I came
across The Little Prince not until my early teen years. It wasn’t one of those
bedtime stories that my parents read to me and my sister. I guess I wanted a
little more action and ponies and courageous little boys in my bedtime stories
back then. But, then, my dear friend, Kirsi, had written a quotation from the Little Prince on my farewell
gift (I was leaving living abroad).
I came so
deeply interested in this Little Prince that I bought the book. First, in
Finnish, and then, in English. Putting more and more time and effort in this lovely story I finally understood the hidden meanings in the story, and maybe found something more valuable along my way. At one point I
wanted to be just like The Little Prince – he’s my hero! One of my dreams is to find The Little Prince in all languages. So, where ever I go in my travels I look for my
Little Prince.
On the back
of the book reads: “On one level it is the story of an airman’s discovery in
the desert of a small boy from another planet – the Little Prince of the title
– and his stories of intergalactic travel, while on the other hand it is a
thought-provoking allegory of the human condition.”
Forgive me
for not getting more deeply in my thoughts and the meanings I had put in this
story. Let me just share my favourite line:
‘When you
look up at the sky at night, since I shall be living on one of them and laughing
on one of them, for you it will be as if all the stars were laughing. You and
only you will have stars that can laugh.’ And as he said it he laughed: ‘And
when you are comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be happy to have
known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And
from time to time you will open your window, just for the pleasure of it… And
your friends will be astonished to see you laughing whilst gazing at the sky.
And so you will say to them, “Yes, stars always make me laugh’.
I hope that
we all have a Little Prince in our lives as our friend. I recently lost mine.
