In David’s Foster Wallace’s, This is Water, he utilizes repetition to argue the importance of making educated and thoughtful decisions. By repeating the words “choice” and “differently” many times throughout the text, Wallace drives the message that we need to make conscious decisions about how we live our lives day to day. Not only how we live our lives but also how we view other individual’s lives. It is just about, if not entirely, impossible for two distinct individuals to be exactly the same and live the same life. No two individuals are precisely the same as each other. All individuals are uniquely different in there own way, which makes them their own individual. We need these differences in order to make us diverse, and as a country, we pride ourselves on being diverse and assorted. 

According to Wallace, everyone interprets things differently because of there “ two different belief templates and two different ways of constructing meaning from experience” (xi). Repeating the word “different” in this passage emphasizes how different individuals make different decisions. If individuals were not different, life would be exceptionally exhausting. There would not be anything new for us to learn and be able to enhance our knowledge. There would not be any new experiences for us to hear about through the grapevine. The majority of our religious practices would be the exact same, as well as our languages, accents, backgrounds, and values. We need variety within a country in order to thrive. Our differences allow us to be aware of the world around us and be caring of other individuals. By being observant and penalized, we demonstrate that we truly care and think about other individuals, regardless of how different they are. 

Unfortunately, some individuals choose to be oblivious and unaware to their surroundings of the environment. That can change within the blink of an eye. We need to “choose to look differently” (xv) by being “just a little less ignorant” (xii) to see the lives of others clearly. We need to consider other individuals within our daily lives rather than continually always putting ourselves first. Individuals tend to have bad days possibly awful days, however it is possible that another person is having a more terrible day than you. If we keep continuing to pay no attention to our differences, we will be inconsiderate and irritable, when someone might need a hand or a shoulder to cry or lean on. Instead, we should think intentionally, see everyone’s differences, and act in a proper way. By all individuals changing their focus and looking at a situation in an unexpected way, they can acknowledge how another person is encountering it. Ignorance can be bliss, however not in the event if you are discriminating. Children tend not to discriminate not only because they don’t know that individuals are different, but the fact that they couldn’t care less. They are ignorant of how society expects them to act, but not in the differences amongst individuals. Without understanding, they acknowledge everybody’s differences, since it doesn’t make a difference to them.

Later in the text, Wallace includes a depiction of individuals at a grocery store. He explains this as a “dreary, annoying, seemingly meaningless routine” (xiv). After providing this image for his audience, he juxtaposes it with a new mindset. Wallace puts this situation into perspective by adding possible context for what the other individuals are experiencing He explains that “you can choose to look differently at this fat, dead-eyed, over-made-up lady who just screamed at her kid in the checkout line” (xv), and by doing so you have consciously made a better decision. Again here you are being aware of your surroundings, which allow you to care about different individuals. 

Through This Is Water, Wallace establishes a way to better one’s life through choices and acceptance of different individuals. Everything in life is a choice, and that is a true freedom for us. Being unconscious to how we think would cause us to lead miserable lives. We are the only ones able to make a choice for ourselves that will improve the quality of our own life and possibly the lives of others around us. We will always have choice to be able to control what we want in our lives. The life we live may not be the best but it is considered a blessing compared to others. 
