To Quote Freddie

 I made a mistake. No, this is not a generic, why-was-I-born mistake; I'm referring to something specific here. Yesterday, I scared a cat who was minding its own business. It probably spread along the grapevine, I suppose. Watch out for an idiot in spectacles and bad hair. I have a bone to pick with him. No, not a fishbone. It's a figure of speech! Just watch for that human. I imagine that's how their conversations went, but I've taken enough liberties already, so that's it. 

Anyway, today I had to enter a shop. It wasn't selling any food items, thankfully, or a lot of people would have gone down with diarrhoea. As I stepped inside, four heads turned to look at me. Only one of those heads belonged to a human- the pot-bellied, squinting proprietor of the shop. The remaining three heads belonged to felines, who regarded me with complete indifference. Or so it seemed. 

One of them seemed particularly friendly, until I pretended to stroke him, but stopped. Then he just slunk off to sulk in a corner. Doesn't mean he wasn't comfortable, oh no. Cats always choose the most comfortable spots to sit down in, oblivious to the previous occupant's objections. Who's going to argue with a cat? No one. Not because they'll seem crazy, but because they'll always lose to  the cat. 

There are many things which we can learn from cats. Their agility, superciliousness, indifference, quietness- take your pick. That doesn't necessarily mean that we ought to emulate all the qualities, though. The bus conductors on board buses, however, have completed a crash course on agility and balance from cats. 

Of all the vehicles on the road, buses are the ones with the most rash drivers. Apart from auto-rickshaws, that is. Those guys operate in a different dimension altogether. Bus drivers, on the other hand, drive fast, furious and don't give a ....... well, that's anyone's guess. The conductor rings a little bell tied to a wire to get the driver to stop, which usually works. If it doesn't, well- let's not think about that.

As I was saying, the conductors can easily get jobs doing balancing acts. Doesn't matter how suddenly the bus stops, or starts jinking from one side to another, the conductor always, always, manages to hold on without any discomfort. Add to that the fact that they manage to handle a bag full of loose change, notes stuffed between the fingers of one hand and one bus full of passengers (and a gung-ho driver), and you'll have found a new level of respect for them.

One quality of cats which humans use in the wrong way, surprisingly often, is their ability to be indifferent. It's not that indifference is unnecessary; it's necessary, but only in some cases. Humans don't realize that. They think it is the answer to every single problem they come across in life. 

Love to break it to them, it doesn't work that way. Accountability, responsibility and some maturity- that's all that's needed to be a half-decent human being. People don't realize that. For such people, I have the perfect option. Grow up. Or if that doesn't work, talk to a cat. If their indifference doesn't help, a couple of scratches ought to suffice. 

It's almost a month since I started blogging, and I must admit, it's been fun. Nevertheless, I'm not stopping anytime soon. The original reason why I started hasn't disappeared; it's just been modified. So, to quote Freddie Mercury: "Don't stop me now." On that note, stay safe, everybody. Adios!