Many of us are familiar with The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), a wonderful book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This whimsical story entertains us as a children’s novella, then later surprises us as a thought-provoking adult fable. Saint-Exupéry was a fighter pilot who fought against the Nazis and was killed in action. Before World War II, he fought in the Spanish Civil War against the Fascists. Saint-Exupéry wrote many books and short stories. The piece below caught my interest. It’s called The Smile (Le Sourire,) and it reminds us about the power of a smile. Here's my edited version of the story.

THE SMILE

I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. After all, one does not make eye contact with a thing, a corpse. I called out to him, “Have you got a light por favor?” He looked at me, shrugged and came over to light my cigarette. As he came close and lit the match, his eyes inadvertently locked with mine.

At that moment, I smiled. I don’t know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness, perhaps it was because when you get very close to another, it is very hard not to smile. In any case, I smiled.

In that instant, it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between us. I know he didn’t want to, but my smile leaped through the bars and generated a smile on his lips too. He lit my cigarette but stayed near, looking directly in my eyes and continuing to smile.

I kept smiling at him, now aware of him as a person and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new dimension too. “Do you have kids?” he asked.

“Yes, here, here.” I took my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my family. He too took out pictures of his ninos and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them.

My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared I’d never see my family again — never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes too.

Suddenly, without another word, he unlocked my cell and silently led me out. Out of the jail — quietly and by back routes — out of the town. There at the edge of town, he released me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town.

My life was saved by a smile. — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Saint-Exupéry focuses on the magic moment when two people connect — despite the circumstances of their meeting. In this complex world there are reasons to feel unsafe and to mistrust. We protect ourselves by constructing layers of emotional armor to distance us from others, but our authentic undefended self is alive and well — just beneath the armor.

When the undefended part of you and the undefended part of me recognize each other, we can’t be enemies. We can’t hate, envy, or fear. Genuine smiles create unplanned, authentic connections — even between strangers.

Naked honesty is appealing. Vulnerability is appealing. When we relate to someone free of defensiveness, we relax and match their lack of guile. That’s smile power!

Saint-Exupéry’s story touches my heart and inspires me. So here it comes – a genuine no-holds-barred authentic smile!

Source: Hanoch McCarty