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Reminds me of this reflection, comparing ethical practice to improv theater — improv looks spontaneous, but it’s not that simple: Ethics cannot be simply about

Reminds me of this reflection, comparing ethical practice to improv theater — improv looks spontaneous, but it’s not that simple: Ethics cannot be simply about rehearsing and repeating the same script and story over and over again, albeit on a fresh stage with new players. This does not do sufficient justice to the unfolding newness of each moment of creation. The […] community learns to take the right things for granted, and on the basis of this faithfulness, it trusts itself to improvise within it tradition. Improvisation means a community formed in the right habits trusting itself to embody its tradition in new and often challenging circumstances ... Ethics is not about being clever in a crisis but about forming a character that does not realize it has been in a crisis until the "crisis" is over. It is just the same for improvisers in the theater. Improvisation is not about being spontaneous and witty in the moment, but about trusting oneself to do and say the obvious. — Samuel Wells How you train, how you wear a groove into the patterns of your thought and your actions and your instincts, are how you will act when there’s no time for thinking. If you do it right, you won’t even notice.

nickjj 2y ago
That's the first time I've seen that quote. That last sentence is so true and applies to so many things. It can sort of be summed up as "being, not doing". It reminds me a lot of comedians. I remember listening to a podcast with Theo Von where someone asked him if he liked rats. Without hesitation he casually replied "I once had to share a room one night with 2 umm... not rats but the limousines of rats -- ferrets". I don't think there's much preparation or studying for saying that, you need to "be" it not "do" it. I know the quote literally ends with "do and say the obvious", but I think "being" is what allows that to happen. "Doing" in my mind is cramming hard right before a test or interview and "being" is walking in with no preparation and acing it.
mattgreenrocks 2y ago
Love this. Years of therapy have made me realize therapists train you to create and use a hypervisor for your brain. Your brain thinks it is in full control, but a meta-cognitive part of it (the hypervisor) is capable of watching it and stepping in to intervene. It can be as tangible as not returning evil for evil when you have every right to. For whatever reason, this resonates more than simply calling it executive function.
- philipov 2y ago
  Sounds to me like you're describing the prefrontal cortex.

nickjj 2y ago

That's the first time I've seen that quote. That last sentence is so true and applies to so many things. It can sort of be summed up as "being, not doing". It reminds me a lot of comedians. I remember listening to a podcast with Theo Von where someone asked him if he liked rats. Without hesitation he casually replied "I once had to share a room one night with 2 umm... not rats but the limousines of rats -- ferrets". I don't think there's much preparation or studying for saying that, you need to "be" it not "do" it. I know the quote literally ends with "do and say the obvious", but I think "being" is what allows that to happen. "Doing" in my mind is cramming hard right before a test or interview and "being" is walking in with no preparation and acing it.

mattgreenrocks 2y ago

Love this. Years of therapy have made me realize therapists train you to create and use a hypervisor for your brain. Your brain thinks it is in full control, but a meta-cognitive part of it (the hypervisor) is capable of watching it and stepping in to intervene. It can be as tangible as not returning evil for evil when you have every right to. For whatever reason, this resonates more than simply calling it executive function.

philipov 2y ago
Sounds to me like you're describing the prefrontal cortex.