THE SEVEN LIVES OF A CAT.

As a Hispanic, I follow the Latin belief that cats have seven lives. Although in other cultures it is suggested that cats have six or nine lives. This has triggered a series of mythical, malevolent, good or bad luck, and even reincarnation stories around the world throughout centuries of human existence. But according to science, the mysticism of a cat’s seven lives is explained by its surprising bodily agility, anatomical structure, and multiple survival skills that help it overcome dangerous situations.

In a figurative sense, humans are like cats, but unlike them, we have countless lives that begin and end with each stage we overcome, whether emotional or physical. And to clarify this point, I would like to use as examples, “Our childhood life. Our student life. Our love life. Our family life. Our social life, Our married life. Our professional life. etc…”

In my childhood, I grew up hearing famous phrases like: “Remember, brothers, that we have one soul, and if we lose it, we cannot recover it.” A phrase with extraordinary meaning that was heard in the old streets of Guatemala and that was shouted and immortalized by Saint Brother Pedro de Betancour. – “BE CAREFUL!!! Life is not a lizard’s tail.” This phrase was a warning to stay away from danger. – “We have one life and we must enjoy it or learn to live it.” This phrase invites us to choose wisely so as not to suffer harsh consequences.

Although humans have the capacity to think before acting, on many occasions we simply react emotionally to the problems or conflicts we face throughout our earthly life. Which is completely opposite to how cats face a conflictive or dangerous situation. Since they use all their abilities to emerge victorious and thus overcome the difficulties they are facing.

If humans could combine the knowledge we have acquired with our skills and strengths, while simultaneously activating our sense of survival. We could more efficiently overcome painful situations in our present and thus mitigate the damage caused to our earthly life by external factors, or by wrong decisions that are affecting us physically or emotionally.

It is said that every time a cat overcomes a situation of imminent danger, it loses one of its seven lives. But I believe that every time a human being overcomes a situation of imminent danger, however painful the process may be, they do not lose a part of their essence. On the contrary, they become stronger by developing the ability to face pain or heartbreak with courage, using all their survival skills so as not to be lost in an uncontrollable agony.

And although it is impossible not to feel pain from a physical wound, just as it is impossible not to feel pain in the heart when we say “Goodbye” to someone we love, it is not impossible to begin a new life. A life full of memorable memories, with resilience in our hearts to continue our journey on this earth with the absolute faith that if we strive and give our best, “Tomorrow everything will be better…”