Oct 10 in Words of Wisdom
This is Water by David Foster Wallace – The Water We Choose to Swim in!
“The most important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.”
In the speech - which would later become known as "This Is Water" - Wallace introduces his argument by using a parable about two young fish swimming along. An older fish passes by and asks, “How’s the water?” The young fish swim on for a bit, and then one turns to the other and asks, “What the hell is water?”
Arrogance
This anecdote serves as a metaphor for our blindness to the most fundamental aspects of our lives. Wallace explains that we are often oblivious to the mental and emotional "water" we swim in—our default settings that dictate how we interpret and react to the world.
One of the most treacherous aspects of this default setting is arrogance.
Wallace shares a story of an atheist and a religious man discussing the former’s near-death experience. Both view the event through their own lenses, each arriving at vastly different conclusions.
Wallace’s point here is that “blind certainty” can imprison us without our knowledge. When we become trapped by our arrogance, we are incapable of seeing the world from other perspectives.
Reject Your Default Setting
Wallace then expands on the concept of the “default setting,” which he defines as the unconscious belief that we are the center of the universe.
This egocentric perspective can turn mundane experiences—like navigating traffic or standing in line at the grocery store—into sources of frustration and misery.
The power of rejecting our default setting lies in choosing to see these everyday annoyances differently. When we choose to recognise the humanity in others, when we choose to see a crowded store not as a hassle but as an opportunity to practice patience and empathy, our experience shifts dramatically.
This is not about suppressing negative feelings but about acknowledging them and choosing a more intentional response.
Find True Freedom
The final lesson Wallace offers is perhaps the most profound: true freedom comes from mastering the power of attention and awareness.
In the latter part of his speech, Wallace warns against the unconscious worship of things like money, power, and beauty. These forms of worship are dangerous not because they are inherently evil, but because they are default settings that enslave us without our consent.
The only antidote is to consciously choose what we give meaning to and where we direct our attention.
“The really important kind of freedom,” Wallace states, “involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day.”
This kind of freedom is found in rejecting the rat race of unconsciousness and embracing the power of choice.
True freedom, then, is not about escaping from constraints but about choosing our constraints wisely.
It’s about the freedom to decide how to think and what to think about.
So, the next time you find yourself defaulting to a state of boredom, annoyance, or misery, pause for a moment.
Ask yourself:
- What is the water I’m swimming in right now? How else could I perceive this situation?
This small act of defiance against your default settings might just lead to a surprising realisation - the water is pretty nice today.
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This is Water by David Foster Wallace – The Water We Choose to Swim in!
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