Alain de Botton

behavior is very controversial. Alain de Botton, author of “On Habit”, believes that finding a workable balance de pends on the mental habits that one lives by. De Botton de scribes “imaginative observation” as something that one does only when they are in unfamiliar setting like vacation spot. On the other hand, “goal oriented” behavior is what everyone’s daily environment revolved around which leads to practical terms like boredom, fate, de spair, etc. De Botton is interested in seeing people…

have come to crave this happiness, especially when it comes to the humorists that people listen to. These humorists create this happiness through their critiques of ideas by stating ideas that people don’t always say directly according to author Alain de Botton. It is clear that it is the job of humorists not merely to entertain, but to put a positive spin on events that subsist as serious matters. One example of the role that humorists play is in politics: humorists design political…

individual’s perception of real and remembered landscapes is dependent on their past experiences and memories which reveal inextricable concepts of how landscapes are a metaphysical realm upon which we project our expectations. “The Art of Travel” by Alain de Botton and “Aquifer” by Tim Winton explore how landscapes are reflective of an individual’s needs as they are characterized by the values we lack. The abstract representation of landscapes as a realm that exists within memory or imagination…

surroundings is to have a limited grid of interest, or a narrow sense of self-awareness in the space one inhabits That is simply existing, but there are individuals who truly do marvel at simplicity and do not yearn for a more ‘interesting’ place. Alain de Botton describes the importance of interacting with all aspects of one’s surroundings and breaking habits in his essay, “On Habit,” to find personal happiness. These interactions have timeless relevance because the environment and experiences…

Everything that is said, worn, bought, eaten, and even drank by a celebrity, influences an enormous amount of individuals to follow exactly what is being done. The question is why? Why do everyday individuals feel the need to copy and mimic those who strive tremendously in the superstar category? The answer to that is simple, insecurity. Ordinary people, such as myself, encounter uncertainties and doubts about one self. We each undergo a tornado of what ifs; what if this looks weird on me,…

In a chapter of his book Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton theorizes that despite humankind’s ever-growing prospects in life--such as longer life expectancies and increasing material wealth--and an overall decrease in “actual deprivation”, our anxiety levels due to jealousy of our peers and their own prospects have also risen (25). He also postulates that our medieval counterparts did not experience this phenomenon because the root cause of this issue is most likely the Western world’s recent…

impact on my opinions, however, since my mind is open, I like looking at other religions and their beliefs to constantly change my original opinions. This is very similar to Alain de Botton 's "Atheism 2.0"4. He takes the standard morals of atheism and combines them with various important characteristics from other religions. De Botton does not believe in a higher being, however, enjoys the cultures from many other religions, such as, education,…

of this skill, as without such abilities the ideas they discuss would be uncouth and even horrific. Humor lies in execution, and the main bastion between a harsh satire and an angry audience member is the wit and delivery of the jester. Author Alain de Botton insists on the social vitality of humorists, and this implies a degree of responsibility for every able comedian to use their skills to their fullest ability. When these humorists have said abilities, that is. The…

Both Mike Rowe and Alain de Botton describe their idea of success through podcasts. Mike Rowe is an American Actor who travels all over the nation to learn about dirty jobs. During one of those dirty jobs he brings up the idea of success. Mike Rowe went on that specific episode thinking that one will be successful if you just follow your passion. He asked some employees on the job how they define success and asked a little bit about their work history. One employee…

not worth living” (de Botton, A., 2001, p. 4). Substance might even bear with it a little pain, that the positives in our lives may be the results of a little discomfort; “not everything which makes us feel better is good for us. Not everything which hurts may be bad” (de Botton, A., 2001, p. 244). “We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them,” after all life is not about what happens to us, but how we handle it (de…