A Small Light, Improv, And Leveraging Rage (A Series, Part I)
“But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.” Miep Gies
Micro Rage
Nothing. I have no small rage. The bigger stuff is burning it up, and there is no room left for petty annoyances.
Macro Rage
“The greatest thing I learned while taking classes at Second City was the very first thing they taught: 'Yes, and...'. In improv, you keep scenes alive by accepting whatever you are given and then adding to it or amplifying it. There is no space on stage for 'No,' 'I'm sorry, you're mistaken,' or 'Yes, but...'. Those transitions kill energy, set up interpersonal conflict, engage the ego in a defensive posture, and stymie the flow of conversation onstage.” Jason Seiden
Everyone can easily justify inaction. I found that the first step in leveraging my rage was loosening my grip on those justifications. Here’s the trick, adopted from the lessons of improv (of which I have never taken a single class) - move to yes, and. There are always people doing a lot more with a lot less (time, money, power, privilege). If something truly matters, there is always something you can do. There is always space for yes, and.
I love the quote from Miep Gies, as it brilliantly illustrates the importance of everyone doing something. We are all capable of tangible actions. (And for the love of all things holy, posting/reposting something on social media is not turning on a small light. If I hear one more person pacify themselves with this “action,” I will LOSE MY MIND.)
A Small Thing
Tonight, we discovered Fisk on Netflix. It made us laugh out loud. Thank you, Australia. Also, Season 3 of Only Murders and Season 5 of What We Do in The Shadows. Thank goodness for good television, and here’s hoping Hollywood execs start paying them better for their brilliance.
A Big(ger) Thing
There are so many. What’s your bigger thing giving you hope and keeping you grounded? Right now, for me it is in-person organizing actions. Tonight, I block-walked in triple digit temps (Houston Chronicle gift link), which was the last thing I wanted to do as I was driving there. And I came home so energized. There is nothing more nourishing than working in community to protect and invest in our communities.
Raging in a silo is death.