When I was a child in the 1970s, I used to help my dad by baling hay during the summer. I always carried a small radio with me…

At midday, I would stop working for lunch. I would park the tractor in the shade of a tree, have my meal, and listen to Paul Harvey. Listening to his voice reminds me of happy summers when my parents, brother, grandmothers, aunts, and uncles were all alive and healthy. I feel sad when I think about that time.

 

From 1952 to 2008, Paul Harvey’s voice was heard by up to 24 million people every week. The “Paul Harvey News” was broadcast on 1,200 radio stations, 400 American Forces Network stations, and 300 newspapers. Many people know him best for his famous radio show segment called “The Rest of the Story.”

America discovered a valuable asset in Paul Harvey. People from different generations admired him not just for his stories and wisdom, but also for the soothing feeling his reassuring and familiar voice gave them. His voice could transport you to a different world for a brief moment, making you reflect and possibly altering your perspective permanently.

 

This man has a lot of wisdom to share about life if you are willing to listen. I miss the past. Times when you think deeply about yourself. Sometimes I wonder if we, as people, still do that enough.

 

Before beginning his television career, Paul Harvey wrote an essay that he revised multiple times over the years. This piece is controversial, and you can interpret it in different ways: symbolically or literally —both interpretations are valid.

 

In this recording, you will listen to Paul Harvey reading the 1996 edition of that essay. It’s amazing how some of his forecasts are so precise.