Entering The Conversation: Center Of The Universe Essay

Entering the Conversation: The center of the universe

There is no denying the value of an education.   David Foster Wallace presents to us the idea that education is not "teaching us how to think" but "being conscious of and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meanin+
g from experience"(358).
Education is what puts a white spot on a black wall.   To stand against others who choose to ignore the present, to rise above like a phoenix out of the ashes.   It does not have to be in a classroom, it could be just from life experiences that help us move forward and become better and stronger people.
Life is education, we learn what to fight for and what to let go.   Ignorance is not bliss; only a curse, a plague if you will, on society that blinds those to the wonders that surround them.  
Awareness of your surroundings is crucial, what is going on in the town you exist, the state, the country, the world and universe. Questions race through opening doors for new ideas and even more undiscovered, untapped resources, many not necessarily physical.   Choices we make every day we learn from. When we fall, it is not how we fall but how quickly we stand back up.  
A man who succeeds his first time knows nothing but the man who failed one hundred times can tell you one hundred ways to fix the problem.   Wallace tells the graduates that "a real value of a real education" has everything to do with "simple awareness"(364).   No good comes from living an existence and not understanding the concept of the simple substance that surrounds you,
Wallace uses two young fish that take time to realize they do not understand what water is, while the wise old fish knows.
As we age time seems to sprint toward the finish line, and with this we try to look ahead to see the next turn, or over the next hill. When this happens we lose sight of what is in front of us, take for granted people surrounding us who have been there when needed and when...