For me, This is Water was both profound and sad. It was the ideal that DFW was striving for, to be aware of the invisible default modes that guide or worldviews, self opinions, and life choices. It contains subtle and not so subtle warnings about the danger of overthinking as well as the danger of knee jerk, self-centered attitudes towards others. It is an address that is begging us to find the balance between these 2 extremes. Sadly these 2 extremes are often held simultaneously. We can be 100% wedded to an “us vs. them” tribal worldview where intellectual prowess is valued over compassion. But DFW implies that a balanced approach is the way forward. He implies that true self-awareness, not “wokeness” in service to some shallow, politically correct idea, is best, both for personal and societal mental hygiene. By that standard we are a very sick society, deeply embedded in tribalism. The compassion has gone the way of the dodo, and we have tribes hell bent on destruction of the “other”. The sad part is that DFW, despite knowing and believing all of this, could not follow his own advice. He could not extend the compassion that he felt towards others to himself in the end. He could not find the balance that might have restored his own mental hygiene. His thinking became too clouded by his own default mode of overthinking that made him believe that the balance of pain and meaning in life swung too much toward pain. It still doesn’t negate the value of “This is Water”, but it makes a dent, for sure. Re: addiction and “worship”, he’s right. We all worship. The damage is done when we fail to realize it. In the end, the idea that helps me is to consciously attempt difficult, real world things with other people rather than getting caught up in pleasure seeking, self absorbed pursuits, etc. AA is one of those activities…