If cats disappeared from the world, how would the world change? How would my life change? And if I disappeared from the world? Well, I suppose nothing would change at all. Things would just go on, day after day…same as usual.
How different would life be if cats disappeared from the world? Published in 2012 by Genki Kawamura If cats disappeared from the world is a tale about recollection and forgiveness. A narrator’s will and a testament to his father before he dies from a terminal illness, Kawamura writes with simplicity about coming to grips with the person you are and the things that make life precious.
During his last week of life, a young man experiences a visitation from the devil who looks just like him. Diagnosed with a brain tumor at the young age of 30, the mailman makes a deal with the devil to have one extra day of life as long as he erases one thing from the world. The devil, whom he calls Aloha, appears before him in Hawaiian vacation attire to decide what to erase. What the devil chooses leads the narrator to reflect on the tender memories and people during his short life span. Each chapter begins with the day of the week and has the narrator pondering how each item erased brings true value to this world and how they brought significance to his life.
If cats disappeared from the world is a sentimental story that allows one to realize vulnerability. In short, “in order to gain something, we have to lose something” is often mentioned throughout the narrative. Our life has a purpose and the purpose is to enjoy what the world offers us. But with life, the more you go on living, the more you lose touch with the value of existence. We even buy things at the cost of another’s misfortune as mentioned in the book. Yet no matter how worthless or unexciting, everything has value. And despite being temporary, we think we go on living forever so we don’t see the quality of the connection we share with happiness, love, and forgiveness. Because even with the tarnished relationship with his father, the estranged narrator realizes that his own terminal illness can’t take away the love and bond that he and his father are born to share.
What would you do for one extra day of life? And thus, throughout the story, the narrator finds meaning in not only being human but in his job as being a mailman as well. He realizes life and its idiosyncrasies and comes face to face with his immortality despite the devil’s temptation. The young man finds meaning in phones and how without them he wouldn’t have been able to express himself as much as he had to his college girlfriend. With movies, he realizes that they allow people to discuss many subject matters other than just the film’s plotline. And with cats? We are connected because even though we both have to leave someday, even cats bring joy to our everyday life. Throughout this adventure, he is moved to tears at how important even his cat Cabbage is to him.
In a world without the simplest items, such as stamps, how would things change? We would find other means for sure to connect with people, but it doesn’t matter. The value is in knowing that we all need each other and all things have a meaning beyond its purpose. And even if we can’t exist forever, at least others get a chance to experience the wonders of life. Therefore, deleting anything would be a tragedy. This translated story from the Japanese is a fast read but deep in its message to think deeply about the quality of life no matter how simple it is. Its movie was released in 2016 and stars Satoh Takeru.
