This is the second article in a series of articles based on the book ‘’The little Prince’’. Through these articles I am about to share my thoughts with you, I wish to exchange some ideas with each other and learn certain great lessons provided by the author.
Let’s begin the story from the moment when Antoine de Saint-Exupéry describes his first drawing as a child, is was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of digesting a whole elephant, but only children were able to understand it. The grown-ups could see only a hat, so the narrator had to explain for them to be able to understand it. As he said “… Grown-ups never understand anything on their own, and it’s tiring, for children, to be for ever and ever explaining...”.
Growing up as members of a modern society we lose the innocence of childhood. We conform to the rules within the systems of the society by developing attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that the large number of societies worldwide ensures the adequate implementation of them. Each human community develops its own habits that is easily spotted in places and countries with a diversity of communities, with different religious beliefs, different philosophical thinking, even different cooking recipes. Although, there is a common ground; each of them contributes to losing our inner child, in order to fit in with society’s expectations.
Take a moment to think... What are the questions you ask every time you meet for first time little men? You ask for their name and their age. Things with lack of interest for them, things that they didn’t even choice. Instead of these, we should ask for their favorite color, or food, or game. These few things are enshrined in their heart and this is the way to earn their love and their smile. But serious narrow-minded adults, like us, shouldn’t concern ourselves with issues like these. And we expect from our kids the same ‘’maturity’’, so we can feel proud of them every time they answer correct those insignificant to them questions.
It would be better if you start facing the world through the eyes of a child. In doing so, we could focus on what really matters in life and stop wasting so much time daily trying to fulfil our core needs, focusing on the minor stuff as money hunting and staying back watching life pass us by. The details in the drawing at the bottom right corner of the page and the eye of the boa constrictor are visible only though eyes of a child, because only children stare with interest at these details. And if someone tries to convince them that it is just a hat they feel disillusioned and depressed because they simply don’t understand them. However, the ones who see only a hat will never feel disappointed and thereby losing the main point.
In the following articles we will go on with the sheep, which the little prince asked insistently the narrator to draw for him, and based on this we could talk about the purity, the innocence and righteous.