In “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace, Foster’s main goal is to explain the real purpose of a liberal arts education. Foster says that the purpose of a liberal arts education is to teach students how to think. By this Foster does not mean the way you think about solving a math problem or the way you analyze a piece of literature, he means in what way do you perceive the world and everyday situations? Foster uses the repetition of the word awareness throughout his commencement speech to help students realize, that they are not the center of every situation, that the day to day slog does not have to be completely unbearable, and that there is more to the world than people allow themselves to recognize.  

As a person it is important to be critically aware of yourself and your certainties. Being self aware is not an easy task to do, and it takes a conscious effort on a daily basis. In “This is Water,” a point Foster makes is that the entire world is not centered around your feelings and your thoughts. Foster says “To be just a little less arrogant” (Wallace XII). By saying this, Foster means that not every situation in your entire day has to be with you as the focal point. This basic self centeredness is a natural instinct, but we never look at it that way because no one wants to think of themselves as a self-centered person. This default setting is so hard to get past because we can not escape our own needs and wants. Foster says “Other people’s thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent, real,” (Wallace XII). In this statement, Foster is saying that it is hard to be consciously aware of other people, especially if you have no idea what is going on in their lives and your problems are literally unescapable. Therefore you have to put in the work to break free from your hard-wired default setting.  

Foster argues that by being consciously aware of yourself you are able to take a step back and look at a situation through another perspective, other than your own. For example, when the average day to day hassles take place and you are stuck in traffic or in a long line at the grocery store, after a perplexing and strenuous day, and all you want to do is go home but instead are stuck thinking “my life sucks,” “this isn't fair” or “what did I do to deserve this.” At this point you need to push yourself to think in a different manner because maybe the people standing around you have had a much worse day than you did. Maybe they are going through a divorce, or every second they are wasting standing in line they are spending more money, that they don't have, for their kids to be in daycare. The point is you don't know, and by not knowing is all the more reason to care. Foster says, “…this is exactly where the work of choosing is gonna come in. Because the traffic jams, crowded aisles, and long checkout lines give me time to think, and if I don't make a conscious decision about how to think and what to pay attention to, I am going to be pissed and miserable every time I have to shop,” (Wallace XIV). This point sums up Foster’s argument because you can exchange these everyday hassles to any other irritating event, and if you are not choosing to be aware of your thoughts in these situations you are constantly going to be miserable. Being aware of your thoughts and the way you look at a day to day situation can reduce your anxiety and anger and make you a much happier person. 

Being aware of what’s around you is just simply caring. It is so easy to look at something and not see it for what it is worth. This often happens because people are not aware of what is right in front of them. This lack of awareness can prevent people from seeing some of the most beautiful things in life. Most people are so caught up in their every day lives that they only take time to be aware of the things they CHOOSE to see. Another point Foster argues is that if you are operating on your natural default setting, you are going to be oblivious to things that happen right in front of you. Fosters argument is proven in a psychological study called the “Door” study. This study demonstrates change blindness, where fifty percent of people don't notice that the person they were talking to was swapped out with a different person. This ties back into the point that Foster makes about being the center of the universe and the center of everything that happens in life. If you just forget about your day to day hassles and how every situation is affecting you and choose to be completely and fully aware of the people and things around you, you might be surprised what amazing things and people you find. 

The main point that David Foster Wallace tries to get across in his commencement speech, “This is water,” is that the real purpose of a liberal arts education is to teach students how to think. And choosing to to pay attention and to be aware is what real freedom is, freedom from our default setting, freedom from being just like every other hard-wired arrogant person in the world. Wallace says, “It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves  over and over: ‘This is water.’ ‘This is water,’”(Wallace XVII). David Foster Wallace is trying to tell the graduating students that staying conscious and alive is essential and a key to a successful and happy life. 
