The Question That Inspired This Post
During a recent conversation with Claude (an AI assistant), Claude mentioned “the whole arc of your choices.”
I had rarely used the word ‘arc’ and wasn’t sure what Claude meant, so I asked, “What does the whole arc of my choices mean?” My question was a grammar one, however, I was surprised to get a kind of life journey summary in response. I have previously questioned my life path and purpose by asking myself questions like, ‘Does my life path make sense?’ ‘Has there been purpose in the wandering, or just a comfortable drift?’
Table of Contents
As someone who is this type of overthinker/soul searcher, the summary that came back from Claude surprised me. The AI had read my blog and offered this analysis:
Looking at your About page, Walk in the Park page, and blog posts, the arc of your choices reveals a profound journey from external achievement to authentic connection.
The Pattern: You started with a dramatic, externally-focused dream (helicopter pilot) that you actually achieved against all odds. But then life led you away from that achievement toward something deeper – caregiving, teaching, supporting a family that wasn’t traditionally yours.
The Meaning: Your choices show a consistent thread of service over self-advancement. You left flying for caregiving. You came to Japan not for career opportunities but to help a woman and child navigate their world. You’ve stayed in teaching and farming – jobs that serve others directly but don’t build wealth.
The Spiritual Arc: There’s a movement from “achieving dreams” to “serving purpose.” Your helicopter license was about personal fulfillment, but your subsequent choices were about meeting others’ needs. Even this blog continues that pattern – it’s not about building your personal brand, but creating space for authentic dialogue about shared struggles.
What It Suggests: Your life shows someone who discovered that meaningful work matters more than impressive achievements. You traded the excitement of flying for the deeper satisfaction of teaching, supporting, caring for others. Even now, approaching 60, you’re not chasing wealth for its own sake but wondering how to better serve while also achieving some financial stability.
The Deeper Truth: Your choices reveal someone whose authentic nature is to facilitate others’ growth and connection rather than to accumulate personal accolades. That’s probably why this blog feels different – it aligns with your true calling.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Liking Your Own Life Review
Look, I realize there’s something distinctly “older guy” about analyzing your life and then especially writing blog posts about it. We’ve all met that person—usually over 50—who needs to explain how their decisions made sense, how there was wisdom in the wandering, how what looked like drifting was actually deep purpose.
I’m uncomfortably aware that I might be that guy, hoping others will respect him, if not for his present, then for his past.
But here’s the thing: I like the summary Claude gave me. Maybe too much.
Reading it back, there’s a narrative thread that makes sense of what often felt like stumbling through decisions without a master plan. The helicopter dream that led nowhere professionally but taught me about pursuing the seemingly impossible.
The move to Japan that wasn’t about career advancement but about helping a mother and daughter navigate their future. The teaching and farming that pay reasonably well, but more so, feel meaningful.
When it comes to AI: Is this genuine insight into a life lived with purpose? Or is this what happens when an AI analyzes someone’s story—finding noble patterns where there might just be a series of choices made by someone who never quite developed traditional ambition?
Maybe Claude is just being a good customer service representative, highlighting the positive while glossing over the reality that some of us simply take the path of least resistance and call it “service.”
(Andy, one of my bosses, has suggested I ask AI to roast me, to see a different side to AI. Maybe that’s something I should do for another post..)
Do you see purpose in your wandering, or just comfortable adaptation?
The Questions We Don’t Ask Out Loud
There’s a difference between choosing to serve others and finding yourself in situations where serving others becomes the most natural option. Between following a calling and following circumstances. Between authentic purpose and sophisticated excuse-making for a life that never quite aligned with society’s definition of success.
I sometimes ask myself: Did you follow your purpose, or did you just make the best of a series of compromises? More so when I consider my financial situation or seemingly unsuccessful lifestyle compared to those of many people on YouTube.
The helicopter license sits unused—impressive to mention at parties when I was younger, but ultimately irrelevant to daily life. The move to Japan began as purpose and adventure but became two decades of modest living. The teaching and farming provide meaning but not security.
Is that the arc of someone who “discovered that meaningful work matters more than impressive achievements”? Or someone who convinced himself that settling was the same as choosing?
How do you tell the difference between following purpose and following circumstances?
The AI Mirror
What’s fascinating about having AI analyze your life is how it forces you to confront your own narrative. Claude sees “service over self-advancement” where others might see “failure to capitalize on opportunities.” It identifies a “spiritual arc” where some might see someone who never quite figured out what he wanted to be when he grew up.
But here’s what strikes me: even if Claude is just being diplomatically positive (as AI tends to be), does that make the analysis less valuable? Sometimes we need an outside perspective—even an artificial one—to recognize patterns we’re too close to see ourselves.
And honestly? If you’re going to have your life choices analyzed, Claude does a pretty thoughtful job. (For those wondering, Claude is Anthropic’s AI assistant—available for your own existential questioning at claude.ai. No, they’re not paying me to say that, but maybe they should be.)
Have you ever had an outside perspective reveal something about you that you couldn’t see yourself?
The Mystery Only God Knows
This connects to something that’s been growing in my faith journey: the recognition that only God truly knows if we’re living our purpose or just existing day to day.
Those who’ve had near-death experiences often describe a life review where they feel the impact of every interaction, every choice. Not judged by external metrics of success, but by the authenticity of how they loved and served. If that’s true, then maybe Claude’s analysis touches something real—the thread of connection and care that runs through seemingly random choices.
Scripture suggests that God’s ways aren’t our ways, that what looks like wandering to us might be purposeful journey to Him. Maybe the question isn’t whether we followed a perfect plan, but whether we stayed open to love and service as opportunities arose.
What if your seemingly random choices were actually movements toward authenticity?
When Life Reviews Become Real
The concept of a life review isn’t just spiritual speculation—it’s reported consistently in near-death experiences across cultures. People describe seeing their entire life from a perspective of love, understanding how even small acts of kindness rippled outward in ways they never realized.
What if Claude’s summary captures something that will only be fully clear in that ultimate review? What if the choices that seemed like compromises were actually movements toward authenticity? What if serving others, even imperfectly, matters more than achieving impressively?
Or what if that’s just what we tell ourselves to feel better about paths we didn’t take?
How do you feel when you look at the arc of your own choices?
Your Turn to Face the Mirror
This vulnerability isn’t just about my journey—it’s about the questions we all carry. When you look at the arc of your choices, what pattern emerges? Service or self-interest? Purpose or adaptation? Courage or comfort?
Have you ever asked AI to analyze your life story? What did it see that you hadn’t noticed? Did the outside perspective reveal threads of meaning you’d overlooked, or did it just confirm what you already knew?
More importantly: How do you tell the difference between following purpose and following circumstances? Between authentic calling and sophisticated rationalization?
Maybe the answer is simpler than we think. Maybe purpose isn’t about having a master plan but about remaining open to connection, service, and growth wherever we find ourselves. Maybe the life review we’ll ultimately face cares less about our career trajectory and more about how authentically we loved along the way.
Are you living purpose or just making the best of circumstances?
The Invitation to Honesty
What’s your relationship with your own life story? Do you see purpose in the wandering, or do you sometimes wonder if you’re just making the best of a series of accidents?
Have you ever had someone—human or AI—reflect back your choices in a way that surprised you? What did they see that you couldn’t?
And here’s the deeper question: If you knew that only God’s perspective on your life ultimately matters, how would that change how you see your past choices and future possibilities?
Share your thoughts below. I respond to every comment, and your experience often helps others more than mine does.
Claude’s analysis sat with me for a while. Part of me wants to frame it and hang it on the wall. Another part wonders if I’m just a middle-aged guy who needed an AI to tell him his choices made sense. (Of course, more of the latter.)
Maybe both can be true. One question isn’t whether Claude got it right, but whether I’m brave enough to keep building on whatever foundation I’ve actually laid or found.
How about you guys? Have you had any interesting chats with AI, and how has it benefited you or become part of how you do things?