My mind wasn't awake and ready to comment on this morning's excerpt of The Little Prince. Although what I said was true-- that it strikes a chord inside of me, I had the urge to write an entry for today's blog. What strikes me is the fact that The Little Prince was written in such a simple way, but at the same time carries with it some heavy stuff. It's in that naivety of the conversation between Little Prince and the fox that the text spoke to me.
"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . ."
Just as we establish ties or form relationships, that person that we made a relationship with becomes someone different. Someone important to us. You discover more about the other person each day just as the The Little Prince slowly gets closer to the fox to tame him. But like some relationships,they come to an end.
So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near--
"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."
"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . ."
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"Then it has done you no good at all!"
"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields." And then he added:
"Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."
Letting go is the hardest part. When you have to leave a friend or when someone leaves you or even when you break up. It's a thing we have to face. The fox cries, not out of plain sadness because of it being attached to a person, but maybe of both a sadness (that something good has to end) and at the same time a kind of gratefulness that the Little Prince added more color/meaning to his life.
I think being able to accept the fact that a certain person won't be physically in your life anymore and yet recognize the fact that they have changed you and being grateful for it, takes great effort (especially if it's something like a break up). Even though it was time for the Little Prince to leave, the relationship the fox shared with the Little Prince enabled The Little Prince to recognize the uniqueness of his rose. And maybe for us, we can learn to let go and thank. And possibly, realize the importance of things we've missed.
Beautiful and meaningful entry.
ReplyDeleteJust want to add that whenever we let go of our attachment with a person, we set free not only the person, but ourselves as well. It sets us free to find new people who can touch our lives as well. We learn to be open to new things that are waiting to inspire us further.
Steffie Castaneda (C)
I didn't always understand what people meant when they said, "If you love the person, let them go." Sometimes the things we try to hold on to are preventing us from growing, or actualizing potentials. When we let go, we allow them and ourselves to take those opportunities to become even better persons. The sometimes-baffling idea of a relation in separation makes sense.
ReplyDeleteJanina de Leon (C)
This idea of letting go was brought up again in the film I saw over the weekend, The Life of Pi. Disclaimer: I'll be mentioning some events in the movie that might spoil your experience if you decide to watch it.
ReplyDeleteAfter spending months stranded in the middle of the ocean with a 450-pound Bengal tiger, Pi finally floated onto shore. Most of the movie focused on the relationship of Pi and Richard Parker, the tiger, as they both struggled to survive after the ship they had been in sunk. (I won't get into the many details of the movie.) Pi's first instinct was to stay as far as possible from the carnivorous beast and so for a long duration in the film, he sought solace in a makeshift raft. However, he soon realizes that it would be too difficult to remain that way any longer as the food supplies were all kept in the main boat. Pi decided that instead of treating Richard Parker as an enemy, he would tame him and soon make him his friend.
Towards the latter half of the movie, they would learn to co-exist. Pi would even have to feed Richard Parker a share of what he would catch in the ocean. When they finally float onto Mexcian shore, Richard Parker struggles towards the forest and hesitates, but doesn't look back. It is here that Pi feels hurt that to the tiger, their relationship seemed to mean nothing.
I think the idea of letting go is what Pi had to learn. Despite the memories he had with Richard Parker, the tiger hadn't made a big deal, to the extent that an animal can, about saying good-bye. At the end of the film, Pi learned to let go. He learned to find his life again on-land, and to detach himself from the trauma he had undergone at sea.
I like the idea of how the story showed everyone is unique and special only when you've experienced him/her. Anybody is just anybody unless you get to know him/her. When the story said that the fox is just like a hundred thousand other fox, it made me realize that that's how we are with our friends. They were nobody before we met them. Everybody is a stranger for the first time, but once you get to be with the person, spend moments with him/her, create memories and relationships.. that's when they become more than what you used to think they were.
ReplyDelete- Cara Garcia, Ph102 A
I agree with the last statement... even if there is a possibility of that relationship ending, we have just have to cherish, to be grateful of what you had... and what you got from the experience of knowing this particular person.
ReplyDelete"It is better to have loved than to have never loved at all"... This went through my mind while reading the second half of the post. Though we all wish that our relationships would last a lifetime, the reality is not all do. Think of a relationship that you currently have with someone, be it a friend or a lover. It's scary and sad to think that one day you'd lose this person, but then if you think about it, would life be the same if you never knew this 'once a stranger'?
To not take the time to talk to or get to know someone or anyone, would have us living a safe life, but then... life would be dull, without color.. as expressed by these song lyrics: "If I never knew you, I'd have lived my whole life through. Empty as the sky, Never knowing why. Lost forever, If I never knew you."
It's a risk to learn about and to love someone, but then, if it makes us happier, makes us change for the better and thus making life worthwhile, then it's a risk that we should be willing to take.
:)
-Chrissen Domingo (Ph102-C)