had an issue with, I hope you will remember President Carter and “be the better person.” They may not respond in a similar fashion but you can only control what you can control and you aren’t going to feel better treating someone poorly like that.

At the end of our lives, we will all be judged by how we led our lives and most of it will come down to our interactions with people.and how we treated them. Being the better person in all interactions will always be a win in my book! Have a great week!

Coach K