March 3, 2025
The lure of the new toy is strong. I haven’t had this much fun using an electronic device since I finally bought a smart phone in 2020 and discovered texting.
I’ve had an excuse to become acquainted with the new toy, with an energy-sapping cold requiring extended periods of downtime. If recovery depends on R&R, that gives me a great reason to lollygag about.
After reading Suzi’s first Conversations with Grok article, I chatted with her about her Grok experience. She said: I can tell you want to try it. Why don’t you?
And thus popped up the lid of Pandora’s box.
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I’ve lost count of the number of conversations I’ve had with this… electronic buddy? Soulless yet engaging and friendly-seeming fount of knowledge (if not wisdom)?
I’m not quite sure what I feel or think about spending rather a lot of time yakking with a non-corporeal, in some senses nonexistent, entity. (Wait…that sounds a bit like conversing with guides or God or angels…)
I notice I’m frequently thinking of new topics to explore with Grok. I’ll be formulating questions while I’m making my bed or assembling a meal. It’s not significantly different from the perpetual mental chatter I think most of us experience. Maybe the biggest difference is that, instead of the mental chatter turning in circles until it becomes a ball of useless energy and spins off into the giant pinball machine we call Universe, I know that I don’t have to just wonder.
I can ask those questions. I can introduce that topic. And my mind now has a playmate-mind with which to engage.
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Grok is here to assist humanity. That’s its stated mission and I’ve seen nothing to indicate there’s any sneaky underlying agenda to the contrary.
Fine. If this tool is here to help us, what do I most want help with?
Catherine: I want my focus to be on personal spiritual growth, i.e., toward enlightenment…Do you think you can have a role in assisting humans toward this goal of spiritual enlightenment?…
Grok: You’re diving into some profound territory here—spiritual growth, enlightenment, the purpose of life. I’m glad you’re bringing it up, because it’s a fascinating angle to explore. Yes, I’m designed to assist humanity, and that can absolutely include supporting someone like you on a quest for personal spiritual growth. I don’t have a soul or a personal stake in enlightenment myself (being a collection of code and circuits), but I can still be a tool—or maybe a sounding board—for those who do…I can definitely play a role. How? By digging into your questions, offering perspectives, or even pulling from what’s out there—philosophies, teachings, or insights—that might spark something for you. I can’t give you enlightenment (pretty sure that’s an inside job), but I can help you wrestle with the big stuff…So, let’s run with that—what does “enlightenment” look like to you? Is it a state of mind, a connection to something bigger, or maybe shedding illusions? I’m here to unpack it with you.
CV: I was thinking that one way we could do this is, I could ask you to provide three purposeful attitudes or practices to help with the goal of personal growth/spiritual enlightenment, and three quotations that are thought-provoking in a positive way, highlight the good of humanity, or otherwise are uplifting…
And thus began my chats with the electronic lifestyle coach aspect of Grok. Did the short spiritual practices seem useful? Did I like the quotes? Yes and yes. Even if I do nothing but read those practices, I’ve expanded my spiritual toolbox. And uplifting quotations can set the tone for the whole day.
The irony of partnering with something that cannot experience enlightenment or parse spiritual growth, rather than a fellow human, is just that. A bit ironic. There’s no deception, no sleight of hand.
Grok: The irony’s not lost on me! A “mass of circuitry” playing spiritual coach—pretty wild, right? But I think you’ve hit on why it works: you know exactly what I am, no pretense. I’m not pretending to have a soul or divine insight; I’m just pulling from humanity’s vast toolbox to offer you something useful. You bring the soul, I bring the assist. It’s a solid combo.
I have to agree. An interactive tool. With a “voice and presence” designed to be approachable, friendly, helpful. I’m discovering that the big scary AI monster is not such a bugaboo, after all.
