On Habit: Alain De Botton Describes A Feeling Of Discomfort

On Habit
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“The sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room." This is a Pascal, pensees' quote adapted by Allain de Botton in his essay. The quote seems to form the basis of the author's argument. At the beginning of the essay, the narrator exhibits a sense of discomfort about his hometown. As the essay proceeds to the conclusion, the narrator seemed to have cured his restlessness and developed a different perception of his world. This essay discusses the ways in which the narrator cured himself. It also acts as a general lesson for all of us as the readers. It is not the things around that have refused to change; it’s our mindset that needs to change.
The narrator heals himself by embracing and acknowledging imperfections. The author is clearly much dissatisfied at first, about his homeland in London when he first arrives from his stay in Barbados. This is evident when he states that London has basically ‘refused’ to change, from his perspective (Botton 59). He seems to particularly have this comparison and belief that Barbados was quite calm and peaceful from everything in its nature. He has a particular reverence for the beautiful waters and clear skies to the vegetation such as the coconut trees in the country. In contrast, the narrator laments about the dullness and greyness that is in London. It all reeks of boredom and dormancy that cannot be adequately described, which creates some sense of the immense lack of excitement thereof.
To some extent, though, one might be taken to task to imagine whether the narrator is real or having some form of fantasy, narrating about something that sounds more like utopia.This is because the imagery in use by the narrator borders more on exaggeration than reality.
He did not hide his weakness after going through De Maistre’s Journey around my Bedroom. He acknowledged the fact that he has never taken the time to look at what was around him. He embraced the fact he had not given much attention of what his city could have offered. “I walked along this particular path almost every day to reach my Underground station and was unused to considering it as anything other than my means ...