Awareness In Water
David Foster Wallace’s speech, “This is Water”, advocates for an awareness of our consciousness and perspective in day-to-day life. He claims that avoiding our “self-centric” nature and focusing on more positive alternatives keeps us grounded and allows us to master our thinking. When reading this speech for the first time I drew immediate parallels to my journey as a swimmer. The time consuming nature of the sport and the consistent repetition of spending 2 hours a day staring at the black line at the bottom of the pool, reinforces the “day in, day out” mentality. My coach would impart various sayings to us as well, unlike Wallace however, my coach takes joy in being the older fish. The most impactful adage that my coach has said, and relates closest to Wallace's awareness, is to stay in your lane.
When he first said it to me as a starting swimmer, it was probably to avoid me constantly messing around with others or being too rowdy in the pool, just “stay in my own lane” and do the set. As I got faster and less chaotic, the meaning of the saying changed, it applied less to what I was doing physically than how I was responding mentally. This idea of staying mentally present allows us to realize the fullest potential of the moment. Losing the sabotage of the uncertain future or the uncontrollables in our life lets us do what we need to do when we need to do it. This is idea of presence and awareness goes hand in hand with allowing us to maximize our experiences in life
Hi Jonathan! I really like how you included your own personal experience of swimming and connected it to Wallace's idea of being more aware of life. I also liked how you used a quote from someone you view as a mentor and analyzed how it was the closest to Wallace's philosophy.
ReplyDeleteConnecting yourself and a mentor as the older and younger fish presented in the speech as well as presenting your own experience being the younger fish helps to assert the point of Wallace’s speech and shows what effect it could’ve had on the college students present.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talked about the relevance of what Wallace said in your own life. It was really interesting to read about how the meaning of “stay in your lane” changed over time for you.
ReplyDeleteJohnnySwims! I think that the inclusion of your personal experiences gave your words a very personal touch that helps readers further analyze the meaning of Wallace's words. Just like how Wallace used several anecdotes to help his audience understand the real-life applicability of his message, you tied in your own story of how you learned to think, not how you were taught to think.
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