CHAPTER 30. VOLUNTARY ABDICATION

April 30, 2019.

Swiftly slipping out of a certain depression in the ground, which was a creation of human hands, the red-haired six-year-old cat Thomas immediately headed towards a relatively green field entirely pitted with crater ruts. Where was he going? Why was he going there? What was driving him? Instinct or reason? Hurriedly crossing very peculiar landscapes, six-year-old Thomas at this hour did not see in them what people saw in them—they saw war. Broken trees... aren't these the same traces left by lightning? The sound of artillery... doesn't thunder sound the same? Scorched earth... doesn't a fire rage like that? Dead people... don't they always kill each other? How could Thomas comprehend that war was now raging outside, if all these phenomena could be explained to him from the perspective of a peaceful life? Thomas could not understand what war was, but he had repeatedly managed to hear the conversations of those who were in one trench and those who were in other trenches: being a neutral living creature, he had access everywhere—the people fighting each other considered him just a cat, and he did not at all refuse that title. Both groups of people fed him, even if he had to travel a certain distance and face dangers to do so—and in both places, he had no enemies: he did not obey governments, which are what determine friends and enemies for people—in this, he was partly like birds. He did not refuse people when they showed kindness towards him—he also could not influence the evil that was committed against him: being original and unique, at the very same hour, he was just like everyone else—our flesh is similar in all of us, we differ only in spirit and soul! Red-faced Thomas did not know what war was; he did not understand the definition and characteristics of this phenomenon: in this, he was partly like many of the people opposing each other in the trenches—war is a chess game between governments... kings are not killed in chess, they are checkmated or offered a draw! Being alone in this world, Thomas loved to be in the company of people: he could not comprehend the nature and meaning of human conversations, but he liked to observe the change of emotions that occurred in the souls, and accordingly were reflected on the flesh, of those people. How amazing this world is! The very man who showed kindness to this cat in the morning, without at all realizing it, almost killed him in the evening at the very hour when a few other people were feeding him—he could not understand who exactly was launching these shells and creating that sound: perhaps it was nature's fury—an earthquake and thunder? Be that as it may, Thomas, quite likely due to the limitations of his consciousness, trusted people, and most of all: in the trench of one side—the artist Camille Lemoine and the writer Frank Clement, and in the trench of the other—the sculptor Philippe Damour and the musician Claude Caron.

It must be admitted that six-year-old Thomas had repeatedly heard from the mouths of the aforementioned people words that they did not want to kill each other, that they were only obeying the will and orders of their governments, which, in turn, were subordinate to a will more powerful than their own. After a short time, having found himself in the trench of Philippe Damour and Claude Caron, green-eyed Thomas, having well-fed his belly with the treats provided to him, with a certain peace, inherent only in cats, began to listen to the dialogue between the aforementioned sculptor and musician:

“'Just look, Philippe, how our red Cato ate all the stew provided to him so zealously—he ate it even when there were ants on the meat!.. I remember once, Captain Eugène... you weren't in our company yet when he was in command... one time he got very angry because a small ant fell into his plate of buckwheat porridge—because of this trifle... it would seem... a small thing... he was in a bad mood all day: the small insect awakened and launched truly unique processes in his being! After a whole day of accumulating a lot of negativity in his being, which was initiated by the existence of a small ant, by evening... Captain Eugène was as if on pins and needles—and he was indeed about to face one of the most crucial battles! Succumbing to his emotions, he lost his leg in the battle... It is quite possible that if that ant had not had a corresponding effect on our captain, he would be healthier than the currency called the US dollar today!'”

“'What is there to say, good Claude! Our officers are truly amazing people...'”

“'But even more amazing are our rulers! Most of all, they hate the word 'justice'... and accordingly, those who preach it on every corner!'”

“'There is some truth in that, and that means...'”

“'And that means that... when someone from the people begins to demand justice from politicians, he must be prepared for the fact that he will soon be betrayed, exiled, persecuted, or killed—it is many times easier to destroy one person than to alleviate the lot and suffering, and also to satisfy the needs of hundreds of thousands, millions...'”

“'But shouldn't power protect itself and show strength? If power only shows fear before the people—it is doomed to perish! And therefore... it may often seem... at least I think so, that these citizens... those who are in the government... behave towards their fellow citizens as if they are their enemies, as if the people entrusted to them by the Almighty are enemies to them, as if the main enemy is not the one who poses an external danger, but the people!...'”