WHAT IS ESSENTIAL IS INVISIBLE TO THE EYE

I have previously blogged about this quote from de Saint-Exupẻry's The Little Prince.  The full quote is, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."  In the book, this quote is spoken by the fox and to the Little Prince after the fox has taught the Little Prince to tame the fox so that they are now friends.  The fox helps the Little Prince to understand that the Little Prince's rose that is back on the planet where the Little Prince lives is special because of their friendship [Even though the rose can be very irritating and demanding.]  This allows the Little Prince to see the rose with his heart and thus he is able to see his rose even when he is looking at hundreds of identical roses. 

So, what does any of this mean?  Does it mean that we need to be aware of ourselves and accepting of ourselves so that we know what is important and see with this awareness [our heart?].  Maybe seeing with the heart means seeing others [and ourselves] without judging or stereotyping or reacting based on our insecurities or giving advice or ...?  Is it true that if we choose to see ourselves more clearly and are then accepting of ourselves that we are less likely to judge or stereotype others?  So often what troubles us about others is really something about ourselves.  Thus, being self-aware has its advantages.  As Carl Jung is credited with saying, "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."  That certainly would dampen down our tendencies to be critical of others.  

What do you think?