It is a difficult question to answer, “What is the water in your life?” By nature of answering the question, I can only focus on the aspects of my surroundings I can recognize for what they are, and will not be able to truly answer the question, “What do you ignore (or possibly not even see)?” That being said, I will do my best to accurately consider what is seen and unseen within my life.
I readily notice the songs playing through the sound system of whatever stores I frequent. I notice when someone has incredibly smooth skin, as I have struggled with acne for years. I notice the moods my friends are in when I greet them, and consider conversation topics in lieu of what I perceive they might be feeling.
I rarely consider the past and present struggles of the people I pass in the street, as I will most likely never speak to them about whatever concerns they might have. This may seem egocentric, but it is more likely an adaptation adopted to get through the day without enduring an existential crisis while walking through Target.
Yet on the whole, the experiences of people do matter to me. I chose and would choose again and again to double major in psychology and sociology, as I do care about other’s experiences. However, it might be that since it’s nearly impossible to glean valuable information from individual case studies, I have stopped noticing the real and important lives behind the statistics presented to me in class. We focus on the differences of our experiences, but people inherently strive for similar things. Shelter and love, food and comfort, camaraderie and acceptance. My viewpoints of course do not always align with that of others, but I prefer to instead focus on what I have in common with someone before I ruminate on what it is that makes them dissimilar from me. It is this that I feel David Foster Wallace meant by making the point that he and I are both not the center of the universe. And if that is the case, then it is only by considering the closeness and parallels that we have with others that we can then move beyond the default setting of our thinking.
A Composition of Self by Alexis Rivera 
I enjoy how you started your response by admitting to the fact that this prompt is difficult to answer because what we do or do not notice is not something we are consciously aware of. I love how you add specifics, like smooth skin and songs that play at stores, because those little moments are actually a part of you. I also like how you tie in David Foster Wallace’s talk and how we must look at similarities between people rather than differences.
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Hi Alexis: I’m not seeing the peer comments from Skylar and Grace showing up on your site. Perhaps they still have to be formally accepted?
As I read your response I am searching for a clue into an open letter topic to suggest. I love the idea of creating an “avoiding an existential crisis at Target.” ATTEN: All Target Shoppers! Just an idea 🙂
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I agree that it is hard to pinpoint what is unseen in life. I can relate to you when you talked about how it is an adaptation that we don’t necessarily care about the strangers around us because we live in a society where we promote individualism and people are just focussing on their own successes and problems. I really liked the last paragraph where you talked about how we focus on the differences in our experiences but we all strive for the same things. It’s true! We’re all human and we feel and experience similar things that we don’t even notice.
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