The pandemic and ' The Little Prince'
Published Nov 12, 2022 12:02 am
IT’S THE SMALL THINGS
ALEX M. EDUQUE
Just recently, I re-read one of, if not my favorite book: the timeless classic, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. What is most fascinating about this allegory I find is that every single time I re-read it, I see it from a different perspective – I am always able to gain something new from the very same pages, and am then able to see the same themes from a new light. This is the first time I have re-read the book since the pandemic, and it has resonated so much more with me now than it ever has. Quite amazing to see the parallels of impact a favorite book, and a life-changing period has had on me.
Truly, one of my most favorite quotes in the world (and perhaps the most famous one from the book too) could not hit closer to home than after living through a pandemic. “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” I have never seen this passage to hold more wisdom than it does now. The many months we spent at home enveloped in fear, uncertainty and anxiety in 2020 truly brought us to our utmost core. It stripped us raw and bared our very vulnerabilities, in the same way that right before our very eyes, the whole situation reminded us of who, and what truly matter in life, and in this world. The very things we had no control over held the most weight in our everyday lives, and all of these invisible notions, feelings, emotions and aspects of our very being are what we hold closest to our hearts.
Time – its very essence, and importance; the mere fact that we cannot take it back gives it utmost significance. During the long days of the pandemic, we realized and lived through the many facets of time: from how moments matter because it is so crucial it is to be able to treat a sick person quickly, to being given the leisure and luxury of time to those of us who were privileged enough to work from home, and spend more time with our loved ones. A lot of our lives have changed drastically pre, and post pandemic with how we choose to manage our time, and whatever the case is, we have learned so much about how we can choose to control our time, versus having time take over and control us. Time and accountability come hand in hand because one of the things we have total control over is how we choose to spend our time, and if we do so wisely. At the end of the day, as Saint-Exupery illustrates, “It is the time that you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important. Men have forgotten this truth. But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”
The pandemic saw us judging everyone – from family members, to neighbors, to friends – simply because we were navigating a terrain so foreign to all of us. Each one of us had our own “right” way to handle the situation (or so we thought) and the levels of caution totally varied. We wanted so much to control how others choose to live their lives according to our own accords. If there is one thing the pandemic really opened my eyes to, it is that people will choose to live their lives the way they want to, and the way they think best. No two people will ever think alike entirely, and it is in these differences that we find the need for respect. Respect commands respect, and at the end of the day, acknowledging people’s preferences, and making them feel valid and not shunned really moved mountains at a time when we were all so riled up and uptight. Truly, “It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are a man of true wisdom” (A. de Saint-Exupéry).
Overall, I have always seen, and will continue to see the author’s subliminal intention to be that of reminding us all to reset – to take a step back, in the hopes of being able to clear our perceptions of the harsh realities of this world to see it from a child’s point of view – one that is innocent, naïve, and pure. If there is anything the pandemic (especially the early days) did for me, it was that. Just like the pandemic, the book is essentially what you make of it; quite simply put, it is a life guide you can choose to take simply, and literally, or interpret as your own in order to learn and gain from each and every time. If you have not yet, I highly encourage you to pick up The Little Prince. Or if you have already, do yourself a favor and give it a read again. You may just surprise yourself with the nuggets of wisdom you pick up.
ALEX M. EDUQUE
Just recently, I re-read one of, if not my favorite book: the timeless classic, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. What is most fascinating about this allegory I find is that every single time I re-read it, I see it from a different perspective – I am always able to gain something new from the very same pages, and am then able to see the same themes from a new light. This is the first time I have re-read the book since the pandemic, and it has resonated so much more with me now than it ever has. Quite amazing to see the parallels of impact a favorite book, and a life-changing period has had on me.
Truly, one of my most favorite quotes in the world (and perhaps the most famous one from the book too) could not hit closer to home than after living through a pandemic. “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” I have never seen this passage to hold more wisdom than it does now. The many months we spent at home enveloped in fear, uncertainty and anxiety in 2020 truly brought us to our utmost core. It stripped us raw and bared our very vulnerabilities, in the same way that right before our very eyes, the whole situation reminded us of who, and what truly matter in life, and in this world. The very things we had no control over held the most weight in our everyday lives, and all of these invisible notions, feelings, emotions and aspects of our very being are what we hold closest to our hearts.
Time – its very essence, and importance; the mere fact that we cannot take it back gives it utmost significance. During the long days of the pandemic, we realized and lived through the many facets of time: from how moments matter because it is so crucial it is to be able to treat a sick person quickly, to being given the leisure and luxury of time to those of us who were privileged enough to work from home, and spend more time with our loved ones. A lot of our lives have changed drastically pre, and post pandemic with how we choose to manage our time, and whatever the case is, we have learned so much about how we can choose to control our time, versus having time take over and control us. Time and accountability come hand in hand because one of the things we have total control over is how we choose to spend our time, and if we do so wisely. At the end of the day, as Saint-Exupery illustrates, “It is the time that you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important. Men have forgotten this truth. But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”
The pandemic saw us judging everyone – from family members, to neighbors, to friends – simply because we were navigating a terrain so foreign to all of us. Each one of us had our own “right” way to handle the situation (or so we thought) and the levels of caution totally varied. We wanted so much to control how others choose to live their lives according to our own accords. If there is one thing the pandemic really opened my eyes to, it is that people will choose to live their lives the way they want to, and the way they think best. No two people will ever think alike entirely, and it is in these differences that we find the need for respect. Respect commands respect, and at the end of the day, acknowledging people’s preferences, and making them feel valid and not shunned really moved mountains at a time when we were all so riled up and uptight. Truly, “It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are a man of true wisdom” (A. de Saint-Exupéry).
Overall, I have always seen, and will continue to see the author’s subliminal intention to be that of reminding us all to reset – to take a step back, in the hopes of being able to clear our perceptions of the harsh realities of this world to see it from a child’s point of view – one that is innocent, naïve, and pure. If there is anything the pandemic (especially the early days) did for me, it was that. Just like the pandemic, the book is essentially what you make of it; quite simply put, it is a life guide you can choose to take simply, and literally, or interpret as your own in order to learn and gain from each and every time. If you have not yet, I highly encourage you to pick up The Little Prince. Or if you have already, do yourself a favor and give it a read again. You may just surprise yourself with the nuggets of wisdom you pick up.