A Big Adventure with the Little Prince

by Char Syliangco

I first read The Little Prince when I was 12. It was the oddest story for me back then – from the mysterious boa constrictor drawing to the huge guys stepping on small planets. Nothing in the story made sense to me, and it made me wonder why my teacher kept talking about this book like it was holy. A few years later, I randomly found my copy and read it. And then a few years after that again. What’s interesting about it is everytime I get to read it, it’s like I am able to unlock a new message. The book is like a mystery, and the only way to solve it is through age and time.

This is why I have come to love The Little Prince. It is a book that takes us to other worlds. We learn so much from it without leaving our seats; it is the prince who travels for us. He brings us to so many different planets, introduces us to a versatile bunch of people (even animals), and more importantly, he teaches us how to love.

Just in case you haven’t read it: the prince falls in love with a rose. The rose is unique; it was the first of its kind to sprout on the prince’s planet. Realizing that it was not harmful, he chose to take care of it despite her obvious vanity. The rose demanded to be treated with care because she was one of a kind. He took time to water it, protect her from harm, and cover her with a glass globe. But when the prince found out that roses were common in another world, he got hurt and decided to flee. In his journey, he learned that the rose was still one of a kind because it is the only plant he took care of. Also, he found out that the rose will not live forever. He hurried home to his planet upon discovering this.

The problem with us people is that we get too caught up in other people’s flaws that we fail to remember their strengths. There are times that we realize a friend/loved one of ours may be too loud, too sensitive, too irritating, what-have-you. Or maybe this friend might have even hurt us in some way. It is so easy to just hate on them or even stray away from them. But if we truly love this person, we would always choose to see past it. Our job is to point out their mistakes and be patient while they grow to be better people. With this, John Green’s quote comes to mind: “I don’t know a perfect person. I only know flawed people who are still worth loving.” Flaws are only on the surface. Deep down, every person has a kind heart. And that is why we should look with our hearts too, and not with our eyes.


I thank The Little Prince for being my cheat sheet to life. It is true that we need to experience things to fully understand it, but I think the book is an experience in itself. The story, no matter how bizarre the setting is, is based on real-life experiences and insights. In it, I learned how to appreciate each other more. The key is to never give up easily because we might be throwing our happiness away. There is beauty in our own roses despite its thorns.