This Is Water

**Warprosper** · 05-08-13, 08:39 AM

Very good speech. I have no arguments about it or anything like that.. Just watch it because the chances are it will strike an idea or two.

**Alundil** · 05-08-13, 09:14 AM

I haven't watched the video yet....

But how dare you post this. I hates it and it is anathema to all that is right and pure and promised and you should feel bad for posting it.

Whew - now that I got this started the proper way (like the last half dozen active threads in here).....

**triggerhappy2005** · 05-08-13, 09:23 AM

It's like one long, never ending paragraph.

**Alundil** · 05-08-13, 09:40 AM

Good vid and good graduation speech/presentation.

I like to think that I try this same approach in my daily life. But it takes conscious effort and it's not always easy.

**Alundil** · 05-08-13, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by triggerhappy2005

It's like one long, never ending paragraph.

If you want speeches with punctuation then you need this guy

**SpecOpsScott** · 05-08-13, 11:22 AM

I enjoyed it. I would have been annoyed by it were i 20 years younger.

**N-Ur-Face** · 05-08-13, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by SpecOpsScott

I enjoyed it. I would have been annoyed by it were i 20 years younger.

It didn't annoy me. It's true that the typical college graduate who had their college paid for by their parents and is looking forward to a 9-5 job knows nothing about a true work day. I've had my glimpses of it, enough to know that I want absolutely nothing to do with it.

The video was good. It was an optimistic approach to the hassles of day-to-day living and how a person who just chooses to look at the bright side of things can make the most out of any situation. I like to think this is how I am. Except for when I'm driving, but at stores, at school, anywhere, I like to not judge people as much and, instead, assume the best in situations. I feel this really helps me to be the happy, outgoing person I am in real life. This is, in my opinion, part of why some people seem to think I am this extremely cheerful person; that is, that I do not see the worst in people.

Being a genuinely optimistic person who genuinely means it when I say, "Have a good one," is night-and-day different than many people around me in day-to-day living.

**AetheLove** · 05-08-13, 02:23 PM

Good post.

I didn't know someone had made a video. Thank you.

I posted a link to the text in these forums a long time ago - don't even know what it was in reference too - and the text of the speech (essay) is longer than the video (which, I guess, used an abridged recording). Trigger: you might enjoy the text more than the audio.

I was a huge fan of DFW, and was very sad when he died. His writing is some of my favourite contemporary stuff.

His piece (for Rolling Stone) on the McCain campaign is great. Also recommended are two of his essay collections; "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again", and "Consider the Lobster". Some of the essays from those are available online if you look.

Anyway, yeah - "This is Water." Love the message. Thanks again.

Cheers,

AetheLove

**SpecOpsScott** · 05-08-13, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by N-Ur-Face

It didn't annoy me. It's true that the typical college graduate who had their college paid for by their parents and is looking forward to a 9-5 job knows nothing about a true work day. I've had my glimpses of it, enough to know that I want absolutely nothing to do with it.

I didn't mean that in a general sense, in that 20 somethings would be annoyed by the video. I meant it more specifically. I was that dude in default mode. The world DID revolve around me.

Only time and experiences brought me to where i am, which also appears to be where you are. Thats pretty cool IMO.

**N-Ur-Face** · 05-08-13, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by SpecOpsScott

I didn't mean that in a general sense, in that 20 somethings would be annoyed by the video. I meant it more specifically. I was that dude in default mode. The world DID revolve around me.

Only time and experiences brought me to where i am, which also appears to be where you are. Thats pretty cool IMO.

Ahh, understood.

I've never felt the world revolved around me and I guess, since I don't think I have, I don't understand how others do. I've always sort of understood we are all ourselves, individual people, out in a world to just make something of ourselves, be happy, maybe find love, something. We all generally want the same things. We may go about acquiring these things in completely different ways, in ways that may not make an ounce of rational sense to the guy beside us, but we do. This is what I try to remind people when they start talking down on people as much as they do sometimes.