Happy Thursday friends!
May is the time when commencement speeches start flooding my timeline on Twitter & Facebook. I love this time of year because it feels like a fresh start: the beginning of summer and the start of so many young graduate’s futures.
One of my favorites is the commencement speech David Foster Wallace gave at Kenyon College in 2005. This is a quick 9 minute video adaptation of his speech that was recently published on YouTube. I love its honest advice on what is truly important in life. Set aside a few minutes for yourself today and watch this video, you won’t be sorry!
This is Water.
Side Note: DFW committed suicide 3 years after this speech and a long struggle with depression. I read he went off his medication and when he finally went back on it, he found it had lost its effectiveness. It’s a tragic story, but I don’t think it lessens the value of this speech.
I saw this video a week or so ago, and was captivated. I just re-watched it here – thank you for sharing! I actually was the commencement speaker for my college class, and remember the day like it was yesterday!
Wow, that is such a powerful speech. Such a shame that his life was lost. At least there is this to remember him by. As always, thanks for hosting.
I just saw this video the other day, very powerful! What a sad story that he passed away, though.
I am so inspired by these words. And so saddened by what happened to him. Thank you so much for sharing, Joanna!
WOW! Powerful and inspiring! So sad that he took his own life.