"For millions of years flowers have been producing
thorns. For millions of years sheep have been eating them all the same. And
it's not serious, trying to understand why flowers go to such trouble produce
thorns that are good for nothing? It's not important, the war between the sheep
and the flowers?... Suppose I happen to know a unique flower, one that exists
nowhere in the world except on my planet, one that a little sheep can wipe out
in a single bite one morning, just like that, even without realizing what he's
doing - that isn't important? If someone loves a flower of which just one
example exists among all the millions and millions of stars, that's enough to
make him happy when he looks at the stars. He tells himself, 'My flower's up
there somewhere...' But if the sheep eats the flower, then for him it's as if,
suddenly, all the stars went out. And that isn't important?'"
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince
The war between the sheep and the flowers has been going on
a while, and there is no clear winner so far. So far, nobody has eaten the last
rose. Meanwhile, I’m slow roasting a rack of lamb today, but it’s not the last
lamb.
Today, there is a rose in the backyard, and the house smells
like rosemary. So for today, the roses are winning, and the stars are still
shining. Life is good.
No comments:
Post a Comment