“This Is Water” is not your everyday commencement speech by any means. David Foster Wallace does not hold back anything, diving head first into the real adult life. He approaches his rhetorical thesis from mainly a mental angle. Wallace repeatedly uses the phrases “natural default setting”, and “learning how to think”, (14) to convey the overall theme of being in control of your mental view on the real world. 

Wallace uses the phrase “natural default setting” (12)  nine times throughout his commencement speech. The definition of the phrase is unveiled in the first usage. Wallace is explaining how we as humans are wired. The human brain is an intricate central processor that has many different setting. The trick is learning how to control and manage these settings. The “natural default setting”, is truly natural in and of its self. We as humans are genetically engineered to believe that each one of us is the center of our own personal universe. Everything we do must revolve around us. Wallace gives us real life examples of our “natural default setting”. Simple everyday things such as watching TV, using a cellphone, or even just driving; they are all “YOURS” (12). However, we never see ourselves as being egocentric, because the society in which we live in looks down upon this trait. It is nearly impossible to not be a self centered human being. 

The other phrase that David Foster Wallace uses in this speech is, “learning how to think” (12). The phrase is ironic because you would never think about “learning how to think”. Wallace discusses how the only way to “rewire” your “natural default setting”, is to be more manual with how you think. Once you learn how to see the world through a different lens, then you can slowly start to control your settings. By settings I mean the way you perceive different situations in the day-to-day adult life. Wallace explains that the odds are not in our favor. However it is not impossible to survive the mind vs reality battle that we call life. The majority of humans become slaves to their minds without even realizing it. The task of “learning how to think”, is a daunting task, it takes self discipline and determination. The most important detail that must be obeyed in order to  “rewire” the “natural default setting”, is mental flexibility. Mental flexibility is key because you have to be able to adapt and adjust with your surroundings in life. You have to be able to alter your “natural default setting”, in order to not become a mental slave. Wallace stats, that people who are “well adjusted” (12) have some control over their own “natural default setting”. Those who can not learn how “drive” their minds manually, are consumed by their “natural default setting”.

The two different phrases, “natural default setting”, and “learning how to think”, are liberally used throughout this commencement speech. Wallace uses the repetition of these phrases and connects them to everyday situations, to convey how our minds work. Wallace discusses how to escape reality. The phrase “natural default setting”, was  used side-by-side with “learning how to think”. Wallace flawlessly ties the two phrases together to work with each other.  The author uses these phrases together to link the real world our minds. Education is technically the bases of this speech, however an alternative meaning of it was expressed by Wallace. Wallace explains how academics complicate the process of rewiring the “natural default setting”. The most vivid real world example that Wallace uses in the speech is the supermarket.  The supermarket was an example that showed how one can choose how to think. Either someone can be a miserable slave to their minds, or they can see things as if they were not the center of the universe. An entirely new window can be opened up on life after you flipped the switch and start manually thinking. Finally Wallace stresses the importance of being self-aware, and “conscious” (17). This point, is in essence, the starting point, and perhaps even the central crux of David Foster Wallace’s rhetorical theme.
