DFW's Commencement Speech

David Foster Wallace certainly has a point throughout his commencement: people are naturally selfish. His other point and this is one I’d certainly hate to be a part of: adult life is mundane. Both points are equally depressing to think about, and even worse is just how much detail he puts into his story just to exemplify his points. In all honesty, I have to agree with both points; I know I am naturally selfish, and I have seen the mundane adult life. I have to say, Wallace makes adult life out to be a hell of a lot worse than some people probably have thought it to be; the “day in day out” routine that he gives it is terrible. Would you want to be a part of this mundane life? No, but unfortunately, everyone is, and then at some point during the mundane routine, you are faced with frustrating crap like the traffic jams and long lines at the cash register which makes like more hell than it should be, and this whole time, all you think about is yourself, and your feelings and anger, and your desire to just get home. It really is a shame that people have to go through this experiences, and although it's something I don't want to have to go through, it's a part of life.

Wallace also makes a third point: Everyone faced these problems with selfishness and mundane life, not just you. At the same time you are trying to get out of the traffic jam, hundreds of other people are doing the same, and they probably feel the same as you do. Wallace exemplifies this notion with the short story about the lady yelling at her son. Wallace says that this lady could have some difficulties in her life that are making her act like she is; problems that bring out the selfishness.

Overall, Wallace’s point is that this is life, and no matter what happens in our life to bring out the worst in us, we need to remain positive and remember that this happens to everyone. I agree with what Wallace says throughout his speech; everyone has those days where everything seems mundane and routine, and when push comes to shove, everyone becomes selfish and just wants to get out of the day with no regard to other people and the day they could be having. Overall, people need to realize that this is a part of life, and that even though humans are naturally selfish, we need to try and keep the selfishness in check, no matter the situation.