Kazuo Ishiguro's On Habit

Living and existing are two distinct actions. To use all available senses and appreciate the value of a constructed reality is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks humans face on a daily basis. Details become insignificant and a person may ignore the grand scope of their environment for the sake of following his or her routine. To only prioritize routine and ignore the details of one’s 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 shape an individual’s understanding of living. This is also addressed in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Never …show more content…
Yet when a human is constantly exposed and stimulated by the same environment or physical space, they begin to “The power of my primary had drained me of my will to reflect on the layout of the park or the unusual mixture of Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian architecture along a single block. My walks along the street had been excised of any attentiveness to beauty, of any associative thoughts...sparked by visual elements” De Botton 63). “Even in solitude, I’ve grown to quite like...I do like the feeling of getting into my car, knowing for the next couple of hours I’ll have only the roads, the big grey sky and my daydreams for company” (Ishiguro 208). To live is to appreciate the environment one is part of, for it is the environment itself that shapes an individual’s identity and perspective towards other physical spaces, or the outside world. This perception is something a person carries within