Episode 69 - This Is Water: David Foster Wallace on the Work of Living

This episode is a deep dive into David Foster Wallace’s iconic 2005 Kenyon College speech, famously published under the title This Is Water. The speech is renowned for its raw truth about the hidden work of living a meaningful and aware adult life. Wallace warns graduates about the danger of drifting through life unconsciously, trapped in the "default setting" of self-centeredness. He argues that a real education is about learning how to choose what you think about.

We will explore the profound and often challenging philosophy at the heart of Wallace’s address. The episode unpacks his metaphors, from the fish who don’t know they’re in water to the daily grind of the grocery store. We analyze his argument that the most important kind of freedom involves attention, awareness, and the discipline to care about other people. His speech is a powerful call to consciousness in a world that encourages distraction.

Join us for a meditation on the real value of an education. We explore David Foster Wallace’s timeless lesson on how to stay conscious and alive in the mundane realities of day-to-day existence.