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themisto | 3 years ago

I haven't read any books by David Foster Wallace, though every time he comes up I feel obliged to share a fantastic speech of his about finding joy in the monotony of life. I heard it years ago and it's always stuck with me. Video[1], transcript[2]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI

[2] https://jamesclear.com/great-speeches/this-is-water-by-david...

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zemvpferreira|3 years ago

A great speech but this is the first I hear it interpreted as an ode to monotony. I've always thought of it as an essay on the value of questioning our default way of thinking in the day-to-day, on the implicit biases we carry with us into the world and how they can trap us in loneliness.

Not ashamed to say I've cried more than once listening to it. It's a lifesaver.

ethanbond|3 years ago

The Pale King, his last novel (unfinished at the time of his death) is a really gorgeous elaboration on the same topics as This Is Water. It is not so much about rejecting the day to day monotony of the modern world, but rejecting the default reaction to the monotony of the modern world. We have complete control over our reaction, and almost none over the reality. One line I’ll paraphrase that sticks with me still: “In the modern world, if you can bear extreme boredom, there is literally nothing you can’t accomplish.”

The general theme is that regardless of the monotonous reality, there’s still plenty of beauty and intrigue to find within it if you look closely enough.

To make this point, The Pale King is about an IRS agent and it includes long, meditative descriptions of turning the pages of extremely long tax forms. I don’t know what philosophical ideas DFW ran into explicitly, i.e. whether he was reframing or actually deriving them, but he was absolutely rubbing up against what we now call mindfulness.

Edit to add one of my favorite scenes in literature ever, with no spoiler or even narrative substance: There's a scene where two characters are talking to one another and one party becomes so engrossed by the conversation that he begins to literally levitate out of his chair. I find this such a simple description of a truly profound experience (~~flow state).

adamgordonbell|3 years ago

This excerpt from The Pale King is powerful and I recommend it over the "This is Water" speech, esp for software developers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJXrXf-0yoQ

People laugh, and it is a bit funny, but it's also deadly serious.

True heroism receives no ovation. It's just you against the world with no one to see or cheer.

pcarolan|3 years ago

Infinite Jest is feeling more prescient every day ( the titular theme is about media addiction ). Worth the steep climb.

floxy|3 years ago

Getting off topic here, but is there a word for the concept of an anti-joke? Along with examples? As in, a joke consists of a setup story, and then there is a lull or pause, enough time for the listener to contemplate what going to happen next. And then the joke teller says something unexpected but somewhat related, and it is funny. There is a moment in the speech that I would classify as sort of the opposite. DFW starts relating about the ugly people sitting in traffic with the large SUVs with religious and patriotic bumper stickers, and the crowd starts cheering and laughing, seemingly agreeing that those "others" deserve mockery. But then there comes the punch line, that maybe the others have some worse hardship like bone cancer, which is definitely not funny. Or stated another way, for a joke, the setup story is neutral, and the after effect is funny. For the anti-joke, the setup is funny, and ends somber, and maybe makes you feel bad for laughing at the beginning? The anti-joke start at about 13:28:

https://youtu.be/8CrOL-ydFMI?t=808

Hallucinaut|3 years ago

There is definitely the concept of the anti-joke. Anti-humour has the wiki page.

The sadly-late Norm Macdonald was a good proponent.

Fwiw though I watched this after your post and I'd say that's not really the same. I'm not sure what you call this technique in speeches with such a setup but it adds great emotional gravity and is something I see and appreciate a lot in speeches like this (or even shows like The Good Place which is incredible but can't be described further without spoilers).

justsocrateasin|3 years ago

I have a calendar reminder to read this speech every 3 months. It's one of the few reminders that I actually listen to and don't just ignore.

tanseydavid|3 years ago

I want to second this recommendation.

This commencement speech that Wallace gave is deeply moving and thought-provoking to me every time I listen to it -- and I have probably heard it at least 10 times.

I have shared it with others, most of whom have had a very similar reaction to it.

zafka|3 years ago

Thanks much for this! First time I have heard this. Now saved for repeats.