Narro

Gus Narro
Professor Padgett
English 101
6 September 2015
The Default-Setting of Not Being Good Enough
In David Foster Wallaces work This is Water he speaks often of the importance of
breaking free of our default-setting but what he really wants us to understand is that we need to
overcome the feeling of not being good enough. Wallace express this belief through is definition
of our default-setting, description of our day-to-day life, and his connotation of worship.
First, Wallace gives the readers or listeners a very in-depth description of what a defaultsetting actually is. As you already know, the default-setting is the state in which we view
ourselves as the center of our own universe and do not pay mind to those around us. This is the
basic interpretation but Wallace also states how he is not necessarily trying to preach to us
virtues which means this is not about living the right way or wrong way, rather this is living a
life style that does not view ones self as being good enough. The description of a default-setting
is one that can fit the clich of the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master and
when we are in our default-setting we let the mind become the master and we start to dwell on
what is negative and what could be better. When the mind is in control you are just going
through the motions and the mind takes care of the rest. This causes the pessimistic outlook of
the default-setting. Right now, this may seem like a stretch, stating that Wallace is not referring
the default-setting as a morally wrong way of living rather he is referring to it as a snowball
effect that gradually brings one deeper into their thoughts of not being good enough. To
summarize his views of the default setting as stated in This is Water it starts off as the mind

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overthinking your actions which leads to a repulsive, boring life and finally this self-loathing
results in a drastic ending: suicide.
Second, Wallace goes into extensive detail on what ones day-to-day life could look like
when they are a prisoner to their mind. Throughout his description there is an overwhelming
pessimistic tone. Everyday seems to be a chore or as Wallace describes it multiple times with the
word frustrating. Well, frustrating along with many other of the adjectives and adverbs
Wallace used while depicting what an average day is like are not necessarily what one would call
positive. This negativity is bound to bring someone down and he also thoroughly explains how
self-centered a day with our default-setting is. Everything is about me, and only me and when
someone puts themselves ahead of others so much they disregard everything else because it is
not good enough. Wallace isnt venting about how bad a regular day is to just show an example
of how default-setting works, rather he is doing so to show how unhappy someone can be.
Nothing is good enough in this so called average day he speaks of his day in a tone that makes
it seem as if there is no point. This could be a depiction of Wallaces depression that he has
struggled with his whole life but on a larger scale it is a depiction on how the belief that nothing
is good enough makes you more negative and if you are never good enough then how can you
break out of this default-setting and be happy?
Finally, Wallaces connotation behind worship supports the belief that the default-setting
makes you feel you are not good enough. Wallace after his rant about an average day says that
there is one major decision and that is what to worship. He views it as a must and while most
people view worship as a sort of safe haven or a mean of protection, Wallace blatantly views it
as saying you are never good enough. You do not get to decided if you are going to worship, you
decided what you are going to worship. My interpretation of what Wallace is saying is that

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worship makes you a prisoner to something and whatever that something is, it will make you
have a constant desire to be better for whatever you worship. When you have to constantly better
yourself you will not be good enough. There it is, the only control you have in a default-setting is
what you decide to worship and while I may not totally agree with that, Wallace feels as if you
are stuck with the decision to be not good enough in some aspect, depending on what you
worship.
Overall, when you are in your default-setting, you are alone and self-centered and will
eventually not be able to be happy because of the constant negativity. Wallaces description of an
everyday situation carries this negativity over and shows how it makes you upset, frustrated, or
aggravated and with those negative emotions the self-loathing begins. Lastly, this default-setting
that puts you in a miserable state where the only decision you have is what to worship and
whatever you chose will make you inadequate. This is a downward spiral that Wallace does not
think the everyday person thinks about, and even if you realize it, doesnt mean you can stop it.
Wallace killed himself, the very action that he stated this way of thought would end in and this
could be linked to his feelings of not being good enough that he elaborated on throughout This
is Water.