Reflections on The Little Prince

109 pages in one morning. And that’s how I knew I hadn’t read a good book in a long time.

It was 5:30 A.M, and it had been a long time since a book had captivated me the way this one has.

Its simplicity left me dreaming and thinking about human nature.

Somehow, I missed this book in my childhood years. I’m sure you heard of it or read it. But I believe it served me more reading it now.

It has quickly become one of my favorites, if not the first one. Right now, there is no debate, but I change my mind quite often about these things.

Here’s the first passage that powered my thoughts like a well.

Have you ever thought how we never ask the right questions?

What does his voice sound like?

It was, in fact, one of the first things that made me say YES, one day. Smell, voice, shoes, and hands are, for me, very important things to pay attention to.

We often think about these things when we collect the memory of our loved one, but how about people we don’t know? Like when someone says Oh, I have this friend that did that or said that…. he s so cool, you’d definitely get along.

How often do we ask what he does in his free time?

It is often what he does ( for a living ) or how old he is, or where he is from. Stuff that we don’t really need to know it does not help us shape our perception in any way. For many, an occupation is not something that defines who they are, just what they do. And all the other stuff is just names and numbers.

How little essence interests us sometimes, in our social gatherings?

Why is it that when two people meet, and when 10 people meet, in the latter option, they find out so little about one another?

As in life, where there are more options, the chance that you get something valuable out of that situation is slimmer than it would be if you had one option.

One person to talk to, one place to go to, one thing to do.

In this situation, even though there is only one thing, the emotion is not just one.

While in a group of friends, or when you have multiple places to be at, or more than one thing to do, often the emotions reduce to one. Pressure.

The pressure of showing up, doing what you said you’d do, seeming like you want to seem or think you are, and paying attention not to step on anyone’s toes.

That’s why two people would get to know each other in the intimacy they’ve created, without boundaries, scope, or pressure. Just out of pure curiosity, desire, and energy.

The curiosity for one another is the most precious thing (invisible to the eye, as mentioned in The Little Prince) that we can hold on to. And that we should if we wanted to. But only if we wanted to.

To find a person with which your curiosity will never die, is to find a pure treasure hidden in the desert like a well. A drop of water in your mouth on a hot, dry day.

To want to hear their brain pickings at any given time is something so precious.

Because we are humans, and we need humans around us to feel safe. But to feel fulfilled, you need at least one human that you’d be curious about most of the time, and his/her/their curiosity would be as high as yours is for him/her/they.

And then you’d tend to think that’s enough, but it’s not.

*Somehow, I have made this article about the beauty of having someone you love nearby.*

It’s also about respecting each other’s curiosities and liking each other’s curiosities. Loving them even.

Also, have you noticed how when you get something for free, you cherish it less compared to if you made an effort to get it? Notice how you feel the need to let it be there and move on to the next “thing”?

You are like…ok, but this wasn’t my purpose. my.

Some say it is bad to cling to things and go out if your way to acquire them is even worse. And they are right. But I’m not talking about things.

It is often about the effort you put into something meaningful to you. The time you spend waiting for your loved one to come home, or to just ..spend time with you. The constant effort of communicating one’s needs, and not feeling entitled to the other knowing them. The effort of walking slowly, and enjoying every minute. because you know for sure, that is the way you’ll find water for your thirst every single day.

This blog post was originally posted on Substack.