The Herbivorous Cat

I was about midway into my weekly ritual of cleaning the car last Sunday, when I saw the neighbor's cat seriously munching on stems of wild grass that sprouted from the sidewalk near to where I stood. I was curious and so I watched, whereas ordinarily I would have detested any trivial interruption to my chore.

I've known cats as essentially carnivorous creatures, and so for me seeing one munching grass was too much for my curiosity. I know I've read somewhere, though, that cats do eat plants they instinctively know to contain substances that kill parasites or counteract toxins in their gut, and in this respect, my neighbor's cat may only be acting out of the need to protect and prolong its existence.

In many ways, cats are like people, and contrariwise. There is also a sea of difference between them. Cats instinctively know what is good for them, and so they munch on stems of grass. People instinctively know what they want, which may be good or bad, but they want them anyway.

Cats live simply and take only what they need; all the other cats may have the other clumps of grass to gnaw on. People have their needs gnawing at them, and so they take what they need, as well as those needed by their fellowmen. Whenever they can, they would fence in everything for themselves, and deny everyone else. Greed is the engine that drives the entire spectrum of human activity. People, when they've made up their minds about what they want, such as material things and wealth, or abstractions such as happiness, love, or power, will stop at virtually nothing to obtain them. This determination, at times, turns fearsome or deadly, or both.

Cats also become insecure, but only with territoriality issues, and so they squabble and claw at each other. Otherwise, they are perfect illustrations of contentment; sleeping most of the time or else chasing butterflies.

People become insecure about themselves, and turn distrustful of other people. They jealously protect the trappings of their wealth and power. I've come across persons so insecure that they imagine I'm after what they have, and so they refuse to work with me, and design all sorts of ruses to prevent me from entering their turf. These people, so much like the politicians and warlords who have the false notion that their stations are eternal, miss out on the dynamism, the possibilities and opportunities of teamwork. I never postured to take what they have, at any rate, simply wanting instead to share whatever talents and skills I have. I just let these people be, and hope that one day they will allow their eyes to be opened to the wondrous, morally upright world of equal opportunities for all.

My neighbor's cat munching on grass has prodded me towards these musings. I'm grateful that I'm still able to see not-so-ordinary things behind ordinary ones, the ones usually and plainly overlooked by most.

People rush off to here and there, to the ends of the earth, in search of new and great discoveries, overlooking the still largely uncharted regions of the self, the journey into which consumes a lifetime, and where some of the greatest discoveries lie in wait.