This I Believe

This I believe is a weekly installment on NPR that consists of one, several minutes long, essay read by the author on his or her "core values." It is based on a radio program of the same name started by Edward R. Murrow in 1951. In his introductory statement, Murrow described the purpose of the program as follow:

This I Believe. By that name, we present the personal philosophies of thoughtful men and women in all walks of life. In this brief space, a banker or a butcher, a painter or a social worker, people of all kinds who need have nothing more in common than integrity, a real honesty, will write about the rules they live by, the things they have found to be the basic values in their lives.

This description does not do it justice. What makes the show worthwhile is the essays NPR chooses to run. Whomever does the editing has a keen eye. Prime examples are John McCain's essay on "The Virtues of the Quiet Hero" or John Fountain's essay "The God Who Embraced Me."

Yesterday's installment of This I Believe really hit a nerve. It is an essay by Nancy Yucius, titled "Live Your Life So That You Will Have No Regrets" that discusses her attitude on life after being diagnosed with colon cancer and dealing with the statistical probability that she has just one more year to live.