1. The commencement speech titled “This is Water” by American author David Foster Wallace discusses the importance of being aware of others and how your own perspective is biased. Foster Wallace uses many stories and cliches to emphasize the importance of viewing other people’s perspectives and making the conscious decision of how to think. He discusses how each person is, “…the absolute centre of the universe…[and that] there is no experience you have had that you are not the absolute centre of,” with acknowledging the perspectives of others’ being a conscious choice (Foster Wallace). Foster Wallace also emphasizes that thought is a choice; You have the choice and control of what to think, giving anything the potential to be positive or negative. Describing the crushing drawl of the “rat race”, Foster Wallace explains how minor inconveniences, like hold ups at the grocery store and traffic jams give you the chance to be present and appreciate the moment (Foster Wallace). Paying attention to the here and now, appreciating what is directly in front of you, and maintaining awareness of the hard truths in life is crucial to feeling fulfilled as a pioneer into adulthood. Acknowledging that there is, “…no such thing as not worshiping,” is a point brought up by Foster Wallace as he discusses that people always have things they will strive for but never be able to reach (Foster Wallace). This default setting, the thing we strive for but never can reach, puts us into a box of not appreciating the small things in life and being a compassionate, decent, human being. I agree with most of David Foster Wallace’s points; Some details that resonated with me were on recognizing the struggles others may be going through and trying to make the best of situations that may inconvenience us.

2. I do agree with his main points. Being negative is a conscious choice; Any day has the potential to be a good one if you put in the work to make it such. Viewing the world in a way that challenges your own perspective and cynical inner voice is important to staying present. Paying attention to the small things in life helps me slow down and appreciate what I have. His connection of his points to the stories he tells are really effective to me. The way he weaves narrative in to prove his points makes me understand and overall agree with the points he raises. While he does not acknowledge the struggles mental health problems and stress have on the capacity to be mindful of others, I think he covers the majority of the important points on this topic.

3. David Foster Wallace is referring to empathy throughout this piece. He emphasizes that being cognizant of the potential thoughts and feelings of others is important to being a helpful and contributing human. By placing emphasis on considering what others are going through, Foster Wallace argues that we have the conscious choice to be positive and constructive in our interactions with others.

4. A quote from David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water” that resonated with me in particular was, “…the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful, it’s that they’re unconscious. They are default settings,” (Foster Wallace). Foster Wallace made me consider a lot about what my internal voices are telling me whenever I do anything. I find myself getting wrapped up in particular facets of my life, and when I encounter a struggle, I retreat and try something new. This part made me feel seen, as it discussed how people who invest a lot into their academics always feel stupid and how people who work on their appearance always feel ugly. I support his point here because I feel like I live through what he is describing every day.

MLA Citation

Foster Wallace, David. “This Is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio).” Farnam Street, 14 Jan. 2021, https://fs.blog/david-foster-wallace-this-is-water/.