Latest / the Daily Quote - Positive Daily Inspiration and Motivational Quote of the Day / Terry Pratchett - In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this
Transcript
- 0:00Podcasthero.com Welcome to The Daily Quote, a podcast designed
- 0:06to kick start your day in a positive way.
- 0:08I'm our host Anna McGivern for October 27th.
- 0:11Today is National Black Cat Day, a celebration dedicated to
- 0:15honoring the sleek, elegant felines and dispelling the
- 0:19unfair myths that have surrounded them for centuries.
- 0:23Observed annually on October 27th, this day was established
- 0:27in 2011 by Cats Protection, Auk based animal welfare charity,
- 0:33after they noticed that Black Cats were taking significantly
- 0:36longer to be adopted from shelters than cats of other
- 0:40colours. The timing of National Black Cat
- 0:43Day just before Halloween is intentional.
- 0:48It's when superstitions about Black Cats peek.
- 0:52Throughout history, Black Cats have been both revered and
- 0:55reviled. Ancient Egyptians considered
- 0:58them sacred, while medieval Europeans associated them with
- 1:02witchcraft, leading to centuries of persecution.
- 1:07Today, Black Cats still face black cat syndrome in shelters,
- 1:11where they're often the last to be adopted due to lingering
- 1:15superstitions and even practical issues like being harder to
- 1:18photograph well for adoption websites.
- 1:22What makes this day important is its mission to change the
- 1:25narrative, to help people see Black Cats not as symbols of bad
- 1:30luck, but as the loving, unique and beautiful companions they
- 1:34truly are. And that brings us to today's
- 1:37quote from Terry Pratchett, who wrote in ancient times cats were
- 1:42worshipped as gods. They have not forgotten this.
- 1:47Pratchett's humorous observation captures something essential
- 1:50about cats in general, but it's particularly relevant to Black
- 1:54Cats on their special day. This quote reminds us that the
- 1:58way we perceive animals says more about us and our cultural
- 2:03baggage than it does about the animals themselves.
- 2:06Think about the contradiction Pratchett highlights.
- 2:09Cats haven't changed. They're the same creatures that
- 2:13ancient Egyptians revered as divine.
- 2:16What changed was human perception, human superstition,
- 2:20human fear. Black Cats went from being
- 2:23worshipped, symbols of protection and good fortune to
- 2:27being persecuted as witches, familiars, all while the cats
- 2:32themselves remained exactly the same, dignified, independent,
- 2:37and utterly unbothered by human opinions.
- 2:41This is what National Black Cat Day asks us to recognize that
- 2:45our superstitions and prejudices about Black Cats are entirely
- 2:49human constructions. The cats themselves are simply
- 2:53cats, no more or less lucky, mysterious, or magical than any
- 2:58other color. They still carry themselves with
- 3:01that ancient feline dignity Pratchett describes, regardless
- 3:05of whether we're calling them gods or symbols of bad luck.
- 3:09The beauty of Pratchett's wisdom is that it reminds us to
- 3:12question our inherited beliefs and see things as they actually
- 3:15are, not through the distorted lens of superstition.
- 3:21So today, embrace the spirit of National Black Cat Bay and
- 3:25Pratchett's wisdom. If you've been considering
- 3:28adopting a cat, visit a shelter and specifically asked to meet
- 3:33the black cat. They're often overlooked and
- 3:36have been waiting the longest for homes.
- 3:40If you already have a black cat, celebrate them today with extra
- 3:44treats and attention, and share their photo on social media with
- 3:49hashtag National Black Cat Day. Help change perceptions, but
- 3:55more broadly, think about what other unfair prejudices or
- 4:00superstitions you may be carrying.
- 4:02What are you judging based on? Inherited beliefs rather than
- 4:05actual experience? Black Cats remind us that
- 4:09sometimes the things we've been taught to fear or avoid are
- 4:14actually exactly what we need. That's going to do it for today.
- 4:19I'm Andrew McGivern, signing off for now, but I'll be back
- 4:24tomorrow. Same pod time, same pod station
- 4:30with another daily quote.