This is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio)

David Foster Wallace‘s 2005 commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon College, is a timeless trove of wisdom — right up there with Hunter Thompson on finding your purpose and living a meaningful life.

David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon College is a timeless source of wisdom. He speaks of the need to manage our hard-wired human instincts, rather than remove them. To illustrate his point, he uses two stories: the first of two young fish who meet an older fish and are asked “How’s the water?”, to which they reply “What’s water?”; and the second of two men in a bar, one religious and one atheist, arguing about the existence of God. Wallace suggests that the real value of a liberal arts education is learning how to exercise control over how and what we think. He uses the example of being the centre of the universe to illustrate how we can become slaves to our own thoughts.

Wallace then goes on to describe a typical day in the life of an adult, from getting up in the morning to going to work, coming home and having to go to the supermarket. He explains how this mundane routine can become a prison if we don’t learn to control our thoughts. He encourages us to look at these situations differently and to consider the possibility that everyone else in the same situation is just as bored and frustrated as we are. He suggests that we can choose to look at these situations with compassion and understanding, and to recognize that everyone is going through their own struggles.

Wallace also talks about the importance of choosing what to worship. He argues that if we worship money, power, or our own intellect, we will never feel satisfied and will always be searching for something more. He suggests that the only way to find true freedom is to be aware and conscious of the world around us and to be able to truly care about and sacrifice for other people.

In conclusion, Wallace argues that the real value of a real education is understanding how to think and to stay conscious and alive in the adult world. He encourages us to remember that life is about more than just achieving and wanting, and that the job of a lifetime is to stay conscious and aware of the world around us. He wishes us more than luck in this endeavour. By learning to manage our hard-wired human instincts, we can choose to look at the world with compassion and understanding, and to recognize that everyone is going through their own struggles. We can also choose to worship something greater than ourselves, and to be aware and conscious of the world around us. This is the real value of a liberal arts

📓 This is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio)

👉🏽 David Foster Wallace‘s 2005 commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon College, is a timeless trove of wisdom — right up there with Hunter Thompson on finding your purpose and living a meaningful life. 👉🏽 David Foster Wallace's commencement speech at Kenyon College offers timeless wisdom. 👉🏽 The speech emphasizes the need to manage our human instincts rather than remove them. 👉🏽 Wallace uses two stories to illustrate his point: the fish in water and the religious debate. 👉🏽 The real value of a liberal arts education lies in controlling how and what we think. 👉🏽 Mundane routines can become a prison if we don't learn to control our thoughts. 👉🏽 Looking at situations with compassion and understanding can bring new perspectives. 👉🏽 Everyone is going through their own struggles, so empathy is essential. 👉🏽 Choosing what to worship is important; money and power won't bring true satisfaction. 👉🏽 True freedom comes from being aware and caring for others. 👉🏽 The real value of education is staying conscious and alive in the adult world.

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#Wisdom #Control #Compassion #Awareness #Education