This is Water - David Foster Wallace

I appreciate the level of honesty behind David Foster Wallace's speech, without the "rhetorical niceties," but I cannot say I look forward to the dreadfully mundane life he described. As a high school senior, beginning my second semester, such a life seems imminent, just around the corner, waiting on the other side. I find this highly inspirational. I, like David Foster Wallace, find freedom in the ability to choose, to decide how I will experience my life. This ability to take a different outlook offers the opportunity to greatly reduce the amount of stress felt every day. I think this opportunity should be taken advantage of. I truly admire the brutal honesty employed while Wallace spread the reality of what was to come, and I think it is because of that honesty his speech has reached its level of renown. This honesty is quite difficult to come by. Generally speaking, people may not appreciate a word of truth, but would rather have it "fluffed" so everything seems grand. Eventually many may stumble upon the boredom mentioned in this speech and wonder what happened and how it happened. This speech seems like a great preparatory speech, acting not so much as a warning of the way things will be, but simply describing what he says is not often mentioned. I think accepting reality is a good way to begin changing how it is experienced. Wallace also describes a way of looking at things differently. I enjoy such creativity, but I also find it difficult to stop and consider how someone else might feel, especially when I am not in the mood for whatever annoyance that person might have to offer. Overall, I would say I enjoyed Wallace's humble, honest speech with its description of the banal facets of life and wonderful stories involving fish to illustrate such facets.