While I was doing my homework late at night, and having to accept the harsh realization that I wouldn’t be able to finish, I began to stress out. That is when the cat came into my room and started messing around carelessly. In this moment in time, I was freaking out, yet the cat was serene and peaceful. At that moment, the thought hit me- why couldn’t I be like the cat? Is it because the cat did not have to bear the burden of going to school and having a suffocating amount of homework to do every night? I personally think that maybe there are a few habits or ideas from the cat’s behavior that we can try to adapt into our own lives.
This reminds me of a story about a chef who had convinced the people that his cat was a vegetarian. He would only cook vegetables or fruits for the cat, and without a fuss the cat would eat these dishes; however, the cat was caught eating birds or small prey -in the process destroying the chef’s whole theory. Well, what can we take from this story? When the cat was being forced to eat vegetarian food, it did not cause a commotion, nor disrespect the chef for believing that it could change a cat’s nature. It simply ignored the chef’s ideas and carried on with being a cat -eating a hyper carnivore diet. That made me realize that we can also try to retain our values, without getting forced to change them, or forcing them on anybody else and stick with our nature.
Maybe the mundane cat could also teach us a little about happiness. For example, not getting caught up in our own suffering. Yes, events from the past do affect us in a sort of way, but they should not define us, nor should we find our purpose in them. I have seen my cat spill its entire water bowl on itself and run away from the scene. The cat does not sit down and beats itself up for being stupid and causing a mess. It cleans itself and carries on with the daily routine of doing nothing. It does not worry nor paid much thought as to what I thought of it making a mistake. It moved on from the situation but learned from it so as not to spill its water bowl again. The lesson to be taken away from the cat is that we should learn from our mistakes and let things go.
The cat can also show us the importance of self-care and the toxic issues that result from attachment and dependency. The cat, at the start of its life, depends on its mother, but soon after it learns to care for itself without the help of others. If I refused to feed my cat, the cat would seek food on its own. The cat does not cling to its mother; it learns how to survive. So, we should not get attached to what people provide to us like love, money, or company. Eventually, there will be moments in our lives when we are all alone, and it is up to us to make decisions for ourselves and find the right path again to continue. It is the moments when we should not get so hung up on an old ex or still trying to fix a failing relationship. To be happy for the times and love that they gave you, but to move forward and learn how to deal with their absence.
Again, the philosophy of a cat is extremely interesting and if we were to humble ourselves down to the level of the species, we could learn a thing or two about living our lives. That we should not take the words of others so seriously and take the world lightly. You should move on from the past and in the words of Leonardo Da Vinci “Cats are the ultimate philosophers, teaching us the art of living in the present moment.”