Painting by Edouard Vuillard
I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about "the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master".
- David Foster Wallace
My daughter Kathryn alerted me to this
commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College in 2008. I read it last night and was struck by what he said about "learning
how to exercise some control over how and what you think." He said that the default setting of our mind is to think that we are the center of the universe. We are so hard-wired to think that way that we are not even aware of it, like the case of fish to water. To him, this kind of default thinking is "totally wrong and deluded" as much as it is automatic and unconscious. We therefore need to consciously break out of it and choose "to do the work of somehow altering or getting free of [our] natural, hard-wired default setting, which is to be deeply and literally self-centered and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self." We can and need to exercise control over how and what we think instead of being swallowed up by our worship of self. Which brings him to his next point that there is no such thing as atheism because everybody worships something. And most of us fall back on our default setting of the worship of self because it is unconscious and the world encourages it. To him, the truly important kind of freedom is the effort to choose to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over again, and that is what will keep us alive rather shooting ourselves in the head.
As much as I agree with him, I feel that that is not enough. It is still rather self focused. I agree with him that it is within our power to experience not only meaning but compassion and love in any situation but I think he needs to go further and consider the source of that compassion and love. It can't be me and it can't be the people I am choosing to care and sacrifice for. I don't know about you, but "other people" can be pretty disappointing at times. No matter how many kind thoughts and gestures we offer to others, we often come away disillusioned. How then can we keep on thinking positively toward others, toward loving and serving them? I think the only way is to remind ourselves of the compassion and love and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. To me, the truly important kind of freedom is the effort to choose to love and worship God above all else, recognizing that in God we find the ultimate source of meaning, love and compassion. It is from Him then that we draw the power to love, care and sacrifice for others, over and over again.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God,which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:4-8
