“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“It is the time I have wasted for my rose—” said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
“Men have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . ..”
“I am responsible for my rose,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
* * * * *
Pardon me dear fox, little prince, and the rose, but that’s not always true. Men eventually figure out that responsibilities have limits, often imposed by others.
What is essential is invisible to the eye; sometimes, we are blind to it. And the time that we waste may ultimately be just a waste of time, and the rose was never tamed.
When kids become adults and princes become kings, this is what they do. They get real. They grow up. They move on. They live in the present, instead of wallowing in the past or wishing for an uncertain future. They learn to decide and to choose.Growing up isn’t sad. Growing up can lead to finding peace, something which children achieve only when they’re asleep.
3 comments:
It's a matter of perspective, really. The rose could represent the feeling (of love) that we painstakingly cultivate. We are all individually responsible for what and how we feel. The depth of that love can only be gauged by the trouble we went through to nurture it. It's doesn't really matter if that love was unrequited, cut short, or taken for granted coz at the end, as Keny Rankin so aptly put it..."What matters most is that we loved at all."
@LANCE: I actually agree with your comment. I believe it's a matter of interpretation.
If they interpret the rose as representing "the feeling (of love) that we painstakingly cultivate," then yes, we are responsible for our feelings. But sadly, there are people who interpret the statement, "You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed" to mean that one is responsible for the other person. So they "impose" themselves on the other. Also, some people conveniently forget the "tamed" part, not realising that they haven't really tamed their rose.
So yes, I agree that we love no matter if it becomes unrequited, cut short, or taken for granted. That is, IF one doesn't feel the need for the love to be reciprocated. For someone to be at peace with that, for someone to be generous without seeking reward, I believe one needs to grow up.
I loved the little prince.. I love roses (since it is my name), but you're insight is very true to life as well.
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