




        In David Foster Wallace’s “This is water”, Wallace touches on many concepts and ideas. The speech is very well thought out and encourages listeners to question the world around them, as well as think of things in perspectives other than their own. Wallace refers to people who are able to think in a different perspective as being “Well-adjusted”, but what else does being well-adjusted mean? In reality, being what Wallace calls well-adjusted means a lot of things. It means being able to think of how events and situations affect someone other than yourself. It means being able to recognize the world around you without taking things for granted and doing more than simply going through the motions. These are the points Wallace touched on in his commencement speech to the graduating class of Kenyon college in 2005. But is that all that comes with being well-adjusted? The simple answer to that question is no. The more complex answer to that question is that being well-adjusted is a combination of the previously mentioned attributes as well as others, like being truly exceptional in the way you go about life, opening the way you think, and being free to care and help others without fear of being persecuted or frowned upon by the world around you. This is important because being well-adjusted is arguably the pinnacle of human understand and a highly sought-after status.

        How can one be considered truly exceptional? In the first instance of the concept of being well-adjusted Wallace states, “People who can adjust their natural default setting this way are often described as being ‘well-adjusted’, which I suggest to you is not an accidental term.” (Wallace XII). So in simple terms, those who can turn off their natural default setting (Wallace explains our default setting is one in which we think of things in relation to how we as individuals are affected rather than think of how others are effected) are exceptional. They are exceptional because of how hard it is to get out of that default settings we as humans are almost automatically subjected to. It is not a simple task to do, but those who can think in the perspective of someone else or who can simply take into account a different take on a situation embody the idea of exceptionalism and understanding. There are not many things that are more coveted by humans than the feeling of being understood, which is why part of being well-adjusted is being exceptional in the fact that you have the ability to understand others.

        The way a person thinks is also a big part of being well-adjusted. Wallace states, “...Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience.” (Wallace XIII) Wallace uses this quote to show the reader what it means to open your way of thinking. Thinking in an open mindset means more than just going with the first thing that may pop up in your mind, it means actively paying attention to the information you are receiving and considering every possibility when you try to make meaning of it or turn into some life lesson or concept.  To effectively think you have to consider things from all relevant points of view and place meaning after you have carefully examined these perspective. This is what makes open-mindedness also apart of being well-adjusted, it is not a task that is easily done. Being in that default setting and only thinking of yourself is not thinking in the right, “well-adjusted” way.  You cannot be unaware/inattentive while also be well-adjusted, those two are mutually exclusive from each other.

       Exercising your personal freedom is an ability that personifies the concept of being well-adjusted. Wallace explains, “The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day.” (Wallace XVI) This is a concept that is much easier said than done. Being able to sacrifice day in and day out for those you care about is an incredible task. You have to be able to give up personal time for those you care about. You have to cope with the fact that the world may look at you differently for making these sacrifices. You have to break out of your default setting. In the end though, being there and sacrificing for those you care about may possibly be the most important point of being well-adjusted. Sacrificing for others is the ultimate display of understanding, it breaks you out of going through the motions and makes you get over yourself. If you can’t make sacrifices for those you love, then you can you truly consider yourself exceptional? Are you able to see things in a different perspective if you can’t go out of your way for others? Are you able to think effectively if you can’t get out of your default setting? The answer, essentially, is no.  Not being able to set aside pride to help others and being well-adjusted is just like being unaware and not attentive and being well-adjusted, not related. It is impossible to be well-adjusted until one can become comfortable with being that caring and understanding person and live with their sacrifices. This is the true definition of being well-adjusted. 

     Being well-adjusted is no easy feat. It takes a multitude of things: commitment, sacrifice, awareness, effective thinking skill, and being truly exceptional. You have to make a commitment to those you care about and be there to help and make sacrifices for them. You have to be able to think the right way, that is thinking of things outside of yourself and considering alternative perspectives and outlooks on information and life. You have to be exceptional and be able to get out of the automatic default setting. But in the end the benefits and satisfaction of being a well-adjusted person outweigh the sacrifices made to achieve this state of mind and staus. It is the pinnacle of human understanding and a highly coveted status. Being well-adjusted means to be free, to be educated. “That is real freedom. That is being educated, and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.” (Wallace XVI) If the options are being well-adjusted or the alternative, there no doubt that the former is the better option. 


