"This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life" by David Foster Wallace, based on a 2005 Kenyon College commencement speech, focuses on choosing empathy over the default human tendency toward self-centeredness. The essay, often recommended as a thoughtful gift for graduates, explores how to consciously live a more aware life. Read more about this work and its legacy on WISN . AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more