Rich Irony at Kenyon

David Foster Wallace's thesis about our ability to dictate our interaction with reality is valid. We have all had the experience that he refers to negatively, or gone through the motions if you will. It happens more times than anyone can keep track of. And, every once in a while, many people maintain an awareness during an otherwise routine situation that allows them to realize the humanity of the surrounding people. Often, we must be reminded by somebody else that has a better perspective. It is always easier to spot "routine living", if you will, when you are not the offending party. The simplest example that comes to mind is a recent experience. I was getting a Slurpee at the 7-Eleven near my house with my dad, and the cashier hardly said anything to me when I bought it. He didn't even respond when I said, "Have a nice day." I was a little miffed, but my dad reminded me that the cashier was probably at the end of his seemingly infinite shift during which he had to listen to the blaring *ding dong* every time the door was opened and tend to dozens of other meaningless and undignified tasks. My dad knew that we were in water, while I had taken it for granted.

I usually engage this choice how I did at 7-Eleven: the blinded-by-routine way. I would like to engage this choice how my father did in that same situation. In fact, I often suggest that other people do the same, much to their frustration. Most people do not grasp this concept, that we can engage reality in whatever way we choose to. This is shown, ironically, by DFW's audience. They clap whenever he is illustrating what not to do; they support him when he is sarcastically advocating the bad example. This goes to show that many people in this world, even graduates of one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the world, have been absorbed in to systems and structures that blind them to their freedom to interact with reality however they please.