a night off is also a night on (advice for someone who asked and also anyone else who would like to receive it)
in which i deputize you to be in charge of your own schedule.
dear friends, fans, family, fellow finders,
thank you for being here!
i am very grateful for you and your time.
as you may know, i generally use this space to share short jokes, poems, and other quick fun words units.
sometimes, i use it to share slightly longer pieces i’ve written, often in response to questions other folks have asked me, like this question a younger comedian friend asked me once
THE QUESTION:
Myq, I listen to many comedians talk about "going up every night, as much as you can." But I start to feel discouraged and demoralized if I do stand up too much, especially in desolate, empty and near-empty rooms. What is your take, what was your approach?
MY RESPONSE:
i've heard it said that some of the buddha's advice seems to conflict with some other pieces of the buddha's advice. the reason, i'm told, is that not everyone needs the same advice at the same time. the advice "work harder" can be the right advice for one person and not another. the advice "relax a little more" can be the right advice for one person and not another.
there's also a zen proverb that goes "let go, or be dragged." i like that. i listened to a buddhist podcast once, where a speaker was talking about the concept of "letting go." that that was what to strive for. letting go, ultimately, of everything, or attachment to everything, or something like that. i don't know. i'm not a buddhist master. but i liked it.
there was one part of the podcast where someone asked the speaker something like, "but if we're supposed to let go of everything ultimately, what about our meditative practices? are we to let go of them, too?" and the speaker says, "those you can cling to, at first." he went on to say that later on in your practice, you would discover for yourself when it was or wasn't important to continue clinging to which practices.
and i believe that the advice of "go up every night, as much as you can" is advice like that.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Arty Har-Hars to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.