Power Lines, by Jason Carter: on Principles & Values

Jason Carter: All people, regardless of accomplishments, are still people

I had been prepared to meet a legend, a man much larger than life. But this experience drove home the point that all people, regardless of what they have accomplished, are still people. I have seen others approach my grandfather that way. Once a woman once ran up to him and screamed, "Oh, my God! Do you know who you are?"

I began my official Peace Corps service days later with this image of these 2 men. Just 2 plain old men concerned about their retirement and their grandchildren, their lives the same size as everyone else's. I was inspired by the impact that one person can have. That thought would sustain me for the next 2 years.

Jimmy Carter: His mother and grandson both served in Peace Corps

Jason lived and worked in an isolated and poverty-stricken community among people struggling to outgrow the ravages of apartheid, but he was always just a few miles or computer strokes away from an advanced and prosperous 1st world society.

Jason's experiences were remarkably similar to those of Lillian Carter, who felt that she had completed her life's work as a mother. She responded to a TV recruitment call for Peace Corps volunteers, with "Age is no limit!" flashing across the screen, and decided to seek a final opportunity for challenge and adventure. She asked to go where people had dark skin, were poor, and needed medical care.