In 2005, writer David Foster Wallace captured the ethos of a fragile America while talking to college students. The speech warrants rereading today, given the current state of free speech and thought on college campuses nationwide.

Wallace delivered This is Water as a commencement speech to Kenyon College seniors seeking to inspire the next generation of thinkers, builders, and servers. It tackled cynicism and forgiveness through simple examples, like swimming fish. Yet, its enduring spirit lies in how perfectly Wallace addresses the American identity crisis. In his words, “the really significant education… isn’t really about the capacity to think, but rather about the choice of what to think about.”

Wallace’s advice is a rebuke against selfishness. The ability to think is useless if you refuse to learn or forfeit control of your thoughts. Wallace contends that there must be a realistic truth behind how you feel and that you must not get caught up in abstract matters. This dose of realism demands internal strength and takes adults years to master. Some never do. Hence, Wallace’s speech enlightens us to be “well-adjusted” early on — putting aside personal biases and exposing ourselves to the new.

Unfortunately, many American institutions have limited this grounded imagination. Self-censorship among students has become all too common in academic settings, especially those of conservative strains, stifling the diversity that higher education touts. Surveillance technologies are being integrated into most electronics, restricting consumer choice and privacy.

This so-called “progress” will slowly make society more homogenous for the sake of self-interest — an outcome that would lack liberal virtue. It is then that Wallace’s freedom to experiment is nothing more than a lost ideal.

Faith and Freedom of Thought

If there is a multifront war on creativity, how do we combat it? Wallace poses a solution through belief — the reason for critical thinking.

Wallace tells the story of two Alaskan Eskimos, one religious and one atheist. Discussing the existence of God, the atheist recalls being stranded in a blizzard and pleading with the LORD to rescue him. The atheist then reveals that two Eskimos showed him back to his camp, denying the possibility of divine intervention.

It is just to have convictions that defend your thinking. The Founding Fathers did in America’s infancy, relying on historical principles, legal theories, and economic associations to forge our long-standing documents. The Founders recognized the need for compromise for our republic’s survival — the Federalist and Antifederalist papers are evidence — evaluating every presented view in totality. But they never let their arrogance preclude other ideas or define the country’s framework.  Consequently, the Founders’ sacrifices led to the greatest liberty-oriented experiment in world history.

Wallace wants us to rediscover that bold, pioneering spirit. He asserts that “blind certainty [is] a close-mindedness that’s like an imprisonment so complete that the prisoner doesn’t even know he’s locked up.” Belief, then, is a product of circumstance from a well-adjusted mind. It is rooted faith and freedom of thought that will create the next American movement.

Until we realize it, we’ll be stuck in mediocrity.

Wallace dedicates his speech’s backend to the “large parts of adult American life that nobody talks about… [the] boredom, routine, and petty frustration.” It is here when Wallace pivots from the newly educated youth to the larger American audience, speaking with those overwhelmed with the real world’s minor and unavoidable annoyances.

Think about all the times you’ve waited in a supermarket line or been stuck in traffic. It’s an unintended effect of our industrialized way of life but adds to days and weeks of wasted time and opportunities. Americans feel betrayed by the American Dream because of the social and economic crises that keep piling up. Americans dislike their government because they think it no longer delivers for the people.

In The Treason of Intellectuals, French philosopher Julien Benda suggested that mass movements form from a shared political hatred. Repetition can feel pointless and existential. There is only so much stagnation the average American can take.

And then we snap.

But Wallace’s insight offers us a way out.

Finding Purpose in the Mundane

Wallace urges us not to lament the little things but to extract purpose from them. We are not the heroes of our own story but actors in a finely tuned ecosystem. Wallace advocates for mindfulness and acknowledges that everyone struggles differently. We can consciously choose how we think and empathize with others to overcome our self-centeredness. This is the beginning of our real education, the well-adjustment, and the escape from dread.

Everyone believes in something — even the atheist. The most critical choice is what to believe, so believe in the good.

That’s the power it takes to survive and thrive in today’s rat race.

American society, lifestyle, and identity are strong — it’s our responses to its downturns that can be improved. Wallace says that “the really important kind of freedom involves attention, awareness, discipline, and effort, being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over.” Indeed, Wallace’s words emphasize faith over submission, and imagination over detachment.

We don’t need a grand revolution to achieve something meaningful — living a compassionate life is as American as it gets. And this is the water that will fuel us to think, build, and serve the world around us.

Alex Rosado is a Professional Programs Assistant at the Alexander Hamilton Society. Follow him on Twitter/X at @Alexprosado.