Yes， the smile is the unaffected， unplanned， natural connection between people. I tell this story in my work because I’d like people to consider that underneath all the layers we construct to protect ourselves， our dignity， our titles， our degrees， our status and our need to be seen in certain ways and underneath all that， remains the authentic， essential self. I’m not afraid to call it the soul. I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other， we wouldn’t be enemies. We couldn’t have hate or envy or fear. I sadly conclude that all those other layers， which we so carefully construct through our lives， distance and insulate us from truly contacting others. Saint-Exupery’s story speaks of that magic moment when two souls recognize each other.
I’ve had just a few moments like that. Falling in love is one example. And looking at a baby. Why do we smile when we see a baby？ Perhaps it’s because we see someone without all the defensive layers， someone whose smile for us we know to be fully genuine and without guile. And that baby-soul inside us smiles wistfully in recognition.
在美國，安東尼？聖？埃克蘇佩裏的《小王子》幾乎家喻戶曉。小孩子覺得那是個神奇的童話，成年人則認為那是個哲理故事，發人深省。至於聖？埃克蘇佩裏的其他作品和故事，很少有人知道。
聖？埃克蘇佩裏是名空軍士兵，參加過反納粹戰爭，在執行任務時不幸身亡。“二戰”前，他參加了西班牙內戰，抗擊法西斯，以此為素材，他寫了篇感人至深的《微笑》。現在，我們就來回味這個故事。故事是否真實無從考證，我寧願相信那是作者的親身所曆。
作者說，他被敵人俘虜並關進了監獄，看到看守那輕蔑的眼神、粗暴的態度，他肯定自己明天就會命喪九泉。下麵，我根據我的回憶，用我的語言把這個故事講給你們聽。