DFW-Commencement Speech: The Truth About Life

       This speech is definitely not your conventional commencement speech that you would hear during any type of graduation. On the other hand, this is exactly the type of speech which is able to tell people the harsh truth of life and the way it actually works. I know that in my high school commencement speech all I heard was about how we are going to strive in life because we are hard workers and that we are exemplary students for finishing a task that many people actually do not even get the chance to finish. However, not once in any speech given did I hear about the obsticles we would face in life. Being so far away from home is incredibly hard for me, I feel alone and am experiencing things that I have no explanation for; I am not wise enough to feel that I can solve my own problems. I feel that is where Wallace's speech was heading with his story about the fishes and the water. As young teenagers or young adults we are not so experienced with life, even though we want to think we are. We have only been taught basic knowledge that we are suppose to use in our future endeavors because it is deemed with importance. Yet when the older fish passed by and said "how's the water?" the two fish were in a state of discomfort swimming fast away from the older fish and then questioning the fish's question. I feel as if I just relived what my mom does to me all the time. She has a tendency to throw all this information to inform me and I just look at her as if she has lost her mind, doesn't know what she is talking about. But the truth is that with age comes better recognition of your reality, and at such a young age you may not know everything like someone who is twice your age. Of course you can have better mastery of a topic, subject, and product than someone who is older than you, consequently it does not mean that you are knowledgeable about the world.
       Another topic I enjoyed reading about was Wallace's statement and example about being charitable. We as Americans live in a world where it is all about self-gratification and we never stop to thing about others and how our actions affect others. Ambition is a terrible vice to have, and it can actually be very self destructive and can lead to envy, greed, pride, etc. Wallace says that by sacrificing we achieve freedom and I agree with him. We are the slaves of the corporate world and sometimes even the slave to our ambition. But humility is what can release you and allow you to see the world for what it is. Although it is a bit cheesy, sometimes even the cheesiest things can spurn some truth. You will never achieve true happiness if you do not allow yourself to give something back to someone or even to your society. Everyone wants to be succesful, ok, it has a lot of benefits. However is it really worth losing yourself and your integrity in the process.