The Little Prince and Love:Part One: Marc Gafni

The Little Prince:

To Tame

Remember The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry? There’s that wonderful line: “All that is essential is invisible to the eye.” I read it the first time in my late teens. I fell in love with it then and every few years since then I come back to it, both for myself and to share with my students.

It is the story of a little boy who lives on a star. He is a magical boy, as all children are, and as there are no adults or civilization on his planet to ruin him he very much has unfurnished eyes. He loves sunsets, for example. Since his planet is very small, all he has to do is move his chair to a different spot and he can see forty sunsets a day. Adults would call him mad. I, who am no adult, would call him a lover.

Everyone knows that the essence of the story is in the rose and the fox. One day, a little rose bush emerges from the ground of his planet. He watches it with great intention and focus. (Focus and intention are of course keys to the perception that is loving). This blooming creature is very beautiful and he becomes very attached. But the rose demands too much of a commitment from him. Such a big commitment seems too painful, so he runs away to see the universe. In the course of his adventures he meets a fox. This wise master of a fox says to him, “Tame me!” But the Little Prince does not know what that means. So the fox explains that he is inviting him to become his lover.

this is part one..part two this evening:)
marc gafni
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