5 ms·

David Foster Wallace's Kenyon Commencement Speech (2005)

90 points by johnjwang 12y ago

pixelmonkey 12y ago
My favorite part from this speech, "Everybody Worships." http://www.pixelmonkey.org/2014/11/26/everybody-worships http://www.pixelmonkey.org/2014/11/26/everybody-worships
rudimental 12y ago
Here's a link to audio of David Foster Wallace reading the speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYGaXzJGVAQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYGaXzJGVAQ
techpeace 12y ago
Selections from this speech were used to create the "This is Water" video (which I love) that made the rounds in 2013: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-behind-water-inspiring-video-people-cant-stop-watching-149324 http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-behind-water-inspiring-v...
- fonnesbeck 12y ago
  I watch this video every 3 months. Its message is so important, yet easy to forget.
- orbitur 12y ago
  I found the sound effects too distracting. It's a shame you can't turn them off and just hear the speech with the video.
- zemvpferreira 12y ago
  I've found the youtube video of DFW delivering the speech to be much better. It's unpolished and has no visuals, and there's a lot moRe silence in which to digest: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI
  - wldcordeiro 12y ago
    I prefer this version as well. The other one shortens it and cuts out some great parts.
Jun8 12y ago
Classic! I always thought that there should be a course (ideally starting from middle school but definitely in college), perhaps called Life Engineering, where kids/young adults are taught tools to help them shape their lives. Alongside this, pg's essay "What You Wish You'd Known" (http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html) and Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" (http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html) would be included in class materials. This class should would also teach you important little life skills like how to tie your shoes better using the Ian knot (http://lifehacker.com/5451765/ditch-the-granny-knot-to-tie-your-shoes-more-efficiently http://lifehacker.com/5451765/ditch-the-granny-knot-to-tie-y...), how to match clothing items so that you don't look like a total clown (unless intentional), how to write legibly with proper handwriting, etc.
- JoshMilo 12y ago
  I wish I had that kind of class growing up. Even a basic life skills class would be helpful. It would be much better than all those "teachers aide" classes I took in high school.
  - ilzmastr 12y ago
    http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/university_of_life http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/university_of_life
- jtheory 12y ago
  I don't know about the shoe-tying, but yes, this would have been great. How to talk to people you don't know, how to consider what other people are thinking, how to nourish healthy relationships (and the many possible options for not-so-healthy relationships). Practice semi-public speaking. How to become an "expert" on something. I think many of "how to your life" type classes might run afoul of parents' preferences, though, for younger students (how to talk about religion?), and run into the limitations of the professors for older students -- professors aren't necessarily good representatives for interesting and unusual life choices, especially if they're never really left academia since they were students themselves.
- 12y ago
jtheory 12y ago
I have to laugh a bit about his comments on point of view, and arrogance. The atheist prays, and is rescued by a couple of passing Eskimos -- he credits the Eskimos (no God involved), the believer credits God, and I (somewhat arrogantly) notice that: - the "experiment" doesn't offer any evidence in either direction, BUT - prayer in a life-or-death situation does seem like it would strengthen religious belief, because if someone prays and dies, well, that's that. They're not around to tell others how prayer failed them. But those that pray and survive will preach the seeming intercession to the world with utter conviction. This is why his other points about worship are excellent -- if I take intellectual agility or rationality to the level of worship, and keep a self-centered focus, well, I just have to run into someone who's mastered this far more than I have to be deflated.
olivierlacan 12y ago
A beautiful video was made from this speech by The Glossary, it's available here: https://vimeo.com/68855377 https://vimeo.com/68855377 The story behind it is here: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-behind-water-inspiring-video-people-cant-stop-watching-149324 http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-behind-water-inspiring-v...
joshjkim 12y ago
I mean, this is the best. Here's my random tip: I have this copy/pasted into an e-mail so that I can forward to friends and random people when it comes up - easy way to share such an insanely valuable read.
juddlyon 12y ago
This is a wonderful speech. Wish we still had him with us.
TheMagicHorsey 12y ago
I can't relate to the way this guy feels in traffic or in crowded supermarkets.

90 points by johnjwang 12y ago

My favorite part from this speech, "Everybody Worships." http://www.pixelmonkey.org/2014/11/26/everybody-worships http://www.pixelmonkey.org/2014/11/26/everybody-worships

rudimental 12y ago

Here's a link to audio of David Foster Wallace reading the speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYGaXzJGVAQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYGaXzJGVAQ

techpeace 12y ago

Selections from this speech were used to create the "This is Water" video (which I love) that made the rounds in 2013: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-behind-water-inspiring-video-people-cant-stop-watching-149324 http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-behind-water-inspiring-v...

fonnesbeck 12y ago
I watch this video every 3 months. Its message is so important, yet easy to forget.
orbitur 12y ago
I found the sound effects too distracting. It's a shame you can't turn them off and just hear the speech with the video.
zemvpferreira 12y ago
I've found the youtube video of DFW delivering the speech to be much better. It's unpolished and has no visuals, and there's a lot moRe silence in which to digest: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI
- wldcordeiro 12y ago
  I prefer this version as well. The other one shortens it and cuts out some great parts.

Jun8 12y ago

Classic! I always thought that there should be a course (ideally starting from middle school but definitely in college), perhaps called Life Engineering, where kids/young adults are taught tools to help them shape their lives. Alongside this, pg's essay "What You Wish You'd Known" (http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html) and Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" (http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html) would be included in class materials. This class should would also teach you important little life skills like how to tie your shoes better using the Ian knot (http://lifehacker.com/5451765/ditch-the-granny-knot-to-tie-your-shoes-more-efficiently http://lifehacker.com/5451765/ditch-the-granny-knot-to-tie-y...), how to match clothing items so that you don't look like a total clown (unless intentional), how to write legibly with proper handwriting, etc.

JoshMilo 12y ago
I wish I had that kind of class growing up. Even a basic life skills class would be helpful. It would be much better than all those "teachers aide" classes I took in high school.
- ilzmastr 12y ago
  http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/university_of_life http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/university_of_life
jtheory 12y ago
I don't know about the shoe-tying, but yes, this would have been great. How to talk to people you don't know, how to consider what other people are thinking, how to nourish healthy relationships (and the many possible options for not-so-healthy relationships). Practice semi-public speaking. How to become an "expert" on something. I think many of "how to your life" type classes might run afoul of parents' preferences, though, for younger students (how to talk about religion?), and run into the limitations of the professors for older students -- professors aren't necessarily good representatives for interesting and unusual life choices, especially if they're never really left academia since they were students themselves.
12y ago

jtheory 12y ago

I have to laugh a bit about his comments on point of view, and arrogance. The atheist prays, and is rescued by a couple of passing Eskimos -- he credits the Eskimos (no God involved), the believer credits God, and I (somewhat arrogantly) notice that: - the "experiment" doesn't offer any evidence in either direction, BUT - prayer in a life-or-death situation does seem like it would strengthen religious belief, because if someone prays and dies, well, that's that. They're not around to tell others how prayer failed them. But those that pray and survive will preach the seeming intercession to the world with utter conviction. This is why his other points about worship are excellent -- if I take intellectual agility or rationality to the level of worship, and keep a self-centered focus, well, I just have to run into someone who's mastered this far more than I have to be deflated.

olivierlacan 12y ago

A beautiful video was made from this speech by The Glossary, it's available here: https://vimeo.com/68855377 https://vimeo.com/68855377 The story behind it is here: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-behind-water-inspiring-video-people-cant-stop-watching-149324 http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-behind-water-inspiring-v...

joshjkim 12y ago

I mean, this is the best. Here's my random tip: I have this copy/pasted into an e-mail so that I can forward to friends and random people when it comes up - easy way to share such an insanely valuable read.

juddlyon 12y ago

This is a wonderful speech. Wish we still had him with us.

TheMagicHorsey 12y ago

I can't relate to the way this guy feels in traffic or in crowded supermarkets.