"This Is Water"-David Foster Wallace Meditation

When I saw that this video was an excerpt from a commencement speech delivered at a college, i was expecting the same, ordinary, run of the mill speech. I was expecting a somewhat bland reiteration of "inspirational" words about how anyone can go on to become the next innovator or world leader if they really put their mind to it.  In a way, I was pleasantly surprised. This was interesting and very new. I was totally unprepared for his point. He basically opened by saying adult life consists largely of mundane and boring tasks, and is very frustrating. Yet he continued to make what I believe to be a very worthwhile point: all of that seemingly annoying filler in our days is almost necessary to life. Without those times, we wouldn't truly appreciate the good in life. He also makes the point that we should try to make an effort to view all of those annoying situations from the other people's perspectives. However, while I think all of these points are fantastically conceived and well worth consideration, they seem more appropriate for perhaps a guidance or career counselor's office. They are a sobering picture of the true monotony of daily life. I find his method of getting these salient points across to be unnecessarily depressing. While I appreciate his points, and may even try to consider other people's lives more often, I prefer my commencement speeches inspirational, and I felt that this was framed in a depressing manner. As a senior in high school, I can honestly say that a life such as the one David Foster Wallace describes is most definitely not one I am particularly excited to begin living. I will certainly be sure to appreciate all the new experiences and people I am sure to have in college, and will be sure to keep my life monotony free for as ing as I possibly can. Hopefully, I can avoid the "water," as he puts it, for a long time.