THE LITTLE PRINCE

We just watched the new take on “The Little Prince” that Netflix released on Friday. I found it beautiful. I loved the art. And I loved the “story within a story.” It is a great way to bring grown ups back to the magic of a fable that we learned to love as children.

I bring it up because the new version offers a sharp critique of a world defined by corporations, “productivity” and standardized education. It reminds us that the most precious things in life cannot be dominated or owned. It reminds us that we have lost too much.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye”

It makes me wonder how many more times will we need to be reminded?

We have this remarkable capacity for magic and play. We are born storytellers. We know how to weave meaning into the mystery. We come from a long line of star gazers.

And yet, here we are. So many of us caught in an economy that stands against life. So many of us stuck in jobs that mean too little, houses full of stuff that will not make us happy. We are too stressed out and too depressed to yield to that spontaneous sense of wonder that’s part and parcel of our aliveness.

I will let myself be reminded. I will organize my life in ways that help me remember. I will join those who are longing and willing in experiments that keep us trying. To do things differently. And say yes to play and magic.