This Is Water

What's "This Is Water" about?

• Commencement Speech: "This Is Water" is a commencement speech delivered by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College in 2005. It explores themes of awareness, choice, and the importance of a liberal arts education.
• Everyday Realities: The speech uses everyday scenarios to highlight how the most obvious and important realities are often the hardest to see and talk about.
• Self-Centeredness: Wallace discusses the natural human tendency towards self-centeredness and the importance of consciously choosing how to think and perceive the world.
• Meaning and Worship: The speech delves into the concept of worship and how what we choose to worship can shape our lives and happiness.

Why should I read "This Is Water"?

• Practical Wisdom: The speech offers practical wisdom on how to live a more conscious and meaningful life, making it relevant for anyone seeking personal growth.
• Insightful Perspective: Wallace provides an insightful perspective on the value of education beyond academic achievements, focusing on critical thinking and awareness.
• Relatable Examples: Through relatable examples, the speech encourages readers to reflect on their own lives and the choices they make daily.
• Universal Themes: The themes of awareness, choice, and self-centeredness are universal, making the speech applicable to a wide audience.

What are the key takeaways of "This Is Water"?

• Awareness and Choice: The importance of being aware of our default settings and consciously choosing how to think and perceive the world.
• Self-Centeredness: Recognizing and overcoming our natural self-centeredness to live a more compassionate and meaningful life.
• Value of Education: Understanding that the true value of a liberal arts education lies in learning how to think critically and choose what to focus on.
• Worship and Meaning: The idea that everyone worships something, and the choice of what to worship can significantly impact our lives.

What are the best quotes from "This Is Water" and what do they mean?

• "This is water": This phrase emphasizes the importance of recognizing the obvious realities around us that we often overlook.
• "Learning how to think": This quote highlights the essence of education as the ability to choose what to think about, rather than just acquiring knowledge.
• "Everybody worships": Wallace suggests that everyone has something they prioritize or value, and this choice can shape their life experience.
• "The freedom of real education": This quote underscores the idea that true education provides the freedom to decide what has meaning and what doesn't.

How does David Foster Wallace use parables in "This Is Water"?

• Fish Story: Wallace begins with a parable about fish to illustrate how the most obvious realities are often the hardest to see.
• Bar Story: He uses a story about two men in a bar to demonstrate how different belief systems can lead to different interpretations of the same experience.
• Purpose of Parables: These parables serve to make complex ideas more relatable and understandable for the audience.
• Engagement Tool: Parables engage the audience by presenting philosophical concepts in a narrative form that is easy to digest.

What is the significance of the title "This Is Water"?

• Metaphor for Awareness: The title serves as a metaphor for the awareness of the everyday realities that surround us but often go unnoticed.
• Central Theme: It encapsulates the central theme of the speech, which is about recognizing and understanding the obvious yet overlooked aspects of life.
• Call to Consciousness: The phrase is a call to live consciously and to question the default settings of our perceptions and thoughts.
• Repetition for Emphasis: Wallace repeats the phrase to emphasize the importance of this awareness in leading a meaningful life.

How does "This Is Water" address the concept of self-centeredness?

• Default Setting: Wallace describes self-centeredness as a natural default setting that everyone has, which places oneself at the center of the universe.
• Awareness and Choice: He argues that being aware of this tendency allows us to choose to think differently and consider others' perspectives.
• Impact on Perception: Self-centeredness affects how we perceive everyday situations, often leading to frustration and unhappiness.
• Overcoming Self-Centeredness: The speech suggests that overcoming this default setting requires conscious effort and is key to living a compassionate life.

What does David Foster Wallace mean by "teaching you how to think"?

• Beyond Knowledge: Wallace suggests that education is not just about acquiring knowledge but about learning how to think critically and make conscious choices.
• Choice of Focus: It involves choosing what to pay attention to and how to construct meaning from experiences.
• Critical Awareness: The phrase implies developing a critical awareness of one's own thoughts and certainties.
• Lifelong Process: Wallace views this as a lifelong process that begins with education but continues throughout adult life.

How does "This Is Water" explore the theme of worship?

• Inevitable Worship: Wallace argues that everyone worships something, whether it's money, power, beauty, or a higher power.
• Consequences of Worship: The choice of what to worship can have profound effects on one's happiness and fulfillment.
• Unconscious Worship: Many forms of worship are unconscious default settings that people slip into without realizing.
• Conscious Choice: The speech encourages making a conscious choice about what to worship to avoid being consumed by it.

What role does liberal arts education play in "This Is Water"?

• Critical Thinking: Wallace emphasizes that a liberal arts education teaches critical thinking and the ability to choose what to think about.
• Value Beyond Material: He argues that the value of such an education lies in its human value, not just material payoff.
• Awareness and Freedom: The education provides the freedom to decide what has meaning and to live a more conscious life.
• Lifelong Learning: Wallace suggests that the lessons of a liberal arts education are applicable throughout one's life, beyond academic settings.

How does "This Is Water" address the challenges of adult life?

• Routine and Frustration: Wallace discusses the mundane routines and petty frustrations that characterize much of adult life.
• Choice in Perception: He emphasizes the importance of choosing how to perceive these challenges to avoid misery and frustration.
• Awareness of Others: The speech encourages considering others' perspectives and experiences to foster empathy and understanding.
• Living Consciously: Wallace argues that living consciously and making intentional choices can transform the experience of adult life.

What is the "real freedom" according to "This Is Water"?

• Attention and Awareness: Real freedom involves the ability to pay attention and be aware of one's thoughts and surroundings.
• Discipline and Effort: It requires discipline and effort to care about others and make sacrifices in everyday situations.
• Beyond Default Settings: Real freedom is about breaking free from unconscious default settings and living a more intentional life.
• Meaningful Life: Wallace suggests that this kind of freedom leads to a more meaningful and fulfilling life, as opposed to being trapped in the "rat race."