Find your Groove at the Library

"If you bring forth what is within you, what you will bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."
Jesus, from the Gospel of Thomas

I love this proverb, which is almost like a Buddhist koan or a riddle. When I contemplate it it sends me into the same sort of perplexed but meditative state, in any case. There could be several meanings – is he talking about emotions, or spirituality, or the Kingdom of Heaven? - but my interpretation is that he is admonishing you to find and use your gifts and talents. That is why, as a librarian, when I'm not stepping over poo, I feel it is my duty and privilege to help people use the library to discover their talents, calling and mission. The library is a sacred place. When I wander through the stacks I can sometimes feel this mystical energy of potential and promise emitted by all of the books.

So, come to the library and find what's within you. Unless you're Karl Marx. Instead of working and feeding his impoverished family, he spent his days poring over economics journals at the British Library, analyzing capitalism and piecing together communism. He wrote much of the Communist Manifesto in the reading room of the British Library.