There was a murder in the apartment complex next door. Not satisfied with just killing, the culprit also set fire to a flat. I only knew about this when I saw it on the news the next day—it was a major case. Putting down my phone, I sat on the windowsill and sighed sadly, my eyes drifting against my will in the direction of the neighboring compound and gazing at the blackened building. Apparently, the flames had spread quickly, burning several flats above and below the victim’s. No wonder the kitties had been so engrossed at the window the night before. I’d wondered what they were staring at.

I looked out for a long time but didn’t manage to see anything. Too many buildings, too many trees, too many people—blocking my vision, hiding the truth. The kitties sat by my side, watching me peering out, and peering out themselves. “What do you think you’re staring at?” I said to them. “The human world is too cruel. You’re better off being cats.” I was just venting—I was so full of rage and fear when I said those words.

I sat alone for a very long time, my heart heavy. The sky was gloomy and gray, thoroughly depressing. The cats stretched out and rolled around on the floor, licking each other. Not a thought in their heads. That’s how they went about every single day, apparently free of all worries.

After seeing the inferno, the kitties had flames in their eyes, along with some ash. When I wiped away the gunk around their eyes, I noticed it was black—probably congealed soot. Despite having witnessed a murder, they did not seem afraid. Cats have a filter in their eyes that sieves out these cruel, vicious scenes; one that is also able to block out the darkness of humanity.

In this way, cats are able to preserve their innocence, in stark contrast to people. The more humans live through, the more complicated ideas we have, creating tangles of thought, leading to despair and disappointment. Cats simply filter out all this extraneous matter. They have no need for complexity or depth—those are useless. They understand much better than us how not to overburden themselves but to live lightly.