Showerthought: That time a librarian in Portland fixed my entire book club debate with one comment

We were stuck arguing about whether the narrator in 'The Round House' was reliable or not. I mentioned it at the Multnomah County Library on 10th Ave and the librarian just said, 'You're arguing about the wrong question - ask who the story is actually for.' She was right and it totally shifted our whole discussion. Has anyone else had a librarian drop a truth bomb that changed your book club's focus?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_mary4d ago

Notice how that librarian basically cut through the whole arguing by reframing the question. It happens a lot in everyday life too. People get stuck debating surface level stuff when they're really missing the bigger point. Like arguing about which phone is better but never asking what you actually need it for. Or fighting about whose turn it is to do dishes when the real issue is nobody feels appreciated. Librarians just have a knack for seeing past all that noise and getting to what actually matters.

paul2863d ago

You know, I used to be the type of person who would just dig into arguments and get totally locked into my side of things. But then something similar happened to me a few years back when I was on a forum arguing about the ending of "Station Eleven" and someone basically said the same thing - ask what the story is actually about on a deeper level. It completely wrecked my stubbornness. @the_mary hit the nail on the head about those arguments being surface level, like when people argue about who left the towel on the floor but it's really about respect or feeling heard. That librarian's approach is pure gold because it forces you to step back and look at the whole picture instead of just defending your little corner. I still catch myself wanting to fight about details but now I try to remember to ask that bigger question first.

-1