There’s this little voice in my head that keeps whispering: “Everything that has to be said has already been said.” We just keep saying it again because nobody was listening the first time. It’s like history. We’re told it doesn’t repeat, but it always seems to rhyme, doesn’t it? That’s because, deep down, we’re all thinking the same stuff. No matter how special we feel, our problems are just slight variations on a theme.
And that, my friend, is the most comforting thing in the world.
Think about it. Whatever mess you’re in—a tricky client, a broken heart, a weird rash on your elbow—someone has already been there. They’ve faced that exact same problem. And if you’re lucky, they’ve written a book about it.
That’s why a bookstore is so much more than just a place with books. It’s a pharmacy for the soul.
You walk into a pharmacy and see rows and rows of little bottles. You wonder, “What’s that medicine for? What ailment does it fix?” We, in our lifetimes, only ever deal with a handful of common illnesses. But there are thousands of medicines on those shelves, each one a solution to a problem someone, somewhere, has already figured out.
A bookstore is the same. The universe has already created a solution for whatever you’re going through. You want to start a new business? Feeling depressed? Can’t figure out quantum physics? There’s a book for that. A whole shelf, probably.
And here’s the most beautiful part: you don’t need the most popular, bestselling book. Maybe that one went viral for a reason that has nothing to do with you. Maybe your perfect solution is in that slightly dusty, second-hand book by an author nobody has heard of. It’s just like medicine—sometimes the most popular drug doesn’t work, and a lesser-known one does the trick perfectly. You just have to be willing to look.
And it’s not just books anymore. The internet, a vast ocean of human experience, is a treasure trove of these solutions. YouTube, for instance, is a visual pharmacy. You want to learn how to change a tire? There’s a video. How to tie a Windsor knot? A video. How to change a baby’s diaper at 3 AM with one hand and a screaming child? You guessed it.
On one hand, it feels a bit depressing. Like there’s nothing truly new to create in this world. But on the other hand, isn’t it the most reassuring thought ever? That you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. That you can walk through life knowing that whatever you face, there’s a guide. An instruction manual. A cheat sheet, written by a fellow human who’s already been through it and survived.
All you have to do is reach out and grab it.
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