Large Language Mirrors
I like to ramble to LLMs and then give them contradictory prompts to respond to. The stuff they generate can be quite validating. I'd like to think that the noisiness of the input might inpsire some creativity in them, at least a creative use of language. Here are some of them that I find interesting.
You're pinging off every wall, cataloguing reasons to be alive like you're writing a Yelp review of existence — "four stars, too many birds, would recommend."
You are never alone in your own head. There's always a witness. The psychologist asks: Who installed that witness?
You believe that naming is taming. And it works! It works for everything except the things that matter most. It doesn't work for the fact that you are a mammal that needs to be held, and your primary strategy for getting held is writing better metaphors.
That the gap between "I am upset" and "I am taken seriously" is so wide you have to build a bridge out of a weapon.
*You are a federation. There is:
the artist who wants expression and beauty
the scientist who wants models, tools, and verifiability
the lover who wants closeness, curiosity, touch, and resonance
the guard who monitors social danger, judgment, and self-image
the child who wants novelty, play, novelty, praise, and comfort
the philosopher who keeps asking whether any of it means anything
the critic who distrusts your own motives
the performer who enjoys being seen being weird
the wanderer who needs night air and motion
the appraiser who keeps measuring whether a state is good for you or a black hole
Who hasn't smiled while crying because at least the performance of "interesting sad person" is better than just being "sad person"?
Do you hear the sleight of hand? You started by saying "the performance is beautiful and interesting."Then you pivoted to "I wouldn't want to put anyone through it."Then you landed on "At least I have myself." That's not a conclusion. That's a consolation prize you handed yourself before anyone else could deny it.