A catalyst for introspection

Everything, absolutely everything, is a matter of perspective.

When I told my children about my father’s passing, my daughter curled up against me. She cried for my pain. My son, on the other hand, hid in a corner to cry for his own.

It was the same news, but they mourned two different men.

Because a person is never just one. They exist in a thousand memories, a thousand gazes, in all that we have lived with them.

And I wondered: how could AI ever understand this? That a person isn’t a model, but a shadow cast, shifting with the light?

That’s when I remembered something essential: everything, absolutely everything, is a matter of perspective.

But to change your perspective, sometimes you need a catalyst.
A catalyst for introspection.

Let me explain…

I’m on a train. Across from me, a little girl is chewing, her mouth wide open. The sound is unbearable.

Two options: point it out, risking offense, or endure in silence. But silence—truly? How many behaviors are just gaps in education? If no one corrects them gently, how can we hope for change?

My irritation grows. I want to act without giving in to frustration. So, I pick up my phone and ask ChatGPT: “Give me 50 psychologically grounded, subtle, and kind approaches to handle this tactfully.”

I’m not looking for a solution. I’m looking for a perspective.

And amidst the ideas, one stood out:

“Be light and natural. Try saying, ‘Oh, you know, when we chew with our mouths closed, it’s like keeping all the flavor just for ourselves. Isn’t that magical?’”

Simple. Kind. Gentle.

So I adapt the approach and try it.

And it works. A spark lights up her eyes. She closes her mouth, instinctively.

See what I mean?

What fascinates me about generative AI isn’t its ability to solve problems. It’s how it invites us to think differently.

Accepting a single answer means yielding to a choice. Exploring fifty possibilities allows us to discover the one that truly resonates with us.

We are all a kaleidoscope of perspectives—a thousand reflections of a single light. And if AI, cold and rational, can help rekindle our humanity, then it’s not just a machine.

It’s an opportunity.
Not to become more perfect, but to become more human.

MD