Religion of Bells

Japan is a country that resembles a herd of cats. Well at least as far as accessories are concerned. Should you ever see a herd of cats I encourage you to kill them. They are not cats. Cats in a herd. I wonder if phrases can be oxymorons. Cats, house cats, are considered for the most part to be really independent. Well to me they are. They pick their human and their one or two friend cats and that is it. Everyone else they flee from or bear claws and teeth. A herd, at least in my mind again, implies a surrendering of the mind and body to the wants and needs of the herd. Since all present have surrendered their mind and bodies all you are left with is a mindless mass that responds only to the most basic and extreme of outside stimuli. Bright lights (TV), loud noise (mediocre music), commands from someone who has recognized the herd for what it is: an opportunity, power, idiots.

Cats don’t really fall into that herd category so I want to take this time to apologize to all cats in the world for comparing them to the Japanese.

What kind of cat am I?

It’s true. I can only right a sentence that I am pleased with after reading something written by someone who exhibits more intelligence than me. Truthfully, it is not all that hard to outsmart me. I am what the old people call dim. But in my own defense I can say that all of my written thoughts are mine.

Japan may not be the perfect herd of cats, but it does share with cats a reverence and complete infatuation with the bell. Yes, the bell. It seems to me that almost everyone (me included) has in their possession at least one bell. It has quickly become difficult for me to believe that anything in this country can be considered comlete until it has bneen crowned with a bell. The bell for Japan would be the equivalent of the cross to Christians or the Star of David to Jews.

The bell creates an impenetrable ring of protection. No harm can come to the person or thing that is in possession of the bell. The Japanese are extremely skiddish which is why buildings, cars, bags, phones, shoes, children, and a mulitiude of other things that I can not think of right now are adorned with bells.

I love bells. I think they’re cute, but then again I at times want nothing more than to “accidently” remove the arms of a child because the bells (not the “s”) that his mother has attached to his bag have driven me to the point of uncontrollable violence. ( The straps on these kids bags here are often made of leather and I am certain that his little 7 year old arms will give long before the straps do.)