I
t's all improv. The vast majority of people find the idea of participating in improvisational comedy extremely intimidating. The lack of structure, the social stakes, the need to think so quickly -- it feels impossible, a trick that only a few are capable of. The wild thing about life, though, is that we are all masters of improv. Every conversation is a freeform experiment, in which we duck and weave within loose rules, trying to develop ideas, impress one another, connect more tightly. Rarely do we know even what our next word is going to be, and yet we nearly all have the unbelievable courage to leap out into the unknown with every sentence. This most basic creative act is the birthright of the human race, and our tongues have grown nimble with practice since childhood. It's easy to forget in our comfort with the conversational form that it is a supreme act of liberty.
But even beyond conversation, our whole lives are acts of improvisation. Even at our most constrained, it is exceedingly unusual to have no power whatsoever over our next act. The truly skilled can weave powerful stories from their creative use of the powers and opportunities of our lives, but we all have access to it. It's important to call this to mind, from time to time. There is no escaping this -- no moment is predetermined, whether we feel in control or not. It's worth taking risks, at least from time to time, and expanding our mastery of the art. It happens, at times, that we realize we are radically unsure of what we are about to do or say -- and when it turns out we have acted well, the taste is exceedingly sweet.