2005 Kenyon College Commencement Speech By David Foster

I am an active member of my school and community. At school I feel that i've gained the respect of my peers being elected as Student Council representative for the past four years. I have also been elected the treasurer of the choir, and secretary of the band. I am part of the Ross Middle School bucket drumming group and have been casted as part of the school theatre’s annual play. After school on Wednesdays I assist Ms. Rullman in helping students with homework and enhancing study methods. I am currently participating in science olympiad and have in the past. I am also an anchor on the popular Good Morning Ross Middle School weekly news show. In addition, I have been a part of National Junior Honor Society which takes part in service projects

George Saunders and David Foster Wallace mention the importance of being kind to one another and the steps necessary in graduation speeches. Both writers state that acting in kindness, ultimately leads to new freedoms and creates an enlightened human being.

In David Foster Wallace’s graduation speech to the Kenyon College Class in two thousand five, This is water, he uses logical and emotional appeals to discuss the importance of critical thinking. He uses the term “conscious” to signal critical thinkers, while those who do not think critically are referred to as “unconscious”. Throughout life we go through different experiences that teach us how to deal with everyday trials and tribulations. Therefore, Structuralism will be the literary theory that will be used to describe how Wallace uses human experiences to explain the truths of everyday life.

In David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech “This is Water”, Wallace discusses multiple aspects and instances that will come before us. To begin, Wallace’s speech elaborates to us most importantly that we are not the center of the world. For instance, Wallace states in his speech that a vast majority of the information he tends to be certain in usually results in being completely wrong. An example of this wrong highlighted in this speech is that Wallace states that everything his experience supports the belief that his self is the center of the universe. Relating this to Naikan, Naikan helps the client to consider what they have given to a specific person and what troubles they have caused them. The reason why is to consider one’s perception and the impact they have on others which is not conceived through selfish encounters. This helps Naikan clients to distinguish what positive changes they can implement after introspecting on their relationships and interactions with others.

I believe that existence is comprised of hundreds and millions of different realities intermingling and colliding into one another. I also believe that at the center of each reality there lies the individual who crafted it. Our perception of what is real and false exists solely in our own minds, and our minds are what determines the lense in which we perceive the world. Our perception is largely influenced by our psyche; how we live and think stems from our perception of the world. Our brains are directly influenced by a number of key factors, including but not limited to; societal connotations, individual experience, instinctual desires, environmental factors, and cognitive thought. These factors, as well as other conditions, are what determine our “default setting.” In his noteable “This is Water” speech, given at the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address, David Foster Wallace argues a similar idea as he explains his take on the phrase “teaching you how to think”. Through his use of relatable parables and anecdotes and repetition and reverent focus of words like “choice” and “awareness” he paints a livid picture of the use of conscious choice in our daily lives. He stresses the concept of a self centered “default setting” that comes from an individual's “blind certainty” and the repercussions that deferring to that default can have on an individual's lifestyle and fulfilment. If we are unable to recognise the water in which we dwell we will always remain unaware, stuck in an

Growing up I never really thought about how much kindness could actually change people.We all know how important it is to be kind to one another but I don't think we take into consideration sometimes how much words can effect someone, positively or negatively.. After this tragic event happened I took into consideration the importance of kindness as well as how much people over look the simplicity of it.

College years are commonly seen as a time of life for learning how to think; David Foster Wallace disagrees in his Kenyon commencement speech. Although Wallace acknowledges that a typical commencement speech consists of uplifting messages about the human value of a liberal arts education, he instead expresses what a liberal arts education means to him. Rather than a liberal arts education teaching students how to think for themselves, Wallace instead expresses that a liberal arts education teaches students to exercise control over how and what to think. To clarify, he explains, “it means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning

In David Foster Wallace’s Kenyon Commencement Address, he tells the graduate students that in order to fully receive an education, they first must learn to think. Through his use of dry humor, Wallace gives the college graduates a realistic view on life after college, and how it will be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining and lead to boredom and frustration. However, he provides them with tools to combat these negative emotions in hopes to lessen the stress they will encounter in their daily lives.

We often don’t think about what we do or even how we do things. The “Kenyon Commencement Speech” is teaching us how to think outside of ourselves. David says that hard-wired into our boards at birth is a basic self-centeredness and it’s a part of everyone. No one wants to admit that their world revolves around them, but what they fail to realize is that it’s a choice, a decision that one chooses to make. Reading, thinking, and analyzing this essay can help you realize that as a human being we can’t be self-centered, we have to be aware that life happens. A person can’t be selfish they have to be open-minded to real world situations, unplanned events that occur on an everyday bases.

Have you ever stopped to think about what you were thinking? Or have ever spaced out and knew you were spaced out but didn’t want to space back out? Have you ever noticed that you are always thinking, even if you think you’re not thinking, you’re still thinking? Thinking has a lot to do with perspective in my opinion; it all depends on your own experience and thoughts about the situation you’re thinking about.  

David Foster’s commencement speech to the 2005 graduates of Kenyon College addressed the most obvious reality that people do not wish to or rather not discuss. The reality being people are naturally self-centered. Being self-centered is acceptable to a point because being self-centered promotes self-preservation which is needed. However, being in a constant state of self-centeredness is unhealthy along with narcissistic. David Foster's commencement speech also addressed the fact that we worship something even if it is an unconscious worship and that it is healthy to worship anything as long as you are not blindly following. Provided that blindly worshiping anything prevents a more diverse train of thought. Foster’s speech also described how

“Compassionate people are geniuses in the art of living, more necessary to the dignity, security, and joy of humanity than the discoveries of knowledge.” -- Albert Einstein

As soon as you hold that degree you are going to hear things like, "If you want a great career, you have to pursue your passion, you have to pursue your dreams, you have to pursue the greatest fascination in your life," you hear it again and again, and some will get motivated and decide to do it, and some decides not not to do it.It doesn't matter how many times you download Steven J.'s Stanford commencement address, you still look at it and decide not to do

Treating others with kindness benefits everyone involved. For example, in the story “Angel in Disguise”, the author states "We'll keep her a day or two longer; she is so weak and helpless," said Mrs. Joe Thompson…” She was starting to open up to Maggie and realize that she loves her as if she were her own child. This helps lift Mrs. Thompson’s sprits and shows her that she can feel feelings. This shows how being kind to Maggie made her a more loving person in the end. Additionally, in the article, “Teaching Kindness,” the author states that “As minds and bodies grow, it’s abundantly clear that children require a healthy dose of the warm-and-fuzzies to thrive as healthy, happy, well-rounded individuals.” This is proof that children need kindness

Being kind is another advantageous tip on how to live a happy and healthy life. Committing ourselves to be sympathetic to others along with to ourselves brings a new pinnacle of joy and gusto to us.