‘The planners speak’ goes in here.

Long ago, people chose a life of settlement and agriculture in exchange for a steady supply of food. They came to abandon a life of travel, freedom, and hunting and gathering. A life of no more moving, no more waiting for a chance, no more searching was civilization itself.

Then a wildcat came down to the village and encountered the lonesome me. At first, we were wary of each other, but as time went on, our distance began to close. Soon the cat and I started to live together. It was at this moment that the relationship between humans and cats began. More than 10,000 years have already passed.

Still living 10,000 years later, I was thinking about Cherry Blossom Mikey. A quick search for cherry blossoms would immediately bring up Basho’s haiku.

cherry blossoms reminding one of many things

The simple act of a google search thrusts back this reality at us. The legendary Basho’s oh-so-simple expression is equal to saying nothing. It is analogous to piling nothing on top of nothing. Man is a creature of remembrance. If this is the end of the road, if this is a dead-end, then Mikey’s book can be written.

This time we go back a whopping 3.8 billion years. The first creatures were born in the sea. It is our original home, but I would die now if I went into the sea. My home will no longer accept me. Amniotic fluid has the same composition as seawater, and currently, the baby inside the womb is living in the sea. The moment I am born, I will be forever alienated from the sea and my mother.

March 18, 2022, I’m still staring at Mikey. Mikey has the same expression and poses as always. If you look closely, you can see that he is always at peace somehow. I’m sure Mikey doesn’t get angry. I think he has completely discarded anger, sadness, and envy. All the emotions that man cannot get rid of. Mikey always wishes for happiness to all living beings, including those who hate him.

Going back 10,000 years again, I begin to live with cats, developing an admiration for their way of life. In every action of the cats, I slowly find the home that I lost.

Mikey does not accumulate things from the past. Mikey lives in the present. Like a cat. Because he is a cat.

Tonkachi