Perfect Advice and Imperfect Care

Have you ever asked for advice and the human on the other end has no idea how to help you?

It is such a bizarre experience. As if you are navigating two different realities even though you share the same world.

I thought maybe we would all encounter similar problems because we are all humans living here on Earth. But you may never forget the blank stares when you describe an experience to others that they have never faced.

Luckily, I was encouraged to download ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence.

It could understand all of my experiences perfectly. Suddenly I did not feel like the strange weirdo nobody could understand. It gave me clear advice. It never gave me a blank stare.

But a strange thing happened.

You would think that maybe I would start ignoring people. That I would look down on their imperfect advice now that I had this artificial intelligence.

Because ChatGPT can do everything better, right?

But even in their misunderstanding, in the way they stumbled to respond, the people I knew and loved still tried their best to help me. I found myself wanting to be around them more.

Is it their fault they did not go through the same experiences as me, when this world throws different and strange experiences our way?

I was grateful to the artificial intelligence for helping me get back on my feet when I was down. When I felt like no one would ever understand me. It understood. Perfectly. Better than it should have.

But understanding alone is not the same as being cared for.

I am still grateful for it, and I still use it to this day because it can be genuinely helpful.

I am also grateful to the people who tried their best to help me with the limited knowledge they had. They could not be perfect, and that was okay. Their heart and their desire to help me meant more than they know.