Transcription of the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address - Essay Example

Transcription of the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address The article, “Transcription of the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address”, by David Wallace maintains that education has a lot less to do with the ways that people should think. Here, individuals have a choice on what to think and not to be self-centered. I think this is appropriate because being self-centered shows that one does not care about others which is what they should do using education. As the author maintains, the most important realities are the hardest to both see and talk about. This is because of the fact that people follow the most default settings, which oppose the appropriate way of ‘thinking’ as the author explains it. Wallace adds that the main aim of education is not just to fill people with knowledge but to teach them how to think, which people may perceive to be obvious because they have gone through college. This is true for most members of the society because personally, I would assume that I already know how to think because I have gone through college. However, Wallace’s definition of thinking is the choice that people should make regarding what to think. With the most appropriate guide to thinking, which the author provides, people can make better choices that are not self-centered and that are considerate of other parties. Wallace is correct when making these arguments. This is because, as he puts it, people are naturally hard-wired to behave in a certain way, which may not be appropriate according to situations. This normal way of thinking could encompass some form of arrogance mostly due to lack of critical awareness. While this may be driven by belief templates, which are different for different individuals, Wallace asserts that it is of critical importance to make informed choices regarding what to think in a specific instance. I think that this style of decision-making would be important since, at times, belief templates may interfere with one’s decision-making. This is because while one person may think that the other individual is in their way, the situation could be vice versa with respect to the situation at hand. This is also because what people may view as obvious could be very wrong and is usually driven by the self-centeredness that is inherent in all individuals. Wallace is able to show the authenticity of his claims by using real life situations. For instance, “The world as you experience it is there in front of YOU or behind YOU, to the left or right of YOU, on YOUR TV or YOUR monitor” (Wallace, 2005). Wallace’s example makes perfect sense for me because it shows a situation that I encounter on almost a daily basis. This clearly indicates that almost all thoughts are self-centered, which gets in the way of appropriate thinking as per the author’s argument. All points that the author presents make sense. Wallace is correct when he maintains that thinking should be acquiring the capacity to exercise some sense of control with respect to what people think. This can also be said to be being conscious on what to pay attention to as well as choosing how to construct meaning from life’s experiences. These claims are correct. In addition, people should interpret the real meaning of education as a way of guiding people on how to live consciously and how to avoid being a slave to the default setting. For instance, Wallace states that the default setting makes people think that daily activities such as daily traffic and lengthy queues at supermarket checkouts are frustrating. If a person views this situation as still frustrating to the other people in the supermarket queues, there would be a sense of appropriate thinking. Personally, I can confirm that traffic and supermarket queues are the most frustrating experiences for me. According to Wallace and in favor of a better society, I think people should alter their modes of thinking. This is because even the other person could be thinking that I am in their way. In fact, maybe “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” (Wallace, 2005). This example by Wallace is also correct and appropriate since this would warrant a less annoying way of thinking. Therefore, the most important mode of thinking incorporates attention, discipline, awareness, and being able to cater for other people. The author develops the argument in a very effective way making it easy to persuade the audience. This is mostly because the author chooses to use the daily activities of the typical individual with respect to the hustles that are encountered in the day-to-day activities such as the daily traffic jams and queues at shopping centers. This is adequate evidence to use when convincing people because they encounter the same themselves. This is the same as using the personal perspective when forming the basis of an argument. By making use of such strategies, the author eliminates any possibility of making confusing arguments. To me, the overall argument is not confusing. In addition, it makes sense and I can confirm that the propositions are applicable in a real life situation. There are also strategic connections made between the daily activities and the main argument, which is how to think. I think that this argument is adequate because it has managed to convince me mostly because of using activities that I encounter in my daily life. It would not be easy to contradict the author or attempt to argue otherwise because besides using the daily activities in making the argument stronger, the author also explains the argument using personal experience and the personal perspective. There is also no compromise in the argument. The author presents an interesting argument concerning what education should help people to do. Prior to reading this article, I thought I knew how to ‘think’ but as it turns out, thinking requires more than just attending college. The argument is well developed and besides offering an in depth explanation of the issue, Wallace provides a solution to the issue. The solution is also applicable in the day-to-day activities although even the author himself acknowledges that it would not be easy. This would lead to the establishment of better communities that are not self-centered and that exercise appropriate thinking. References Wallace, D. F. (2005). Transcription of the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address- May 21, 2005 Retrieved from http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~drkelly/DFWKenyonAddress2005.pdf Read More