Cats and Boxes

Ever since they arrive to this world, cats form a strong bond with carton boxes.

It begins when their moms look for a secluded, dark and preferably warm place to give birth. Shortly after the newly-born kitties have opened their eyes, they start peeking at the world beyond the box but dare not leave it. However, as soon as they are strong enough, they venture into the unknown to satisfy their curiosity, but always returning to the well known safety of their box.

Even as adults, cats still enjoy playing and jumping into boxes whenever they can, even a humble paper bag will do.

This morning, as soon as I finished getting dressed up, I suddenly recalled I needed to bring an install CD to the office. Most of them are kept inside a small carton box placed on top of a cabinet.

Sassy and Mitzi, my beloved kitties, were taking a nap on my bed, comfortably rolled in my blanket. Their eyes closed, but their ears discreetly moving around to sense what else was going on.

As soon as I grabbed the box, Mitzi's ears became fixed on my position but she still didn't move. Gosh! Too many CD's to examine and I'm in a rush... ok, it will be faster if I just take them out and flip them like cards.

As soon as I placed the empty box on the bed, Mitzi opened her eyes, purred at me and stretched herself while placing her paws in it, claws fully deployed. Well, I didn't found what I was looking for, so it was time to put the CD's back into the box and... oh oh. Box is busy with kitty... or the other way around.

When I extended my hand to pick up the box, Mitzi purred again looking at me without any intention of letting go of it.

I smiled and gave her a quick scratch on her head. Very well Mitzi kitty, you can have the box even if you are too big for it.

Another gentle purr, and after she tried to fit as much of herself as she could into the box, she resumed her nap.

She seemed genuinely happy because I let her keep the box.

And my bloody camera wasn't charged or else I would have included a picture. Argh!!!

The so-called "Human nature"

If we were like any other species on the planet, we would be fully integrated to our environment. Instead of transforming it to better suit our tastes and preferences, we would adjust to it like all the others do without falling into the specialisation fallacy, mind you, which of course is reserved for insects.

However, when we compare our directives and general behavior to a logic template, results often contradict any hope of common sense:

We pursuit that which retreats from us.
We love those who cannot love us back.
We long for what we don't have.
We take things for granted and don't fully appreciate them until they are gone.

I was never good at playing "games", those counterintuitive unwritten "rules" that often seem to be decisive at achieving the object of desire in question. Everybody and his dog seems to be aware of them.

Everybody else but me.

Instead, I opted for a more open nature... a strategy that has bitten me back more times than I can keep count of. As a prime example of stubborness on my own self, I still keep using that policy regardless of the ever increasing frustration brought by its eventual, almost fatallistically certain outcome.

Either I completely lack what others dare to define as "emotional intelligence", or in spite of external appearance, I do not belong to the local human race.

For all accounts, I was born here. So... misanthropy suddenly seems so attractive again.