Repetition is a skill, when used correctly by an author, that can have a profound effect on the readers understanding of a story and what the reader gains by reading the story. In “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace, Foster often references the words conscious and unconscious in his speech. By definition, conscious means “to be aware of and responding to one’s surrounding, to be awake” and unconscious means “not aware of one’s surrounding, to be asleep.” This means that as soon as we wake up, we are conscious of everything around us. This is a very literal meaning of the word and is not the deep meaning that Foster wants the reader to understand. Foster uses these words to encourage the audience to be more active thinkers in their everyday lives.

The first use of the word conscious comes midway through the speech as Foster is discussing the belief that everyone thinks they are the center of their own universe. Foster believes that this is our default setting and goes on to say “It’s the automatic way that I experience the boring, frustrating, crowded parts of adult life when I’m operating on the automatic, unconscious belief that I am the center of the world, and that my immediate needs and feelings are what should determine the world’s priorities” (XV). Foster believes that this is an unconscious decision that everyone makes in their lives and that it is simply human nature to think in this manner. He encouraged the audience to change this unconscious way of thinking into a conscious one by having them consider the point of view of others and to try to be more sensitive to the feelings of everyone around them. He acknowledged that this change from an unconscious way of thinking to a conscious way of thinking is not always easy, but implored them to try their best to think of others first. 

A little bit later in the speech, Foster discusses religion and worship. Foster says that even if people say they are not religious and don’t worship a god, everyone worships something. Some worship beauty, sexual allure, material values and money. Foster encourages people to work at accepting the truth that everyone worships something, and this takes a conscious effort every day to accept. “The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness” (XVI) Foster says as he tells the crowd to be honest with themselves. Many people have a hard time accepting the fact that they worship something like money or materials, and this is an unconscious decision to ignore that fact. Foster says that once you make the conscious decision to accept that you are worshipping something, you can change your life for the better. You can stop being weak and afraid by worshipping your own intellect and being confident in your own abilities. This use of the word conscious makes the audience really think about what they worship and if it is truly beneficial for them. If it isn’t beneficial for them, they should make a conscious decision to try to focus their attention elsewhere, and to something that will help them be a better member of society.

Towards the end of the speech, Foster discusses the benefit of the education all of the graduates in the audience have received. Education is freedom, according to Foster, as it allows you to make decisions and think consciously for yourself. “The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing” (XVI). Foster considers the unconsciousness of just flowing through life, not truly understanding the reason for why you do something, a horrible thing. He wants the audience to slow down and think about their actions in life and not to rush through all of their tasks. Sometimes reaching the end goal is not as worthwhile as the lessons learned on the journey to the end. This is where people need to take time to think and reflect on their actions, and consciously consider what they are doing with their lives. They might realize that what they are doing isn’t worth the time, and they could be spending their time doing something more productive to themselves and society. 

Despite Foster encouraging the audience to make conscious decisions in their lives, he knows that it always isn’t the easiest thing to do. “It is unimaginably hard to do this, to stay conscious and alive in the adult world day in and day out” (XVII). Foster sometimes portrayed the conscious decision as the easy and obvious one to make, but in reality it takes time and practice to accomplish this. He encouraged the audience to sometimes make mistakes, but then take time to think about what they can do differently next time to ensure success. This will allow that person to grow from failure and become a better person for their next step in life. Foster also wants the graduates to not get bogged down in the mundane tasks of adult hood like grocery shopping and commuting to and from work. He wants them to use this time to think about their lives and how they can improve it, instead of being frustrated with life because of long checkout lines or rush hour traffic. 

In conclusion, Foster uses the words conscious and unconscious to describe a way of life, not the literal meanings of the words which describe being awake or not. Being conscious in Foster’s eyes means being aware of the decisions you make in life and why you make them. It also means understanding what you worship, why you worship something, and if worshipping this object or idea makes you a better person. Being conscious helps you get through even the most mundane of tasks, by evaluating the positives of these tasks and why they eventually benefit you in the long run. Lastly, being conscious allows us to use the education we have worked hard to earn to be used to its full capacity, allowing us to be positive and contributing members of society. 