Soju and Tanjiro – The Art of Success

I have two cats, Soju and Tanjiro. One is a beautiful, three coloured calico cat. She is cautious and regal; but when it comes to her demands, she can be quite insistent and loud. While the other is a ruckus creating, hairband eating, dark, black menace. Two incidents underline their different personalities quite starkly.

Soju was chasing a fly in the balcony. We watched on, fascinated by how she hunts. Her focus seemed to be narrowed to that one prey. Like Arjun with the fish, she did not hear the loud drilling of a nearby construction site, or get distracted by the pigeons fumbling close to the ledge. She bounded at her prey, swiping her claws to control its movements, and just as she was about to pounce, she stepped in a puddle of water and recoiled in disgust. The audience erupted in laughter at Soju’s rejection of her natural instincts for a hunt! Embarrassed, she walked inside the house to lick her wounds and probably her paws. She came out again, flicking her tail at the buzzing fly, but not making a move towards it, seemingly accepting her defeat, while the fly taunted her in his victory. A paw flashed, and in the blink of an eye, Soju casually ended a life and emerged victorious.

Then there is Tanjiro! Neither as coordinated or cautious as Soju, he once confused himself by falling flat on the ground, from the tiniest chair we have. Immediately getting up, squeaking at me to fix the house and running to climb the door, then jumping for the tube light, which he luckily missed. He finally, swung from the curtain to land on the air purifier. Before he could try again, I threw him out.

Tanjiro has done this many times, proving that just because cats are known to be aerodynamic, does not mean they need to fulfill that expectation all the time. He falls with a splat, gets up and runs before we can check for injuries. To watch him chase a fly is probably like watching a show at The Colosseum in ancient Rome. You are horrified at his falls, impressed by his mid-air back flips, and concerned about the number of breakable things in his path. In my opinion, he tires the fly out and then attacks, winning his battles through sheer energy.

These are two ways to approach a situation. Soju learned that focus is hard, there are many distractions, and sometimes you fail and get embarrassed. But there are other ways to win. You can patiently wait for your opportunities and get your victories with a timely swipe of a paw. While Tanjiro enjoys the chase, so he is not bothered with falls, tries different jumps, can run for hours because he loves it! He wins because the other party is not enjoying the experience as much as he is.

I aspire to be like these two when I face failures that make me want to run and hide. I hope someday I either learn the art of patience or start enjoying the chase.