In
his speech, David Foster Wallace is saying that most humans make their
decisions automatically based on themselves. Everything we do is on our
“default setting” and because of that we become dead and like robots. In this
speech he also states a solution to this problem with society. He says that we
all need to look at things without simply thinking about ourselves. We need to
put ourselves in the shoes of those around us and consider their lives. If we
do that, then we might stop getting so angry at the world when it doesn’t do
what we want. What was most important is that he said that it was our choice to
accept his method or to keep looking at the world through ourselves. I
completely agree with this idea because if we can consciously decide how to act
around people then and how to view them, then we should be able to change how
we view the world.
I
find this as a very credible idea because even though it would be extremely hard,
it is possible to look at the world without putting yourself in the center.
Many times when you get upset with someone, someone will tell you to put
yourself in that person’s shoes so that you can understand where they are
coming from. It’s basically like that but on a broader scale. Not only do I
think that you could do it, I think that it could work. Your mind opens up to
new possibilities when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and that’s a
lot better than getting mad at the world.
I
will admit that I never have even thought to look at the world this way. I have
always been on my “default setting” and looked at the world as if it revolved
around me. It really is the easiest thing to do since we don’t actually think
about doing it. However, I will try this method of looking at the world and see
if I can pull it off. It will be a lot of work since my thoughts usually come
first before others and I like my thoughts. I’ll try this method because I like
the thought that maybe I’m the only person in the world that’s feeling these
negative feelings and act on them. The students could have had a negative or a
positive reaction to his idea.
I
think that there are two possible reasons why the students clapped when Wallace
was basically insulting them. The first possible reason was that they were in
denial about what he was saying. They heard what he said but didn’t fully
process it as towards them as an insult. The other possible reason is that they
acknowledge what he is saying as true but don’t actually feel insulted by it.
If everyone does it, then there’s not really a need to be upset. The human race
has faults and we shouldn’t get upset when people point them out. This is
indicative of the fact that some of the audience is already caught up in the
world that he is talking about and that some might still look at the world and
see things that are wrong.
The
way that you reacted to what was said by Wallace really depends on how much you
think about the world. It’s a great idea to look at the world without seeing
yourself as the center. Even if you don’t think that it would work, it could
still be a good exercise for the mind. It is our natural instinct to look at
the world with us as the center. I see it as a kind of challenge to stop thinking
that way all the time. I think that this is a credible idea and I will be
trying it from now on.
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