David Foster Wallace gave the commencement address at the graduation of the Kenyon College class of 2005. Most graduation speeches are very cliché, but Wallace manages to drive home his important and insightful message about the power of self-awareness and choice in one’s life. He uses relatable, real-life situations to convey his point and even ties in faith and God in a way that makes his message really stick with the audience of college graduates, but without being too preachy to a mostly college-age audience. David Foster Wallace uses repetitive hypothetical situations to convey his point that self-awareness is important in day to day struggles and how the power of choice, specifically the choice to be self-aware, can dictate a person’s overall happiness with life.

Nobody likes to be stuck in traffic. Wallace alludes to this common, frustrating scenario with a hypothetical. He proposes that after a long day at work you get stuck in traffic on your way to buy groceries that you forgot you even needed and are understandably frustrated. This would irk anybody but Wallace reminds the reader in this hypothetical that although you are upset with the situation (traffic), there are other people in the same situation as you but in a much worse place altogether, and that the power of choice comes into play when considering this. Wallace says, “The point is that petty, frustrating crap like this is exactly where the work of choosing comes in”. (Wallace XIV) For example, choosing to consider that a father could be stuck in the same traffic that you’re in but instead of the grocery store he could be rushing to the hospital with a bleeding child in the backseat. Wallace describes how choosing to think that life could be much worse and choosing to think of other people and the possible situations they could be facing can improve whatever situation we find ourselves in.

The choice to remain self-aware is the main truth of life that will keep a person happy. Sometimes taking a deep breath and putting your whole situation and world in the perspective of what is or could be going on around you goes a long way. Wallace describes how it is natural to consider oneself the center of the universe, because, naturally, we think about ourselves first. To us, our thoughts and feelings come first because we are the ones thinking them, as opposed to others’ thoughts and feelings, which have to be communicated to us. Wallace seems to imply to the reader that the saying “it could be worse” always rings true and it is important to recognize that when things seem bad. This is not meant to belittle your problems but only to put them into the proper perspective. This theme of perspective is repeated quite often in Wallace’s speech. Wallace then explains how in a world full of confusion, “The only thing that’s capital-T True is that you get to decide”. (Wallace XV) With all that goes on in day to day life, having the power to decide is a freeing and comforting truth to realize. The choice to be self-aware, according to Wallace, is a powerful, conscious choice that can drastically improve one’s life. Self-awareness is a choice to be made by a person that can help a person be content.

Wallace then goes on to delve into the topic of faith and worship, something that many people consider very dear to them. Wallace explains how even if people claim they are atheist, or worship nothing, there is no such thing as not worshipping. Wallace introduces this idea by saying, “There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what”. (Wallace XVI) He uses this story to convey to the reader the idea of worshipping. Worship is a natural part of being a human, and it comes about because of the need for true satisfaction that every human being has. Everybody worships something, even if it is not a divine spirit. People worship material objects, money, success, or even other people. People are bound to worship, but the power of choice comes into play when deciding what we worship. Wallace says you can worship whatever you want and as often as you want but true satisfaction will never be reached because it is human condition to yearn for more than what we currently have. Worshipping is an unconscious aspect of the human condition, choosing what to worship, however, can be a conscious action with enough self-awareness. This idea can be linked back to the idea of maintaining a proper perspective that Wallace also talks about. Keeping things, like what one chooses to worship or not, in perspective goes a long way in maintaining happiness. Choosing what to worship, what not to worship, and being self-aware enough to make that choice helps a person to not get lost in worship of subjects that leave a person unsatisfied.

People find themselves in frustrating situations every single day, but the power of choice can make these difficult situations feel a little less stressful. The choice to think that maybe your life is not all that bad just because you are currently in what you consider to be a bad situation is a very optimistic way of viewing life. The most powerful truth in life is that everybody has the power to make their own choices, whether it be in daily life or in the way you see the world. Choice is a powerful thing because, if used positively, can drastically change the way a person sees the world. Choosing to think of others, choosing what to worship and prioritize and not getting lost in your worship, and choosing to be self-aware are keys that David Foster Wallace points to in his commencement address. 
