The idea of borrowing a person from a library instead of a book to hear them tell their own story is as wonderfully simple and brilliant. It solves for so many things at the same time. People are increasingly reliant on digital means of keeping in touch with friends and family even as real-life in-person relationships suffer from lack of feed and care. Here in America we are living in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. The lines that divide only proliferate even though there is very little to tell people apart in a globalized world. In such an environment, borrowing a person for an hour to hear their story told in their own words is like the much needed breath of fresh air.
I am imagining how amazing something like would be to have my neighborhood library. I could go there and borrow a person who grew up in a country I know nothing about and spend an hour hearing them talk about the childhood in a town I might struggle to find on the map. Another day, I could learn about someone's experience in a line of work that feels exotic given my background. There is opportunity to learn so much, specially from people who have the gift of time that they are willing to give that to others. The possibilities are endless - there is one big novel in every person's life story. It's just that most people don't even get a chance to tell it let alone have the capacity to write it. This way people get to hear those stories that would otherwise go untold, unheard and unknown - learn from them and make human connections along the way
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