One of the most popular children’s novellas ever, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” has a breathtaking storyline that will both hold your child’s attention and teach him life values. The following is an excerpt from this story.
“And he went back to meet the fox."
“Goodbye,” he said.
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
“It is time you have devoted your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“It is the time I have devoted to 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.”
Some have come to the conclusion that there are two dimensions of individual responsibility. Besides our responsibility for the feelings that awaken in others, The Little Prince quote mentioned before, we can’t ignore our responsibility for our thoughts and our actions.
Being responsible for our thoughts seems to be very complicated, perhaps a constant challenge because it demands attention and energy on what we expect for our lives. More and more we hear about the power of thoughts feeding positively or negatively depending on the attention and strength that we put on the ones that make us stronger versus the destructive ones. When we become aware that we have dominion over our thoughts, is the beginning of the process of choices about those thoughts.
We long to cultivate in ourselves and instill in our charges, the responsibility for our actions. We must take responsibility for the outcomes of our actions, enabling us to make our choices consciously.
When we take responsibility, we own our thoughts and actions and see clearly how those thoughts and actions affect our lives and those around us. When this becomes clear, we move through life with focus and determination on impacting the future for the positive.
In Service,
Andrew Duininck