And now you know the rest of the story

There is one area of reading that I enjoy gravitating to and that would be light reading where I can read a good story without spending much time on it. I consider it a break from reading. When I read a lot of heavy duty books and articles I get tired which is one reason why having a Scotch and reading that material puts me to sleep faster than counting sheep. I could read lightweight fluff called journalism, but sometimes I am not just into someone’s fictionalized version of real events. Then there is Paul Harvey. I’ve enjoyed listening to him when he was on the radio.

Back in the days when bookstores were a real thing, you know, those brick and mortar places that resided within large buildings called malls. I would walk around scanning books titles to see if something would catch my attention. That is when I encountered this tiny paperback that had Paul Harvey’s face on the cover, and I purchased it. Upon reading this book, I would buy others that I found and would spend a few hours reading the book. I do not recall how many there were, but I likely purchased all of them.

These short books were the written stories of what Paul told over the radio. If I recall correctly, the end of each story ended with, “And now you know the rest of the story.” His stories were snippets of true events such as a baboon that worked on a railroad by assisting the railway signalman who was disabled. The baboon, Jack, was eventually paid by the railroad and it was noted he never made a mistake. It was stories like these that entertained your when you were driving and listening to the radio or when, like me, you’re at home and need a break from it all.

Paul Harvey’s stories are the original YouTube videos we watch today. I’d say TikTok but the content on that is for the stupid and gullible. On YouTube, you no longer need imagination to see the even as the author of the video has recreated the event for you to see and oftentimes an incorrect visual of the event. Paul Harvey was an original and still worth listening to and even on YouTube today. In fact, if you’re interesting here is a link for you to listen to him on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnPE8u5ONls.

Nothing has changed if you think about it. We do the same thing as our ancestors have done but only in a different format. You had the jester if you will at one time and then the printed word which moved to radio then television and now the internet with YouTube and other similar formats. The only thing that has changed is how we receive. That Boomer people keep making fun of may be worth listening to afterall. They experienced the same but in a different format.

As for me, I will keep my books and enjoy the internet for what knowledge it provides. I no longer have the Paul Harvey books, but I still hear the stories repeated years later by those introducing the same stories. Their videos are just not as good as relaxing and reading a book. And no, I am not going to do the obvious ending.