Cat Entitlements

“I believe in cat entitlements,” Announced Lamont one day.

“Cat entitlements? What’s that,” asked Patchtricia?

“Well, furry liter mate, just because we are cats and live with human beings, we should have certain inalienable rights,” answered Lamont.

“That sounds interesting,” said Pawline joining the conversation. “Please tell us more and get specific Lamont.”

“Well,” orated Lamont warming to his topic, “to begin with we have basic entitlements: food, shelter and clothing. Umm, forget clothing that’s not necessary in our case, in fact, clothing is objectionable.”

“True, true,” purred Patch. “I totally agree.”

“But beyond these basics,” continued Lamont raising up on his haunches, “we have other thing we are entitled to. We are entitled to regular petting. We’re cats, and the human servants have a responsibility to pet us and brush us with some regularity.”

“Yes, yes,” chimed in Paw, “oh yes, we need brushing and petting. I may not crawl up on their laps as you two do on occasion, but I do love being brushed and petted. You’re right, we are entitled to being petted a groomed. Here, here, more, more.”

“Furthermore,” proclaimed Lamont now filled with righteous cat power, “we have the right to pursue cat happiness. We are entitled to play and have toys to play with as fits our nature and disposition. We are entitled to scratching areas, posts, rugs, ropes and the like. You can’t be a proper cat without scratching something.”

“I most heartily concur,” exclaimed Patch, “We are cats hear us meow. We are entitled to not only food but treats personally fed to us by our humans. We have to right to shed hair anywhere we like and expect that the humans will pick it up it they are so inclined. We are entitled to look out windows as much as we want at the world. We are entitled to pretend we are great fierce cats in search of prey. We are entitled to pounce upon a human when we feel so disposed. It is our right.”

“Now you get it,” encouraged Lamont. “We have many many entitlements just because we are cats. These entitlements are our proper due as domestic residents among the humans. Entitlements are our due.”

With that said, all the cats took cat naps and dreamed of more entitlements they had coming to them, just because they were cats. One such entitlement is obvious the right to sleep on humans whenever they wanted.

Oh my we're cute!

TOWN WARS?

I read a novel by Wendel Berry, Jayber Crow lately. It is about a barber in a small town with rather amazing thoughts about almost everything. A good read and I’d recommend it.

The story is set in Kentucky and covers the era that includes our two world wars. Jaber’s thoughts on war led me to thinking about how war always seem to take place on a large level and not small ones. One could argue the interfamily disputes such as the Hatfields and the McCoys could be seen as wars but it would be stretching a point.

I thought what would happen if my hometown, New Sharon, Iowa had fought a war say with its neighboring town, Lacy. This is not a real stretch as they almost did.

There were three towns in my area that consolidated so as we young’uns could get better educations; something Jaber Crow would disagree with. The first two went together when I was in high school, Barnes City and New Sharon without much of a hiccup. But after I graduated it came time for Lacy to join the other two. I think a new schoolhouse had been built by that time. However, Lacy and New Sharon had been archrivals in sports over the years and it was not a welcome joining for many. Oh the students didn’t mind much, in fact, it meant a larger dating pool, a good thing. But the parents chaffed under co-habituating with their sports enemy.

The school year opened and students went to school in the new building, but the school board from Lacy refused to give up their books for the students to use in studying. The issue went to court and the court ruled they had to give up the books or the board would have to go to jail. The school board preferred going to jail; I don’t remember whether they actually did or not. Nevertheless, it was a hot time in three small communities. However in the war, if you want to call it that. Vast sums of money were not spent, nor were guns brought to bear and nobody died. Especially young people did not become “cannon fodder” it was the old folk who faced jail time in contrast to big wars between nations.

That was Jaber’s point in the novel as he said, “Port William, I thought, had not caused war. Port William makes quarrels, and now and again a fight; it does not make war. It takes power, leadership, great talent, perhaps genius, and much money to make a war….I still can’t connect Port Will and war except by death and suffer. No more can I think of Port William and the United States in the same thought. A nation is an idea, and Port Williams is not.” Nations fight wars is Crow’s opinion not towns.

Jaber Crow also believed that great organizations, such as nations, cannot love their enemies as Jesus instructed us to do.

What nations seem to lack, especially large nations in that sense of intimacy and relatedness that small town communities have. Someone in a town may go berserk from time to time and kill another. But they don’t raise money, train family members and get so psyched up that they are able to kill their neighbors (except the Hatfields and McCoys that is.)

Perhaps if the world was more intimate, wars would be more difficult. Or if we began to thing of others in this world as “us” in contrast to “them”, it might be more difficult to wage war. Or, as they said in the 60’s “what if they gave a war and nobody showed up?”

THE WW’S GAME

“What cha doin’ Paw?” asked Lamont.

“Playing,” Replied Paw.

“What are you playing?” chimed in Patch.

“WW’s” exclaimed Paw.

“Never heard of it. What is the WW’s game?” asked Lamont.

“Well,” explained Paw, “you see these shinny things here in the whale on the coffee table?”

“Yep,” responded Patch.

“If you stick you paw into the whale and work at it, you can finagle a little ww out of it and then you can whack them around all over the place. They’re great,” Paw described. “They are like little mini hockey pucks. Lot’s of fun to play with.” Then she smacked a wee ww over to Lamont.

“Wait a minute,” intoned Lamont. “This isn’t a ww it’s a mm.”

“No, dummy,” meowed Paw from the other side of the shinny object, “it’s a ww, it says so right on top of it.”

“It says MM,” yowled Lamont.

“WW!” hissed Paw.

“MM!!” yelled Lamont.

WW!!” snarled Paw.

“Let me see,” said Patch as she walked about the shinny pill like object. “I do believe you’re right.”

“Who’s right,” inquired Paw, “Me or ol Lamont?”

“You both are,” said Patch, “It just depends on your point of view.”

Paw and Lamont looked at each other and Patch quizzically then all together, Paw, Patch and Lamont began batting the MM around vigorously…or is a WW?

Does a Larger World Create a Smaller Vision?

When the founding fathers (and unnamed mothers) were about the business of creating our democracy the world was smaller; not geographically obviously, but in terms of population and intimacy, for lack of a better word. Thirteen colonies were less than 50 states. These early leaders knew each other on a personal basis and were in regular contact with each other. They were up on the latest world concepts and ideas, the creative thinkers of their day. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson knew the Enlightenment thinkers. They were versed in the works of John Locke, Newton, Immanuel Kant, Frances Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, Galileo, Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu and the like.

Though their world was relatively small in comparison to our own, their ideas and vision was huge. They had big ideas and big dreams. They envisioned a democracy like the world had never seen. They saw the value of an educated populace, and equal opportunities for all citizens. These people, some of who had been in this country for five generations numbered between 300,000 and 400,000.

Today we have 50 states, our population is about 320 million. Significant differences. Our worlds were and are much different.

It is my premise here that the smaller world made it more possible to have a larger vision and in contrast today’s larger world tends to produce smaller world views and visions.

We have accomplished much in this country. Our growth has been incredible and astounds the world. We have transportation, educational, business, social systems that are amazing. I believe that parents today are far and away better than any parents seen in our nation’s history. Part of why that is true, I think, is because the big issues of today seem so large and unapproachable, we sink our teeth into smaller issues such as parenting. I may have limited voice in today’s government, but my voice can be large and important in my family. I may not know how to deal with today’s mammoth infrastructures but I can deal with my family’s relationships.

Today we can better related to being big frogs in small family ponds, but are flummoxed at being puny little frogs in the large nation pond. How can I possibly understand all of the national issues of today? How can I possibly vote intelligently? But I think I can manage and be important in my family and perhaps smaller communities.

 vs 

Because of this alienation from the larger society, we engage less in the larger issues and have a condition that is ripe for oligarchists picking. Decisions such as Citizens United that give equal and in all likelihood, greater voice to corporations and special interest groups open the doors to leadership by the unrepresentative few. Our civil liberties decrease as we cede more and more to the select few.

It may be more difficult to think big today but that does not mean we should give up. It may be harder to see the big picture when we have to deal with a lot of little issues, but we need to try. Today it should be easier to study and understand the great thinkers of history as we have better access to information. Our visions need to expand to fit our large world. Is it hard? Yes, but not impossible.

Blogging Resumed

I see my last entry for this blog was September of last year. Hmmm. I seem to have taken a rather lengthy hiatus.

I’m not sure why I quit writing. Perhaps I got tired of listening to my own complaints. Perhaps I just needed some time off. Perhaps I got bored with politics and shooting the same old political and religious cows over and over. A more likely reason was that my writing outlet found a new outlet in resuming preaching at an area church.

Since last September and a bit before I started preaching at the First Congregational Church (a.k.a. Congo) in Winona, Minnesota. It a way it was the perfect preaching gig. All I had to do was preach. Lay folk did everything else. They got so used to me they gave me a title, “acting pastor.” Congo is a wonderful congregation and contrary to popular wisdom they wisely decided to go with supply preachers rather than an interim pastor. It worked. It worked because of extremely strong lay leadership, which led the church. In the process I believe they learned a lot about themselves and just how capable they were and are. Not every church can pull this off but they did and they did it well.

This also was and is very appreciative of pastoral efforts. I received so many affirmations and approval for my homiletic efforts. Every pastor needs congregations like that in their work. I have been blessed with more than my share of affirming congregations, for which, I am truly thankful. This congregation even clapped at the end of a sermon and the final Sunday gave me a standing O after my final sermon. Perhaps they were just glad to have me end the sermon, but I think it was more reflective of the generous nature.

The idea of a pastor(s) for a church may well be a historical oddity of our age. A more common model in history, I believe, were lay lead churches where specialists we called in for special activities. The African churches model this well today. Pastor’s come for special instruction, baptisms, communion and the like while the day-to-day operations of the church is handled by local lay folk. It works well there as well with well-trained and motivated local leaders.

At any rate, Congo has called a new pastor, and I am footloose and fancy free again and can turn back to writing about religion, politics and cats once more. I can only hope that old readers will find the blog again and read as comment as in the past.

Now the cat writers need to swing into action.