A timeless book – a book that one can always read again at any time.
I must say i really like the idea of improv. It is a form of live theatre in which the plot, characters and dialogue of a game, scene or story are made up in the moment. (Doesn’t this sound like life itself?) Improv is only possible when the actors and actresses follow a set of rules, and are already well trained. Otherwise, the drama falls apart.
The point here – i think – is to be aware of your subconscious which is working very closely with prejudices that may be unknown to the conscious. It is only when one is well trained enough to admit and understand the existing prejudices, one can educate the conscious to isolate these prejudices so as not to cloud the first instinct that will lead to an incorrect judgement of the situation, or a poor decision made in the face of pressure. What i am referring to here, is the kind of impression received, reaction given, or decision made, without the luxury of time and deliberation. This is exactly what the actors and actresses in an improv need to do – react immediately without a script and keep the drama going.
There are many case studies in the book, which can get a little dry and “technical” for some, but I just BLINK more times and read them all anyway. Some case studies show that the accuracy of the first instinct at the moment – coupled with adequate training and sufficient experience – far surpasses the results of data analysis over a period of time.
To become better versions of ourselves, we could train up the first instinct so that when time is removed from the equation, we can still make the best out of the situation.
~11/03/19
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