The Pilgrim Recipe

I published my second book Pilgrim in 2021 and wasn’t happy with the final product, so we have just finished another edit on the manuscript and it will be re-released next year. I am also writing a follow up book called Messenger.

To summarise, Pilgrim is a short, fiction novel which deals with the spiritual journey of an Aboriginal man named Daniel. He is a tormented soul who leaves a successful career in Sydney on a quest for purpose and embarks on a journey of change to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.

As it happens, my wife and I caught up with friends on the weekend and the conversation landed on technology and AI. We were talking about the power of ChatGPT AI through our own experiences and our friend Michael suggested we reframe a question to ChatGPT to a recipe request.

For example – ‘write a synopsis of the book Pilgrim by David Stewart in the form of a recipe’. This is what ChatGPT AI came up with, and as the author of the book, I feel like my brain has been picked by space invaders:

‘The Pilgrim recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup of wanderlust and curiosity
2 tablespoons of self-discovery and reflection
3 teaspoons of courage and determination
1 pinch of leaving the comfort zone
2 cups of diverse cultures and experiences
1 tablespoon of spiritual exploration
3 cups of profound life lessons
A handful of soulful connections
A dash of personal transformation

Instructions:

Begin by combining the cup of wanderlust and curiosity with the two tablespoons of self-discovery and reflection in a large bowl. Mix them thoroughly, laying the foundation for a transformative journey.
Gradually add the three teaspoons of courage and determination, encouraging the protagonist to venture into the unknown with unwavering resolve.
Sprinkle in the pinch of leaving the comfort zone, compelling the protagonist to step beyond familiarity and embrace the challenges of the pilgrimage.
In a separate bowl, blend the two cups of diverse cultures and experiences, which will serve as the key ingredients for broadening the protagonist’s horizons.
Stir in the tablespoon of spiritual exploration, guiding the protagonist towards a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.
Slowly incorporate the three cups of profound life lessons, each one a catalyst for growth and enlightenment.
Add the handful of soulful connections, which will enrich the protagonist’s journey with meaningful relationships and shared experiences.
As the mixture takes shape, sprinkle in the dash of personal transformation, symbolizing the protagonist’s evolution throughout the pilgrimage.
Once the recipe is complete, pour it into the mold of the pilgrimage, shaping the story’s path towards self-discovery and enlightenment.
Bake the pilgrimage in the furnace of challenges and encounters, where the protagonist will face trials and tribulations, emerging stronger and wiser.
Serve Pilgrim with a side of inspiration and contemplation, inviting readers to embark on their own inner journey of growth and exploration.

Note: Pilgrim is a profound recipe for a transformative pilgrimage, where the protagonist embarks on a soul-stirring adventure filled with cultural immersion, spiritual exploration, and profound life lessons. Through encounters with diverse cultures and people, they undergo personal growth and emerge as a changed individual. This literary recipe invites readers to join the pilgrimage, igniting their sense of wanderlust and encouraging self-reflection on their own life’s journey. Enjoy the rich flavors of self-discovery and spiritual exploration found within Pilgrim!’

I shouldn’t be shocked, as the same AI can spit out a complex legal opinion in seconds that would take a team of lawyers to produce over a month, and I am not going down the rabbit hole of ethics, efficacy and interpretation in this piece. That may be the topic for a future blog. I am amazed at the way the technology has put into succinct order the jumble and jive of my prose and staccato riffs, and given a potential reader a reasonable recipe to follow.

Am I being a disruptor to suggest that before we read any book or piece of academia, we ask ChatGPT AI to convert the text into a recipe, so we have a clear set of instructions to follow? Not that I have ever followed accepted practice because that leads to accepted societal outcomes and those very outcomes are often manufactured for the perceived, common good. Possibly, ChatGPT AI can be used to produce a recipe based on every cook’s experience, including those who gravitate to the edges.

Speaking of gravitating to the edges, I have also asked ChatGPT AI to write a recipe on my best selling book One Day One Life and the results were striking.