It made me want to read the novel again and so I did... and I am so inspired by it!
I read it as a kid and loved it, but this time round, I think I got something out of it and it inspired me to do a series of drawings...
This is called "The Portrait of the Grown-up Lady who tamed a Fox"
If you remember the story of The Little Prince, it started with the narrator talking about a drawing that he did when he was a child.
He read about boa constrictors from a book which said "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."
So he made his first drawing, which was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant.
He showed his drawing to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.
Here was their reply:
"Frighten? Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?"
The narrator continued the story with his opinion towards the grown-ups.
"Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."
Then the narrator, now a "grown-up" pilot, got stranded in the middle of the Sahara desert and met the little prince. The little prince was a traveler from a small asteroid and had traveled to different planets before coming to our planet Earth.
The author describes the world of "grown-ups" as the little prince described the planets he had been to and the people he had met.
Those planets were devoid of imagination, they were based on numbers and "matters of consequence" more than dreams or even reality, and was no place for true royalty.
It reminded me of how Jesus loves the little children.
When Jesus was questioned about who would rank highest in the kingdom of heaven he used a child as an example: “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, your not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in.” (Matthew 18: 2)
When people become too"serious" about themselves, about what other people think, about numbers and statistics, they forget their purpose and their dreams. Sometimes it saddens me that many Christians are like that... focusing on their jobs... their earthly riches... their social status.... and ignoring the really important things like working for God's Kingdom...
Grown-ups may find the drawing of the boa constricor digesting an elephant silly.
But Paul says, "The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hell-bent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation in makes perfect sense.” (1 Cor. 1:18)
“Grown-ups” will not understand the message of the Cross because it seems like utter nonsense to the world of cause and effect, or how Saint-Exupery puts it, "matters of consequence"
They would think, if God truly became a man, why would He allow himself to be executed as a common criminal? If God is the God who created the entire universe, why would He care about insignificant people like us and want us to have a relationship with Him?
But the proof of faith and belieft is in this very relationship, which to "grown-ups" may seems like "sheer silliness", or a fairy tale for children.
We see Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords not because He has proven it by the riches and powers He had, but because He loved us enough to die for us, it is our relationship with Jesus that matters.
God doesn't love us because we are unique, we are unique because God loves us.
The little prince had a very unique flower on his planet that he loved and care for so much. But when he came to the planet Earth, he saw a garden of roses and realized that his flower was common, not unique and valuable as he had imagined. The little prince then befriended a fox who taught him the most important lesson.
The fox asked the little prince to tame him, and explained that one is tamed by being loved and valued. The fox taught the little prince that one cannot judge another by seeing with the eyes, instead, one has to see and judge with the heart.
The little prince realized that his flower was really special, not because she looks different from other roses, but because he has loved and cared for it.
I hope you understand what I'm talking about.... I do realize that I'm not good at writing.... so I'm sticking to drawing......
If you want to read The Little Prince...
here's an online version The Little Prince
More Little Prince inspired stuff next time :)
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