FlashBack: David Foster Wallace, a recognized American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and professor, delivered a commencement speech at Kenyon College, Ohio, in 2005. This article critically examines Wallace’s profound reflections on human choices and the lack of empathy highlighted in his observations.

Wallace argues that society often operates on “autopilot,” making decisions without a real awareness of the process involved. This behavior is attributed to the human inclination to follow established patterns for convenience, comfort, or habit. The automation of choices, as outlined by Wallace, hinders reflection on consequences, resulting in a society that avoids questioning the impact of its actions.

The author emphasizes the significant influence of culture and society in shaping these automatic patterns. Social pressure and expectations often shape choices, leading to predictable actions and, at times, disregarding the repercussions on others’ lives.

Wallace criticizes the absence of empathy in automatic decisions, noting that impulsive action, devoid of consideration for others’ experiences and feelings, perpetuates a society that values individualism at the expense of human connection.

Quoting David Foster Wallace:

Of course, if I’m in a more socially conscious liberal arts form of my default setting, I can spend time in the end-of-the-day traffic being disgusted about all the huge, stupid, lane-blocking SUV’s and Hummers and V-12 pickup trucks, burning their wasteful, selfish, 40-gallon tanks of gas, and I can dwell on the fact that the patriotic or religious bumper-stickers always seem to be on the biggest, most disgustingly selfish vehicles, driven by the ugliest [responding here to loud applause] — this is an example of how NOT to think, though — most disgustingly selfish vehicles, driven by the ugliest, most inconsiderate and aggressive drivers. And I can think about how our children’s children will despise us for wasting all the future’s fuel, and probably screwing up the climate, and how spoiled and stupid and selfish and disgusting we all are, and how modern consumer society just sucks, and so forth and so on.

You get the idea.

If I choose to think this way in a store and on the freeway, fine. Lots of us do. Except thinking this way tends to be so easy and automatic that it doesn’t have to be a choice. It is my natural default setting. It’s the automatic way that I experience the boring, frustrating, crowded parts of adult life when I’m operating on the automatic, unconscious belief that I am the centre of the world, and that my immediate needs and feelings are what should determine the world’s priorities.

The thing is that, of course, there are totally different ways to think about these kinds of situations. In this traffic, all these vehicles stopped and idling in my way, it’s not impossible that some of these people in SUV’s have been in horrible auto accidents in the past, and now find driving so terrifying that their therapist has all but ordered them to get a huge, heavy SUV so they can feel safe enough to drive. Or that the Hummer that just cut me off is maybe being driven by a father whose little child is hurt or sick in the seat next to him, and he’s trying to get this kid to the hospital, and he’s in a bigger, more legitimate hurry than I am: it is actually I who am in HIS way.

The author suggests overcoming automatic decisions through conscious effort, highlighting the importance of education and self-awareness. Challenging established patterns and developing a deeper understanding of the implications of choices are crucial to promoting a more conscious and empathetic society.

Education plays a crucial role in transforming automatic habits. By questioning and examining our actions in light of knowledge, we can develop a sharper awareness and make more conscious decisions.

Bottom-line: David Foster Wallace underscores the importance of being aware of the choices we make, warning against ignorance of decisive factors and the adoption of an egocentric perspective. In a world characterized by automatic decisions, Wallace’s words resonate as a call to reflection and the conscious pursuit of a fuller and more connected life.