#scanty on the interpretation and provenance

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

i did Not cry in the museum but it was a very near thing

[oliverosjeremypaulinecarpediem]

Go and Seize the Day!

           According to Webster’s Dictionary, carpe diem is defined as “the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future.” The term was originally coined in Horace’s “Ode 1.11,” where the author advises the readers to seize the day. Over time, the concept of carpe diem is redefined. Although it becomes interpreted differently by many, all interpretations use the same rhetoric. In poems, short stories, or speeches, authors persuade the readers to live life as if there is no tomorrow. This standpoint can be viewed both positively and negatively by Christians. By looking at the history through poems, analyzing “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Absurd Freedom” by Albert Camus, and evaluating the theological framework in accordance to the concept, it can be proven that carpe diem is the best way to live life.

Carpe Diem throughout history

          As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the concept of carpe diem was first established in Horace’s poem, “Ode 1.11.” In the poem, the author tries to persuade Leuconoe to live in the moment, by keeping the future out of his worries. He begins by telling Leuconoe “You should not seek - to know is a sin - which end (of life)/the gods have given to me, which end to you, Leuconoe, nor/ should you test Babylonian numbers” (1-3). He warns him to not question the gods, or try to control the future, as it is wrong to do so. Instead, Horace encourages him to enjoy the short life they have. He says, “cut back hope/ for a long life in a short time. While we talk, envious time will/ flee: seize the day, trusting as little as possible to the future” (6-8). Rather than worrying about tomorrow, he tells him to live in the moment and seize the day.

          Over time, the purpose of carpe diem changes into a lifestyle of seeking and pursuing pleasures the world has to offer, such as love and lust. In his poem, “To His Coy Mistress”, the author, Andrew Marvell, is trying to persuade his mistress to sleep with him while they are still young. He shares how he would spend forever adoring her, and loving her more as time passes. However, he not only goes back to reality where their lives are limited by time, but also brings up the topic of death and how they can no longer be together. In the end, he tells her to sleep with him while they still have the chance. In “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,” Robert Herrick uses metaphors to persuade those who are young to get married while they can. In the first stanza, Herrick mentions that “this same flower that smiles today,/ tomorrow will be dying” (3-4). He uses flowers as a metaphor that while they look beautiful one day, they will be rotting the following day. In the second stanza, he writes “The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,/ The higher he’s a-getting,/ The sooner will his race be run,/And nearer he’s to setting” (5-8.) Here, he uses the sun as an example, which can be at its highest point, but eventually, will set by the end of the day. In the third stanza, he points out that youth is the best point in life, comparing it to the flower before it dies, and the sun before it sets. Therefore, they should marry before it is too late.

          Eventually, as time changes, the meaning of carpe diem changes as well. While it still serves as an encouragement to seek pleasure, it is really the definition of “pleasure” that changes. Rather than lust, the pleasure of goals and living a joyful, successful life is pursued. “First Fig” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, can be viewed as an inspiring message that encourages readers to reflect on their life. The candle mentioned in the poem can be viewed as a symbol of life. With the candle burning at both ends, it sets a reminder that time on earth is short and will not last forever.  Still, in the last line, Millay testifies that even with her time running out, she is satisfied with the life she has lived. Not a lot of people can say that for themselves as most spend their lives worrying about the future. However, she urges readers to live in the moment and enjoy life.

          In two short, simple stanzas, Hughes persuades his readers in “Dreams” why it is important to hold onto their dreams. Hughes has his readers imagine what life would be like without ambition by using imagery and metaphors in the poem. In the first stanza, he compares life without dreams to a bird with a broken wing. Birds are known to have wings, allowing them to fly. However, if the bird has a broken wing, its life has no purpose as it is unable to fly. In the second stanza, he compares life without dreams to an open field covered in snow. The purpose of a field is to support life, but if the field is covered in snow, then the purpose is defeated. With the purpose lost in both situations, he shares that it is also purposeless to live a life without goals or aspirations, and encourages his readers to not let dreams die.

Carpe Diem in Winter Dreams

          Although it is good to have dreams, carpe diem goes against wasting the present time to achieve them. In the story, “Winter Dreams,” the protagonist Dexter Green is motivated to become successful in life. Born in the middle class, he dreams of becoming a part of the upper class. Upon meeting a lovely girl named Judy Jones, he is captivated by her beauty and decides to pursue his dream to become the man for her. With her being his main motivation, he worked hard and made his way to the top; however, in the end he realized that what he wanted was not what he expected. Rather than living in the moment, he set his mind on the future, which later turns into regret. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of this story, suggests that it is best to do the opposite and not let the future consume the present.

           Dexter always dreamed of being a part of the upper class. By working as a caddy on the golf course, he was always surrounded by men from the upper class. In fact, he was considered to be the best caddy anyone has ever seen (Fitzgerald). With that being said, it shows that he was favored and got along with people from the upper class. He has also imagined beating the men in a game of golf, where “[h]e became a gold champion and defeated Mr. T. A. Hedrick in a marvelous match” (Fitzgerald). His imaginations reveal his hopes of becoming a part of their group one day, which do come true in the future, after he decides to pursue his dream.

           It was not until Dexter met Judy Jones when he made his decision to follow his dream. Judy Jones was a rich, beautiful girl that captured his attention. Right after he met her, he quit his job. She was the main motivation on why he had to be successful. He wanted to be a man that was worthy to be with someone like her. His motivation pushed him into “attending an older and more famous university in the East, where he was bothered by his scanty funds” (Fitzgerald). After earning his degree, he took the risk to borrow money and invest in a partnership in a laundry business. These risks are taken show the importance of fulfilling his dream, regardless of his financial issues. The risks do pay off in the end, when he does become successful.

           As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Judy is the main reason why Dexter decided to chase his dreams. After meeting her, he was entranced by her beauty and knew he wanted her. He did what he did to become the man that would be good enough for her, even if that meant quitting his job.

“The enormity of his decision frightened him. He was a favorite caddy, and the thirty dollars a month he earned through the summer were not to be made elsewhere around the lake. But he had received a strong emotional shock, and his perturbation required a violent and immediate outlet” (Fitzgerald).

He was comfortable where he was, yet he knew that working at the golf course would not change him into the better man he hopes to be. Therefore, he decided it was best to leave his job and step out of his comfort zone.

           Everything Dexter did was in hope to pursue Judy. His sole purpose was so he could be the man for her, because he loved her. In the few events where they both crossed paths, Dexter always found himself “head over heels” for her. He described their second meeting saying, “[h]is hear turned over like the fly-wheel of the boat,” and “[i]t did not take him many hours to decide that he had wanted Judy Jones ever since he was a proud, desirous little boy” (Fitzgerald). After all the years that had passed, he still felt the same way as he did about her the first time they met.

“He loved her, and he would love her until the day he was too old for loving—but he could not have her. So he tasted the deep pain that is reserved only for the strong, just as he had tasted for a little while the deep happiness” (Fitzgerald).

He was deeply in love with her, to the point where he chose to have an affair with her while he was engaged to someone else. He still loved her, after she left him for other men. His love for her had blindly made him miserable. By saying he will spend every day of his life loving her, it goes against the concept of carpe diem, as he looked into the future rather than living in the moment.

           Dexter dedicated his time working towards a future for Judy. In the end, he is disappointed as he realizes that everything he had hoped for was not what as great as he expected. He believed that the key to happiness was to be rich and successful, which led him to becoming a slave to the future. His love blinded him from true happiness and enjoying life by seizing the day. In the end, his winter dreams are crushed and he ended up living in regret for all the years he will never get back. This goes to show that life should be lived in the moment, rather than wasting time chasing after materialistic things.

Carpe Diem and Absurd Freedom

           In “Absurd Freedom,” Albert Camus shares his version of carpe diem. He believes that, in the end, death awaits, and life should be lived in the moment without having hope for the future. He discusses the meaning of life, and brings up the topic of living a mechanical life, where people tend to live a life without consciousness. Later on, he moves onto discussing the choice of committing suicide. Both concepts are viewed as a bad idea, and supposes that the best way to live life is to revolt. By being certain of the uncertainty of the future, he believes that is the only way life can be lived to the fullest.

           To determine the meaning of life, Camus first explains how humans are born into living a mechanical life. Living a mechanical life is to live without awareness and knowing the true purpose of life. However, when trying to find the meaning of life, the absurd is encountered. The meaning of life is too vast to take in. Camus says, “I don’t know whether this world has a meaning that transcends it. But I know that I do not know that meaning and that is impossible for me just now to know it.”  He then shares his idea of the absurd, by saying the purpose of life is “so obvious and yet so hard to win.” (Camus) By questioning existence and the meaning of life, the cycle of living a mechanical life is broken.

           Since the meaning of life is too much to comprehend, Camus believes that life “will be lived all the better if it has no meaning.” By accepting that fact and being aware, the options of suicide are opened. There are two types of suicide: physical suicide and philosophical suicide. The awareness causes people to question why they should continue living if there is no meaning to life. Physical suicide is viewed as a solution to that question, as they would rather end life now. Not many commit physical suicide, but instead commit philosophical suicide. Philosophical suicide is when the thoughts of living a meaningless life are put to an end. Instead, the mind commits to a different meaning. People see either suicide as a reasonable answer to that question; however, Camus says that those are not the right paths to take. “It may be thought that suicide follows revolt- but wrongly. For it does not represent the logical outcome of revolt” (Camus).

           Rather than suicide, Camus believes the best solution is to revolt. He defines revolt as “the certainty of a crushing fate, without the resignation that ought to accompany it” (Camus). Committing suicide is not a form of revolt, but instead, continuing to live with awareness. Camus says, “[l]iving is keeping the absurd alive.” By revolting, life becomes more significant.

            Death awaits everyone, and Albert Camus believes that the best way to live is to know the meaningless of life. It is important to end the cycle of living a mechanical life, and to live in a state of awareness. By being aware of what life has in store, it is best to not look at suicide as an option, but instead to live and revolt. As said by Camus, “[life] will be lived all the better if it has no meaning.”

Carpe Diem and Christianity 

           In the same way, the beliefs of Christianity can relate to the lifestyle of carpe diem. Christians believe that life should be enjoyed, rather than wasting time by chasing after a goal. However, unlike carpe diem, they go against chasing after the temporary pleasures the world has to offer. Instead, they believe it is best to turn to God and dedicate their lives to serve Him. Rather than pursuing the temporary joys of the earth, it is best to live a joyful life by walking with God and investing in His kingdom.

           In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author, King David’s son, exposes the meaningless of life throughout the entire book. In the Message version of the Bible, he refers to everything in life as smoke and spitting into the wind. Everything that is worked for in life, will be gone after death. In Chapter 2, he discusses all of what he accomplished, such as the houses he had built, vineyards and gardens he had planted, the treasures he had owned, and how he had become greater than any of the other kings of Jerusalem (Ecclesiastes 2:1-9, NLT). However, in the end, all that he had worked for was meaningless as everything will be forgotten after his death. He also mentions that everyone shares the same fate. He says, “When I realized that my fate’s the same as the fool’s I had to ask myself, ‘So why bother being so wise?’ It’s all smoke, nothing but smoke. The smart and the stupid both disappear out of sight. In a day or two, they’re both forgotten. Yes, both the smart and the stupid die, and that’s it” (Ecclesiastes 2:15-16, MSG). He also mentions, “Even if someone lived a thousand years- make it two thousand!- but didn’t enjoy anything, what’s the point? Doesn’t everyone end up in the same place?” (Ecclesiastes 6:6, MSG). He is telling his readers again that everything accomplished on earth does not matter as everyone will die and all accomplishments will be forgotten. Instead, life should be enjoyed. Multiple times in the book, he states that life be lived by having a good time. He says, “The best you can do with your life is have a good time and get by the best you can” (Ecclesiastes 2:24). He also says, “So I made up my mind that there’s nothing better for us men and women than to have a good time in whatever we do- that’s our lot. Who knows if there’s anything else to life?” (Ecclesiastes 3:22). As nothing will matter after death, life should be lived positively by being joyful instead of worrying about being successful in life. After all, accomplishments are forgotten after death.

“[...] it is important that humans should not seek for joy in earthly treasures, but instead turn to God who has the reward of heavenly treasures”

           Although Ecclesiastes encourages to live a joyful life, they discourage finding that joy from earthly pleasures. One of the main concepts of carpe diem is to “seize the day” by seeking pleasure. As said in the poems mentioned in the previous paragraphs, pleasure must be pursued as time on earth is too short. However, going back to the second chapter in Ecclesiastes, the author says, “…‘[c]ome now, let’s give pleasure a try. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.’ But I found that this, too, was meaningless. ‘It is silly to be laughing all the time,” I said. ‘What good does it do to seek only pleasure?” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-2, NLT). He goes against one of the concepts of carpe diem, and believes that pleasure is not the answer to living a joyful life. He says, “[t]he one who loves money is never satisfied with money, [n]or the one who loves wealth with big profits. More smoke…[h]ard and honest work earns a good night’s sleep. Whether supper is beans or steak. But a rich man’s belly gives him insomnia” (Ecclesiastes 5:10-12, MSG). It is easy to be happy with the materialistic things the world can give, but it is in the human nature to crave for more, and never truly being content with what had already been given. Humans are blessed with more than enough, yet strive to receive more in order to live a joyful life. However, the author reminds his readers again that “[p]eople who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born. And this, too, is a very serious problem. As people come into this world, so they depart. All their hard work is for nothing. They have been working for the wind, and everything will be swept away” (Ecclesiastes 5:15-16, NLT). By repeating his previous point that was made in Chapter 2, he is emphasizing the importance of knowing that everything that all the materialistic accomplishments that are gained in this world will not follow after death. Therefore, it is important that humans should not seek for joy in earthly treasures, but instead turn to God who has the reward of heavenly treasures.

           As mentioned by Camus, it is better to live life knowing that it is meaningless (Camus). Although Christians agree, they have a different interpretation on how life should be lived after being exposed to that truth. Camus refers to this as “philosophical suicide”; however, it is believed that everything comes from God, and that their lifestyle must be lived to glorify Him. In Ecclesiastes, the author says, “…I’m still convinced that the good life is reserved for the person who fears God, who lives reverently in his presence, and that the evil person will not experience a ‘good’ life” (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13, MSG). He also states that “[a] person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality” (Ecclesiastes 7:18, MSG). The key to living a joyful life is to live a life with God in the center of everything. By being under God’s rule, blessings will come. The author advises his readers to “[t]ake care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life… we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, MSG). Therefore, by living in the moment and enjoying all what God has to offer, the best life can be lived.

Conclusion

           To live life in the present without concern of the future is viewed to be the best way to live.  Throughout history, shared in literary works such as poems and short stories, authors persuade their readers to be aware of the meaninglessness of life. Rather than being consumed either by the future or all the materialistic things the world has to offer, it is better to enjoy the present. Christians agree, as they say that nothing accomplished on earth will matter as all will be forgotten in the end. Instead, they view that the definition of true joy is not pursuing the pleasures of the world but, instead, living a life for God and being grateful for His blessings every single day.

WORKS CITED

Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus, and Other Essays. London: H. Hamilton, 1965. Marino, Gordon. Basic Writings of           Existentialism. NY: Modern Library, 2004.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “Winter Dreams.” The Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina, 1998,           http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/winter/winter.html

Herrick, Robert. “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.” 1983.  The Norton Anthropology of Poetry Third Edition. Web. 21      January 2017.

Horace. “Ode 1.11.” Web. 21 January 2017.

New Life Bible, New Living Translation. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1999. Print.

The Bible in Contemporary Language, The Message, Navpress, 2002. Print.