Both are my cats but this is about the black one, Rowena. She’s 7 years old now and we got her as a rescue at 5. She seemed to settle right in at home but she looked lonely so a couple months later we got him, Colby Jack. He is both named after and literally a cheese, orange cats are truly something else. When we rescued her we were told she had just had kittens so we figured she would be a perfect match for the little guy who lost his mom too soon. He’s about 2.5 months old in that picture.
For about a month Rowena ignored both my partner and I, we existed only to feed or scoop her poop. She would hiss, growl and generally not be nice to him so when after 30 days she finally started to accept him we were pretty relieved. Only lasted until he outgrew her and could bully her back, pay back for a month of terror. We weren’t sure if they would ever get along but after about 2 years they can finally play together and share space. They might not snuggle anymore but we’ll take what we can get.
Today I was walking from the living room to the kitchen and there’s this box filled with toys that we got when we brought Colby Jack home. He likes trash; twist ties, bottle caps and rings really any bits of plastic and paper is his jam so that box of toys has been sitting there unused for a long time. Rowena is just staring deep into it. I’ve caught her looking at it wistfully before but I figured if she wanted anything in there she’d just fish it out.
She has this stare she’ll give you, it pierces your soul. She only does this when she wants something, usually to sit in your lap. She will look you in the eye then at your lap, then meet your gaze and look at your lap again. It’s at this point she expects you to acknowledge her need for pets and warmth which is done by reaching out to pet her.
There’s this fabric toy that looks like a Chinese finger trap with feathers sticking out the ends sitting on top. She notices me noticing her and she gives me the stare, first at me then the box and then again. I don’t speak cat but that seemed like communication to me so I grabbed the toy and handed it her. She immediately snatched and went ham like it was the greatest thing since catnip.
Greater part of two years she’s wanted that toy but it wasn’t until it was given to her that she thought she could have it. Cats are a mystery. I’ve dumped out the box of toys, she could only be happier if she was in a field of sleeping mice.
edit: for non-Americans Colby-Jack Cheese
I condemn the use of slurs. Ask me that question again, I defy you to make me give you the same answer to the same question.
Then you have a severely limited imagination and an equally dismal knowledge of history beyond the past century. Does the small things the church has tried to do to mend all the awful things they’ve done? Not even close, frankly I’m not satisfied they’ve even begun to redeem themselves for the inquisition and they likely may never in my lifetime. Likely not yours or in a thousand or in a million but they might one day. That small infinitesimal chance is the same as life forming on Earth. I’m hedging my bets on the house.
This is what is irrelevant to my point. It’s not about how you judge others it’s about how others would judge you. Based on your logic of judging others harshly for the action of those that came before, you would be judged severely. Worry not for many would burn with you, myself included.
No but there’s been an infinite number of rationalizations used for it. Until humanity collectively became better and continues to do so it was a fact of life. Not an excuse just acceptance of reality.
Are you though? Because you seem reactionary only to what is in front of you. Not on the totality of human history nor through any perspective beyond your own do you seem to be making your decisions.
Yes they are but I can’t say for sure that they will tomorrow. Even if tomorrow they still are, still doesn’t answer for the day after or the one after that and ad infinitum until reality ends and no more chances for redemption could be had.
This is where you and I simply will not agree. I believe that everyone is worthy of redemption. What actually earns redemption is far beyond my point and what an organization as long and old as these fuckers would have to do truly stretches the imagination but it’s not an impossibility. I cannot judge what redeems others because I cannot judge what redeems me. All I know is that trying to be better today than yesterday has to be worth something.
Is that what that wiki page you presented and I quoted for you says to you? Because to me it says that opinions are split and change couldn’t come soon enough but it’s coming as fast as it can. If that isn’t good enough for you then that is your own personal problem.