David Foster Wallace, an American author, gave a commencement address to the graduating class of Kenyon College in 2005. In the speech Wallace presented life with two options, live consciously or resort to our "default-setting." He begins the speech with a parable about two young fish. As the two fish were swimming alone they ran into older fish that says, "Morning boys, how's the water?" The young fish keep swimming and then they look at each other and one says, "What the hell is water?" This parable is Wallace's first example of the simplicity of life.  Sometimes many of us get caught up in the "day in, day out" default-setting that we forget that living a conscious and positive life is a choice.

The default-setting of humans is the everlasting feeling that we are the center of the universe. We fall into this pattern of basic self-centeredness because it's been with us from the day we were born. Wallace remarks, "Think about it; There is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute center of.  The world as you experience it is right there in front of you, or behind you " Most people after this type of statement would begin to talk about morals or virtues, but Wallace believes that getting out of this default-setting is not a matter of virtue rather it is a matter of choosing how to live one's life. We can either live in a world of self-centeredness or in a conscious world free of interpreting everything through the lens of self. 

Wallace speaks about the reason for a liberal arts degree in his speech. He believes the point of this certain degree is not about "teaching you how to think" rather it is more about "Learning how to think" and training the mind to live consciously. Living consciously is choosing what to pay attention to during the ever-lasting grind of day in day out. Halfway through the speech Wallace gives examples of everyday tasks such as going to the grocery store or driving through traffic. In these examples, he demonstrates how easy it is to think selfishly. Waiting in a long line, listening to loud people on their phones, watching that one mother screaming at her obnoxious child, such an annoyance right? However, if we learn how to think, how to pay attention, we can decide what has meaning and what doesn't; we learn what to pay attention to and what is irrelevant. At the beginning of the grocery store story Wallace has a very depressed tone, yet as he transitions towards the end of his speech his tone becomes more positive as he introduces the idea of how apply living consciously. Thinking about the seemingly impossible idea that maybe some of these people have bigger problems than I do. 

Wallace believes that everyone worships. The power of worship comes in the choice of what to worship. We have the ability to believe in the teachings of the Bible, the Quran, or any other religious teachings, but we can choose to worship material things such as money. Worshipping anything other than religious teachings will eat you alive. Wallace says, "Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful; it is that they are unconscious. They are default settings." The worship of meaningless things runs on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving and the worship of self. The default-setting leaves us with the feeling of never having enough. If you worship beauty, you will always feel ugly. If you worship intellect, you will always feel stupid and fraudulent. Breaking through this cycle of meaningless worship is vital to living a conscious life.

We built a society that is fueled by the worship of material goods and money. This societal idea that money can buy happiness is the exact nature of the default-setting. It is so easy to follow the herd, to get sucked into this world of I need more. Wallace talks about the amazing personal freedoms we have in our society, yet the really important kind of freedom involves attention, awareness, and disciple. Moreover, we are the masters of our minds and we have the power to pursue greater things when we consciously make the effort to see things in a new light.

Wallace ends his speech with a reference to the parable at the beginning of the story. He says, "The capital-T Truth is about life before death It is about simple awareness-awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, that we have to keep reminding ourselves, over and over: 'This is water, this is water." Awareness is everything. If we are aware of our behavior, the repetitive occurrence of the default-setting, we have the ability to choose to make our lives better and more meaningful. Remembering that the simple things in life are often true is the very nature of remembering, "This is water, this is water." Daily life can distract us from the simplicity of things, and we can get caught up in all the bullshit that is our society today, yet there is a way out. Learning to control our minds, the way we think, and the way we perceive things, is the key to life. Control over such a powerful thing is not easy. It is a constant battle with everyday life and all the distractions it brings. We can let the dull seemingly menial tasks of driving through traffic or getting groceries drag us down and ruin our days, or we can choose to use our minds in a more intelligent and productive way. By choosing what to pay attention to, we can choose how to how to live.  The choice of a conscious life is not an easy thing; it is a battle of the will, yet, this battle yields great rewards. In this struggle we have the ability to fight and come out on top. We can dispel the idea of the default-setting and live a conscious life where we are the master's of our own minds.

