Overview of “This Is Water”
David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water,” delivered at Kenyon College in 2005, offers wisdom for living a meaningful life. It encourages awareness, empathy, and overcoming default settings, presenting a life-changing philosophy and timeless trove of wisdom.
David Foster Wallace and the Speech
David Foster Wallace, a brilliant American writer, delivered “This Is Water” as a commencement address at Kenyon College in 2005. The speech, reflecting on daily life’s difficulties, has become a modern classic and timeless wisdom.
Wallace’s Background
David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) was a celebrated American author known for his complex narratives and insightful essays. He graduated from Amherst College, delving into philosophy and English. Wallace gained widespread recognition for his novel “Infinite Jest,” a sprawling and innovative work exploring themes of addiction, entertainment, and the American experience.
His writing style was characterized by its intellectual depth, intricate prose, and use of footnotes and endnotes. Beyond his fiction, Wallace was a keen observer of contemporary culture, exploring topics ranging from tennis to television in his non-fiction works. His work often grappled with questions of meaning, authenticity, and the challenges of modern life, making him a significant voice in late 20th and early 21st-century literature.
Context of the Kenyon College Commencement
In May 2005, David Foster Wallace delivered the commencement address at Kenyon College, an event that has since become widely recognized. Graduation ceremonies often serve as platforms for imparting wisdom to young graduates as they embark on their post-college lives. These speeches typically aim to inspire, offer guidance, and encourage graduates to reflect on their education’s value.
Wallace’s address stood out due to its unconventional and profound approach. Rather than offering typical platitudes, Wallace challenged the graduates to critically examine their perspectives and cultivate awareness. The speech, titled “This Is Water,” was a departure from traditional commencement speeches, focusing on the importance of empathy, consciousness, and consciously choosing how to perceive the world. It offered a practical guide to navigating the complexities of daily life.
Key Themes in “This Is Water”
The speech explores consciousness, mindful living, and navigating an increasingly challenging world. It also emphasizes the value of awareness and empathy in daily life, encouraging individuals to step outside default settings and embrace compassion.
Awareness and Consciousness
“This Is Water” underscores the crucial role of awareness in navigating daily existence. David Foster Wallace urges listeners to actively pay attention to their surroundings and internal thought processes. The speech challenges the notion that education solely imparts knowledge, asserting that it should primarily cultivate awareness.
By consciously examining the world, individuals can break free from their default settings and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others. Wallace emphasizes the importance of recognizing the constant stream of thoughts and feelings that shape our perceptions, advocating for a mindful approach to everyday experiences.
This heightened awareness allows individuals to make conscious choices, rather than simply reacting to external stimuli. Ultimately, “This Is Water” promotes the idea that true freedom lies in the ability to control one’s own thoughts and perceptions through active and conscious engagement with the world.
Empathy and Compassion
Empathy and compassion are central pillars of David Foster Wallace’s message in “This Is Water.” He challenges individuals to consider the perspectives and experiences of others, recognizing that everyone is fighting their own battles. By consciously choosing to step outside of one’s own ego, individuals can cultivate empathy and foster genuine connections with those around them.
Wallace emphasizes that empathy is not merely a passive feeling but an active choice. It requires a willingness to see the world through the eyes of others, even when it is uncomfortable or challenging. This compassionate approach extends beyond personal relationships, encouraging individuals to consider the broader societal implications of their actions.
“This Is Water” argues that empathy and compassion are essential for creating a more just and equitable world. By recognizing the shared humanity in others, individuals can overcome prejudice, promote understanding, and contribute to a more compassionate society.
Overcoming Default Settings
David Foster Wallace, challenges the audience to consciously step outside their “default setting,” which he describes as a self-centered, often unconscious way of perceiving the world. Overcoming these default settings requires a deliberate effort to become more aware of one’s own thoughts and biases.
Wallace explains that the real value of education is not just knowledge acquisition but cultivating awareness and conscious choice. By recognizing their default settings, individuals can consciously choose how to react to situations, thus choosing empathy and compassion over automatic, self-centered responses.
The speech encourages mindful living, urging individuals to examine their surroundings and challenge the assumptions that govern their daily lives. Ultimately, overcoming default settings leads to a more compassionate and meaningful existence, marked by intentional choices rather than unconscious reactions.
The Fish Metaphor
Wallace introduces a story of two young fish who are unaware of the water they swim in. This illustrates how we often fail to notice the most obvious and important aspects of our lives.
Explanation of the Story
The fish metaphor, central to David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water,” begins with two young fish encountering an older fish. The older fish greets them, asking, “Morning, boys, how’s the water?”. The younger fish swim on, and one asks, “What the hell is water?”. This anecdote highlights our obliviousness to the ubiquitous, fundamental aspects of our existence.
It underscores how easily we overlook the things that are constantly around us, shaping our perceptions and experiences. The “water” represents the underlying realities and assumptions that govern our lives, often unnoticed because of their constant presence. Wallace uses this simple story to introduce a deeper exploration of awareness and the importance of questioning our default settings. The fish’s ignorance is a mirror to our own.
Interpretation of the Water’s Meaning
In David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water,” the ‘water’ symbolizes the everyday realities that surround us, often unnoticed and taken for granted. It represents the social, economic, and personal environments that shape our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The inability of the young fish to recognize the water reflects our own frequent blindness to these pervasive influences.
Wallace suggests that true awareness involves recognizing and understanding these underlying forces, rather than passively accepting them. By becoming conscious of the “water,” we can gain control over our perceptions and choices, moving beyond our default settings of self-centeredness and negativity. The water’s meaning is not just about recognizing our physical environment but also acknowledging the mental and emotional frameworks that dictate our experiences, fostering empathy and compassion in our daily lives.
Impact and Legacy
David Foster Wallace’s speech has had a profound impact, offering a timeless guide to navigating life’s complexities. Its enduring relevance lies in its compassionate message and practical wisdom for fostering awareness and empathy.
Reception of the Speech
David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water” commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005 has been widely embraced as a modern classic. The speech is often described as a powerful and poignant reflection on consciousness and mindful living. Many find it a timeless trove of wisdom, offering a practical guide to navigating the complexities of daily life with awareness and empathy.
The speech’s impact is evident in its widespread circulation online, with transcripts, audio recordings, and illustrated versions readily available. It’s regarded as more than just a speech; it’s viewed as a life-changing philosophy that resonates deeply with listeners and readers.
The reception highlights the speech’s ability to connect with people on a personal level, offering insights that help them through difficult times and promote a more compassionate approach to life. Its truthful, funny, and warm tone has solidified its place as a work of a wise and kind man.
Enduring Relevance
The enduring relevance of David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water” stems from its profound insights into the human condition and its practical guidance for navigating daily life. Despite being delivered in 2005, its themes of awareness, empathy, and conscious choice continue to resonate with audiences today. In an age of increasing anxiety and distraction, the speech offers a timeless message about the importance of paying attention to the world around us and choosing how we respond to it.
The core of its message—stepping outside our default settings to cultivate compassion—remains deeply relevant. It provides a framework for meaningful living that transcends specific contexts, offering wisdom applicable across generations. This lasting impact is why “This Is Water” continues to be shared, discussed, and cherished as a vital resource for cultivating a more thoughtful and compassionate existence. The speech is a guide to navigating the complexities of modern life.