The Default Setting

I never realized that I could be so self-centered. Anything that happens in my life, I am apart of it. My daily routine from getting up for school to going back to bed, everything I experience is from my point of view. I've been through 12 years of schooling but never thought once about this simple question: Am I self-centered?

I realized after reading David Wallace's story, "This is Water," my default setting is fixed to being a selfish human being. This setting made me recognize that I subconsciously believe that "I am the absolute center of the universe, the realest, most vivid and important person in existence" (Wallace 233). For example, when the hallways get crowded and jammed in Troy High, I often get frustrated and have an urge to scream at everyone's slow pace. I forget to acknowledge that fact that everyone around me is human as well. The emotion of anger and self-righteousness overcomes any logic and reasoning I once had, so it causes me to look down at all the other bodies that are taking up my pathway. As I was reading this short story, I also came to the conclusion that everyone in this world is selfish and egotistical. Even though these words have negative connotations, I believe that people are just following the way of life taught to them when they were young: Live your life to the fullest. As a result, it causes people to become self-centered at times without realizing other people have needs just like they do. However, this setting isn't like a game setting. You can't just switch it from hard to easy. It requires conscious effort from everyone "to stay conscious and alive, day in and day out" (238). Individuals have to comprehend that if they don't attempt to figure out what's truly real, they will drown and fade from reality forever.