David Foster Wallace's Address to Kenyon College

I really enjoyed this article because Wallace's definition of education really hit the nail on the head. Is education really about gathering a wide array of knowledge we can apply later on in life or is it recognizing and being  aware of the events surrounding us in our everyday life?? After reading the Freire article, I firmly believed that education was all about learning as much as one can in order to use that information one day in the future. But, according to Wallace, that is not necessarily the case. Education is about observing your surroundings, caring for others, and not reaching hasty conclusions. Wallace's grocery store example is something everyone can relate to. There isn't one time is our lives that we haven't reached faulty conclusions or judged people looking at the whole picture. One perfect example was over the summer, I started waiting tables at a local restaurant in my home town. This couple and their kid came into the restaurant and the hostess told me they were my table. As per usual, I peeked across the other booths to get a better look at the couple before I went over to greet them. Let's just say I wasn't impressed with what I saw. The mother was already yelling at the kid because he was climbing on top of the table. I was like shit... this is going to be painful. After a few minutes I finally went over and greeted them. The mother couldn't have been ruder to me and the father completely ignored me when I asked for their drink orders. After I brought back their drinks, it was like pulling teeth to get them to order... After I finally put their order in, I went over to manager to express my frustration with the couple and their child... My manager looked over at the table and he proceeded to tell me that the couple live in town and they come into the restaurant all of the time. Then he told me they just lost their daughter to cancer and they were in debt from all of her medical bills... I felt horrible, here I was thinking the mother was a total bitch and their kid was out of control, when they just lost a child! I mean how was I supposed to know this had just happened to them?  This is way Wallace's article really spoke to me because makes me realize that no matter how much schooling I receive, true education is simple awareness of the world around us and caring for others, not just ourselves.