Vulnerability & Emotional Walls
The Little Prince just sat there and looked at the ground. He asked the Pilot a simple question that he thought was important, but the Pilot brushed it off like dust on his sleeve.
“Thorns—what use are they?”
And the Pilot answered without thinking because he was having a hard time. “Thorns don’t do anything. They’re just a plant’s mean way of saying “
That’s when the Little Prince’s heart broke.
It wasn’t about the thorns. Not really. It had to do with something much bigger, and the Pilot should have known that. The Pilot, like all grown-ups, was too busy fixing his plane to see, though.
The Little Prince raised his head, and the Pilot saw something in him that he had never seen before.
The Little Prince said with a shaking voice, “I don’t believe you.” “Flowers must be weak. They don’t understand anything. This is the best they can do to comfort themselves. They believe that the thorns on their bodies will make them scary. They’re not scary at all!“
The Pilot stopped doing its job. He was shocked by the Little Prince’s angry voice.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, becoming kinder.
The Little Prince had already turned away, though. He didn’t want to talk. How could he tell the Pilot what he was only now starting to understand himself?
What You Need to Know About Thorns
The Little Prince had spent a lot of time taking care of his Rose, listening to her whine, keeping her safe, and making sure the wind never hit her delicate flowers too hard. As he thought about her, he felt bad about something: her thorns didn’t hurt at all.
She had always been so proud and sure of herself. She talked about her thorns like they were defense, but she was really weak. She put up her walls because she didn’t want to be seen for what she really was: weak and easily hurt.
And didn’t a lot of people do that?
Didn’t they hide behind their own thorns—their harsh words, cold looks, and long silences—to keep from telling the truth?
They were scared. That they needed love too, just like everyone else. 💏 That they weren’t as strong as they said they were.
He told the Little Prince that thorns were useless, but the Little Prince now knew that they were not. The point of thorns wasn’t to protect, but to hide.
People kept others away with their own type of thorns, just like his rose.
They didn’t do that because they didn’t want love.
They were afraid of what love would do to them, though.
The Walls We Build Up Against Others
The Little Prince thought about all the strange adults he had met along the way. They seemed strong on the outside, but they were really very lonely on the inside.
The King sat on his chair by himself and pretended to be powerful, but no one paid attention.
There was the Vain Man, who wanted to be admired but was afraid of being overlooked.
He was counting his stars because he thought that if he had enough of them, he would never feel empty.
Like his Rose, they had all built walls around themselves. The same as everyone else.
The Little Prince felt tired all of a sudden. Sick of thorns. People who act like they don’t need anyone get old quickly.
His mind was still on the broken plane when he thought of the Pilot. The man kept telling himself, “I’ll die of thirst in the desert if I don’t fix this engine.”
But the Little Prince thought…
Was the plane really broken? Or was it the Pilot?
People who are now adults seem to have broken something inside them that used to let them be open, trust, and love without fear.
That could be why they were so busy all the time. Because they would have to face what they had lost if they stopped.
The Little Prince closed his eyes and sighed. He was afraid of letting people in.
He remembered the day he had left Rose behind. She was so hard to deal with; she was always demanding and putting on a strong front. Still, she became kinder when he turned to leave.
“I love you,” she finally said in a whisper. “And I’m sorry for everything.”
It was too late, though.
She had been strong for so long that she had never shown him how much she needed him.
The Little Prince thought of something he had never thought about before while sitting on this strange planet with the Pilot next to him:
It’s possible that the Pilot had thorns too. It’s possible that everyone did. It’s possible that he did too.
The Moment When You Understand
The Pilot put down his wrench. He finally saw that the Little Prince was quiet, had his hands in fists, and had tears in his eyes.
“Hey,” he said weakly. “What’s really bothering you?”
And the Little Prince looked at him with wide eyes.
Was the Pilot finally going to get it? Would he pay attention?
Could he look at things like a child again for a second and see the truth?
“I’m scared for my flower,” the Little Prince finally said in a whisper. “I worry that she is weak. I also left her alone. She also said she never really thought I loved her.
In his chest, the Pilot felt something get tight. He didn’t say anything for a long time. He then put his hand on the Little Prince’s shoulder.
“I think she knew,” he said in a low voice.
The Little Prince took a quick breath.
“Do you really think so?”
The Pilot said “yes.”
“Yes.” I believe she was scared too.
The Little Prince smiled for the first time in a long time. Not too much.
It’s possible that the Pilot wasn’t completely broken after all.
Just put down his tools and don’t think about engines for a while, and he might even understand something important:
That life isn’t about fixing planes, counting stars, or showing the world what a great person you are. Love comes with risks, that’s what it’s about. That care means being open to being hurt. The weight of your own heart is so heavy that not even a thorn can take it away.
And just maybe, that was fine.
What We Can Learn From the Question the Little Prince Asked
“What are thorns for?” was never about flowers. It was about people. About how we all try to keep from getting hurt.
But here’s the truth:
Thorns don’t make us stronger; they just separate us. Being open and honest is scary, but it’s the only way to connect with someone deeply. 🌿 Letting someone see us as we are is the greatest thing we can do.
Remember the Little Prince the next time you find yourself making walls.
Take off your guard. Allow yourself to be loved. Also, never brush off someone’s question about thorns.
When they ask, it’s sometimes about something much, much deeper.
Vita Dinamica: Dynamic Life 