This is Water by David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace:

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?”

David’s 2005 commencement speech at Kenyon College is a beautifully written summary of a simple method to be a better person. He reminds the graduating class to fight our default mode that we are the center of the universe. He has many other lessons as well.

The whole trick is keeping this truth up front in consciousness within daily life. He begs us to use empathy everywhere we’re ripe for frustration. We should pause, fight our default mode, so we can judge less and instead ponder the other person’s situation. It’s likely they have a valid reason for their actions or is going through something we can’t comprehend.

It’s a call for patience, grace, and understanding. Something we can all strive for more of. It’s a reminder to choose intentionality and remember how to think instead of living an unconscious existence.

Come for the wisdom, but you’ll at minimum get an example of masterful prose. I suggest you listen to it on a regular interval to keep it front-of-mind. I have a recurring to-do list item so that I listen every couple of months so that I remember how I’m supposed to think.

Thank you, David.