Recently I've taken to reading The Little Prince in Japanese as a way to beef up my rather pisspoor Japanese reading ability. It's a grueling but excellent way to practice.
Today I came across one particular passage that really stuck with me.
Spoken from the viewpoint of a six-year-old boy:
"Grownups love numbers. When talking about a new friend, they don't ask about the most important things. Instead of 'What kind of voice does he have?' or 'What's his favorite game?' or 'Does he collect butterflies?' they ask 'How old is he?' 'How many brothers does he have?' 'How much does he weigh?' or 'What's his father's salary?' By asking such things, finally they can understand a person. If you say something like 'There's a beautiful house with bricks the color of roses, with blooming Geraniums on the sills and so many pigeons on the roof...,' grownups can't imagine it. You can't say that. If you say 'I saw a million-dollar house!' then grownups will get interested. 'That's beautiful!' they might say."
I love this passage. It makes me think of everything that's wrong with the way people prioritize their lives these days.
Comments
For fear of getting publicly hated-on, what I won't talk about is the specific kind of people who I angrily feel are most afflicted with this loathsome trait. And no, I'm not a racist, so don't bother barking up that tree.
Posted by: Justin | February 13, 2007 3:16 PM
I "get it" and agreed... although I'm one of those people, just part of being an adult.
Posted by: Peter Weber | February 14, 2007 9:12 AM
Along with the obvious statement made here about what is "valuable", most people prefer to deal in finites/stasis rather than contant change. Our brains and our egos have a great deal of trouble with the reality of impermanence. What is harder to put your finger on than the concept "beauty"?
Posted by: ma | February 15, 2007 4:39 AM
I gotta get me that book. It sounds so right on. For me personally I was almost too far down that path, but I am working on being better. Can't blame a gal who's trying!
Posted by: Michelle | February 15, 2007 11:27 AM
sounds like a good book - how many pages does it have??
haaa sorry, couldn't resist!!
Posted by: Kungfutrip | February 17, 2007 1:22 AM