Zen Cats (First Meeting)

For the purposes of this book we will proceed under the assumption that you and your Zen Cat are new found friends. As such you require the appropriate introductions. Let us further assume that your Zen Cat is a “saved” cat; one that has been abused or abandoned by less enlightened individuals. As such, you are the cat’s new friend and savior. Indeed, you may literally have saved your cat from a horrible death. It is a fact that cat’s left to fend for themselves in the “wilds of suburbia” have a lifespan of approximately five years. The same cat, under your care, can easily live to be 14, 15 even 20 years.

There are many animal shelters and sanctuaries that always have an over abundance of cats requiring good homes. There is also the possibility of actually taming a feral cat on your own but we will cover that in the chapter on feral cats. For our purposes let us assume that you have visited your local animal shelter, fallen in love with a domestic shorthair cat, filled out the adoption paperwork (cats are not just given to anyone as they are living creatures), and are ready to take your cat to his/her new home. In order to accomplish this task you will require a suitable cat carrier. At no time should you try to move a cat from one place to another by holding it, wrapping it or otherwise trying to restrain it. This action will make your cat fearful and in trying to escape the cat will probably do you some damage in the form of scratches and/or bites. Cat carriers can be purchased at any pet shop for reasonable amounts of money and you and your cat will enjoy a safe and uneventful trip home. Some shelters also stock cardboard carriers for one time usage if you find yourself in a position without an appropriate carrier. This cardboard “box” will normally be collapsible, have just enough room when opened to hold an average size cat (9 to 12 pounds) and will have breathing holes and a carry handle. This is a perfectly safe and convenient device for the initial transportation of your cat but should be viewed only as a stopgap measure and a larger and more comfortable carrier should be purchased.

from "The Zen Cat"

by Michael Sutton

Free Speech

I worry about the world. Do most people do that? I don’t think so. I’m sure that the people in power like “The President of the United States” and "The Pope" don’t care about the world. What they are adept at is keeping the ball rolling in their direction. It’s worrisome to me to have old men with no discernable talent or redeeming social value running the country. Fuck, the president we have now is an idiot, yet people still voted for him. I worry about those people. I worry that they believe everything they hear on TV or read in the small town America Gazette. The frightening thing is that these people think that they voted the president into office. Well, it doesn’t work that way. Money is what rules this country not some wimpy asshole of a man. Then, of coarse there is the possibility that the president thinks he actually was liked so much by the people that he became president. Shit, you’re all assholes in the end because the multi-billion dollar companies and the billionaire entrepreneurs bought the presidency a long time ago.

How about the Pope as leader of the Catholic nation? An old man who is constantly sick has been put in place by other Pope wannabees at the table. Bull Shit again. The Pope is bought and paid for by the Mafia. The deliberation at the table is to decide who will best bear the burden of lying to millions of people who believe in him. After all the Pope can sit in a special place and talk directly to God. I say no way. If he can talk to God and get responses then why doesn’t he ask God to make the world and its people a better place? It may not seem like it but the pope heralds back to the time of King Arthur . . . he didn’t do anything to help that world either. It is appropriate to place the popeship with King Arthur as neither was real. Lies upon lies with more lies on top.

Success

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a little bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wisdom

Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.

Ralph Waldo Emerson