Thankful Thursday: Harry Leslie Smith

We spend too much of our time listening to the wrong people. An unintelligent (alleged) billionaire blathers into our daily consciousness. Rap stars grab headlines for arguments about nothing. Idiot politicians congratulate themselves for their failures. So. Much. Noise. 

I’m grateful to have discovered Harry Leslie Smith a few years ago. Harry died yesterday at 95 after spending the last years of his life touring refugee hotspots and sharing his experiences as a survivor of the Great Depression and WW2. Harry shared messages of hope and support of public health care to more than a quarter-million Twitter followers, via his best-selling books and a podcast called Harry’s Last Stand.

Harry had the ears and hearts of many millennials. They flocked to his live talks and followed his rich stories about growing up in poverty in England. He called himself “the world’s oldest rebel”. Harry’s son John took over his Twitter account while Harry lay dying in a Belleville hospital. Now, John is vowing to find a publisher for more of his Dad’s work and to carry on with his message of hope and help for those in need.

Harry could have spent his last years huddled under a crocheted afghan watching Wheel of Fortune but his health was good enough to allow him to travel. In his heart, he wanted to help change the world for the better. He was a man worth listening to. His death made headlines around the world.

Harry’s books recently sold out at Chapters and Amazon but eBook versions are always available for Kobo HERE and for Kindle HERE. His podcast is free, and a quick Google search will lead you to videos and audio clips from previous interviews. Let’s listen to more people like Harry.