David Foster Wallace: This Is Water

> In the speech, Wallace digs into higher education and what the true value of it might be. He suggests that its end-game purpose is not to teach students facts and figures or fill their heads with knowledge – but instead, it brings the most value to students by teaching them how to consciously choose how to think from a perspective that is not your own, think about meaning, and act appropriately in everyday life.

The more time I spend alive, the more I relate to the idea that the best thing you can do for yourself is have a good, optimistic mindset. Not a naive one. But one that remembers you are not the center of the universe, that others have problems too (some bigger than your own) and that we are all just trying to survive with minimal suffering along the way.

When you are stuck in your head, constantly thinking about how all the things in the world are impacting YOU negatively, you just end-up in a feedback loop of negativity and lost perspective.

People say this kind of thing a lot. Find the balance between making sure you have what you need and making sure you are not trying to have more than you will ever need.

I find it’s people who have more than enough that say that generally.

I think the takeaway is don’t look for your value in the way others see you. You will never be good enough.

“If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you.”