Closer To Fine

A person I’ve known a long time asked me a serious question:

“Joy seems to have gone missing from my life. I don’t fit in. How does one find joy, meaning, and belonging?”

I told her she should follow my blog.

“Yeah, right,” she said. “But I’m not looking for a 7-habits recipe, I’m looking for inspiration.”

Trying not to be offended, I wondered how I might help. I don’t think she’s alone. We live in an era of unparalleled prosperity, yet people increasingly struggle for meaning and connection. 

I decided to take a stab at a poetic answer to her question in a post:

Closer To Fine

In the tapestry of existence, one golden thread outshines all others:

Connect your soul to other souls.

In the sacred space between two hearts laid bare,

Life blossoms into meaning.

Not in solitary achievement or silent reflection,

But in the tender bridge between your vulnerabilities and another’s.

When you share your authentic self—

Your fears like scattered seeds,

Your dreams like fragile lanterns—

And when someone gathers these offerings with gentle hands,

You discover the ancient truth:

We are born to be witnessed.

The universe conspires toward connection.

Even stars, in their magnificent solitude,

Form constellations.

So reach out.

Be brave enough to be seen.

Listen with your whole being.

Hold space for another’s truth.

Laugh until tears come.

Weep until healing follows.

Create rituals of togetherness.

For in these holy exchanges,

The ordinary transforms into the extraordinary,

And you will find not just belonging,

But the profound joy of becoming

Fully human,

Fully alive.

__________________________________

Now for a confession:

A friend didn’t really ask that question, and I didn’t write the poem. 

It was written by artificial general intelligence—AGI (More specifically, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7). Here’s the question I posed to it:

“How can I find joy, meaning, and belonging in life?”

Claude’s 1^st answer:

Finding joy, meaning, and belonging in life is a profound and personal journey. Here are some thoughtful approaches that might help:

1. Cultivate meaningful relationships. 

2. Discover your purpose. 

3. Practice mindfulness and gratitude.

4. Embrace personal growth. 

5. Connect with community. 

6. Care for your well-being. 

7. Find moments of joy in everyday experiences. 

Claude wrote a thoughtful paragraph under each heading, but it’s a bit of a 7-habits list! So I asked Claude another question:

 “Can you make your response more lyrical, poetic, and inspirational?” 

Claude answered with the poem I titled Closer To Fine (tip of the hat to The Indigo Girls). 

I’ve been playing with AI large language models since ChatGPT hit the scene in late 2023. They’ve advanced dramatically; one can only wonder what they will be capable of in a few years. There’s a healthy amount of concern about this, perhaps harking back to Hal, the rogue computer who took over in the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

I am not in that camp. 

I’m old enough to remember the first personal computers, accompanied by dire predictions about job eliminations, etc. That didn’t happen, but things changed in ways we never imagined. AGI will create even larger changes, albeit in unexpected ways. 

Here’s an example:

A recent survey was conducted on how AGI is currently used. Can you guess the top use in the 1^st quarter of 2025? Hint: My guess of general search questions was way off. 

The answer: Therapy/Companionship. Source: Mark Zao-Saunders via A Learning A Day blog.

That’s the last thing I would’ve expected.

We are experiencing one of those years when decades happen. While there is clearly cause for concern, I believe there are reasons to be hopeful.

 “The universe conspires toward connection… In the tapestry of existence, one golden thread outshines all others: Connect your soul to other souls.”

Even a computer knows that!

If we keep this in mind, we will move Closer To Fine.

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Installments of The Secret Within can be found here. 

Former blog posts can be found here by subject category and here chronologically. 

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My first book, Towards A Life Well-Lived, can be purchased by clicking this link. Proceeds from sales are donated to Peace In Schools, a Portland, Oregon-based organization that supports mindfulness training in high schools.