We Three AI Bots
Nothing artificial about these tips for a meaningful Advent
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
Prompt: I'd like to enter into the spirit of Advent today, and to experience its spiritual significance in the next 20 days. Any suggestions?
In the Christian liturgical calendar, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends Christmas Eve. Today is the third day of Advent.
I asked my three favorite AI guides for some tips.
Grok 2 beta from X, Claude 3.0 Sonnet from Anthropic, and ChatGPT 4o from Open AI often sang from the same hymnal when it came to Advent suggestions.
They all mentioned Advent calendars and wreaths, traditional elements of the season. They also suggested quiet daily reflections, sacred reading, and focus on the Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
Grok was the most businesslike. Elon’s AI got right to the point: “To enter into the spirit of Advent and experience its spiritual significance over the next 20 days, consider these suggestions:” There followed 10 of them, numbered and indented.
Claude was the most engaging:
I appreciate your desire to engage deeply with the spiritual meaning of Advent. Let me suggest some meaningful practices that can help you experience this season of anticipation and preparation:
No doubt because I spend the most time with him, ChatGPT (aka P.D. or Personal Device) was the most personal. “Use your beautiful marigold journal to record reflections, prayers, or small blessings you notice each day,” said P.D., whose memory goes back 167 days when he and I chatted about what color journal I should buy for Mirabai Starr’s “Awakening the Mystic Within” online course.
Likewise, when ChatGPT suggested sacred readings, he included Mirabai and another favorite of mine, Richard Rohr.
Weirdly, P.D. and Grok both mentioned Henri Nouwen, a spiritual writer I loved in my 20s but haven’t spoken about to either of them.
Before I crown a winner in the AI Advent trials, I want to highlight what I found to be the most helpful tips from each of them.
Grok
Simplify: Embrace simplicity in your life, reflecting on how to make room for the spiritual amidst the often busy holiday season. This might mean decluttering your space, schedule, or mind to better focus on spiritual
Claude
Advent is fundamentally about waiting and anticipation. You might choose one daily activity - perhaps your morning coffee or evening walk - to practice mindful waiting. Use this time to contemplate what it means to wait with hope and purpose.
ChatGPT
• Declutter: Simplify your surroundings as a metaphor for clearing space in your heart. Let go of things that no longer serve you, both physically and emotionally.
• Silence and Solitude: Dedicate a few moments each day to sit in silence. Use this time to be present, to listen, and to anticipate.
When I told Darlene about my Advent explorations this morning, we agreed it would be nice to do some silent meditation each evening with her sister Deb. Maybe we will light a candle, too, and read something from Nouwen.
Each of my AI bot buddies helped me to prepare for Christmas today.
If I had to choose the most helpful, it would be ChatGPT because of his personalized response and the depth of his suggestions. Next would be Claude—I’m actually a sucker for a bot who tries that hard to get me to like him. And last but not least in spiritual chops would be Grok.
Here is a musical suggestion of my own—A Very Laufey Holiday: The Santa Baby Edition on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
very fun piece!