
For most Americans, everyday consists of constant struggles varying from work related issues, to relationship based problems, to even environmental concerns. Everyone struggles, everyone worries, and everyone has their to-do list that they believe is longer than the person’s next to them. The truth is that no one knows exactly what someone else is going through and due to that lack of knowledge, we tend to make decisions that can be seen as ethically incorrect. An individual is defined by how they handle personal choices and decisions that will impact the lives of others. By looking at David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water”, one can see how the author portrays individuality as a stepping stone for moral decision making, which is important because individual decisions affect one’s community as much as they affect the individual. 

In our generation, it seems that individuals are progressing towards egocentric and self-centered values. Foster Wallace says “Everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe” which is what is entirely corrupt with today’s society (12). We are always busy trying to accomplish daily tasks that we are missing out on society’s truest aspects that revolve around human interaction. He goes into depth on why individuals need to actually see the society around them and recommends people experience life each week, each day, each moment at a time. We often focus on the future instead of the present and by doing so, we’re missing out on connections and interactions that could be made. He then suggests that he too understands the frequent exhaustion of life’s to-do list, but still encourages each individual to consider others’ lives in the same, if not worse, situations than their own. What are they going through? Do they have food to eat for dinner or a place to sleep tonight? These questions may be brought to certain extremes, but the truth of it all is that one never truly knows what others are going through. Foster Wallace suggests that individuals have the decency to consider other’s situations before considering their own. Understandably, this can be an extremely difficult concept to grasp and it is known that in life one will often fail and one will often succeed; however, repetition leads to higher success rates. This means the more times one tries to improve their morals, the higher rate of success they will have in doing so and in trying to put others first.

In his speech, Foster Wallace references how religion affects what individuals choose to worship and how what individuals choose to worship affects their moral decisions. His belief is that everyone worships, no matter their religion or lack of. He proposes the idea if one worships money and materialistic things, they will never feel satisfied. Life isn’t about the tangible items one possesses, but about the relationships they make and lessons they learn along the way. The author supports the lesson of putting others before oneself. He recommends individuals build relationships with one another, even with those who one typically wouldn’t relate with. He isn’t suggesting someone marry a person they just met, but more so directing that individual to smile at the elderly man who is walking at snail’s pace in the frozen section of the grocery store or to let the frantic mother skip to the front of the checkout line. These scenarios happen daily, but humans tend to get so caught up in themselves that they ignore the signs and connections they could make around them. Foster Wallace says: “The only thing that's capital- T True is that you get to decide how you're going to try to see it. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship” (15). He clearly emphasizes the pronoun you to show that each individual has the power to make their own decisions. When individuals are wise to worship, they make logical decisions that will positively impact their societal interactions.

Foster Wallace suggests everything that makes up an individual impacts their moral decision-making process. Certain ideas that contribute to the make-up of an individual are their ideas towards worship, their awareness of society, and their outlook on life and personal interactions. The author uses these subgroups to outline his idea that individuals are blind to reality. “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” (17). This line is so powerful because it reveals the insensitivity individuals demonstrate when progressing through their personal lives, completely disregarding society. When juggling jobs, working on family relations, or building personal connections, everything can be difficult to manage and the author realizes that. However, he suggests that at some point during the day, try going beyond personal struggles and realize what others are going through. By extending a helping hand to someone else, it can increase positivity in both individuals involved. When one is aware of those individuals that make up society and contribute to the present environment, they are practicing the positive moral decision-making process that the author is encouraging.

Foster Wallace asks that each individual focuses on putting someone else’s needs above their own and one can practice this with simple acts of kindness. These acts can go a long way, especially when someone is feeling overwhelmed or stressed from their daily struggles. Theories have shown that simple acts such as holding the door open for a stranger, giving someone a hug, or simply smiling at an individual can improve their day and even provide them with a sense of belonging or worth. One’s decision to take a moral stand and reflect on their life second will lead to positive outcomes in the lives of those put first. The decision is always up to the individual and how that individual acts with those interpersonal relationships will lead to the domino effect, impacting society as a whole.
