Yesterday afternoon, along with my husband and children, I went to see a theatrical performance of the classical tale The Little Prince, written by Antoine de St-Exupery. My friend Danielle, who fabulously played several of the characters in the play, had kindly invited us to go and watch it.
For those who have never read or heard about this tale, The Little Prince tells the story of the encounter between an airplane pilot who, because of mechanical problems lands in the Sahara Desert, and a little boy who comes from a distant planet, in search for the meaning of life.
More importantly than the actual setup, it is the metaphorical and philosophical way of telling the story that makes it so beautiful and inspiring.
The Little Prince talks about the importance of looking beneath the surface with the 'eyes of the heart' to find the truth. It is through the character of the the fox that this message is transmitted, when he tells the Prince: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye".
Throughout the tale, Saint-Exupéry is very critical of many of the characteristics of mankind. He claims that humans are too preoccupied with wealth, power, and technology, missing the important things in life -- beauty, love, and friendship. Because they do not invest the time in loving others and noticing the small wonders of the world (as they once did when they were children), people rush from place to place in search of something; but since they look for the wrong things, they are never happy with where they are and rush onward again. It is a never ending treadmill on which we all sometimes feel caught.
What I find incredibly fascinating about this story is how both children and adults can relate to it at a different level and how the message is ageless, incredibly contemporary, although it was written in 1943.
It doesn't tell us anything new - we all know the role love, friendship and human connection should take in our lives - but it does remind us that sometimes we travel the world (both concretely and metaphorically) in search for happiness, only to find out it was right there within our reach all along.
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