Oppurtunity

Ever hear of the phrase “carpe diem”? It is a common Latin phrase meaning “seize the day” or in plain English, make the most of the time you have. This phrase is very well portrayed in Robert Herrick’s most popular poem “To the Virgins, to Make

“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” I try to live by this quote by Charles R. Swindoll every day. I feel that this is a strong quote with a lot of meaning behind it and, it can be interpreted in many ways. In my opinion, we should see things in a positive way all the time. We also should do what we love every day because you never know how close you are to the end.

I’ve thought a lot about that quote during my reading of Cities Of Gold. My aunt had meant it in a “this bad part will be over soon” way, but you can so easily apply it to the good parts of life. All things must pass, the good, the bad, the merely okay. Cities of Gold argues that we must accept this truth of life, the fact that everything eventually fades into oblivion, as it relates to ourselves and to the society we live in.

This quote confirms to the readers that the reasons why choosing the beneficial choices are vital. Whether you make a choice to a difficult path or a tranquil path in a life, the desired choice is the finest thing you need in life. The choice can be justifying foolish beliefs, making bad decisions, or performing hurtful acts, but we will all learn from our mistakes and prevent them from happening again in the future. As this quote is very short, it allows the reader to take this vital lesson and apply it into our lives.

”Life should be an exciting adventure. It should never be a bore. A man should live fully, be alive. He should be glad to get out of the bed in the morning. He should be doing a job that he likes because he does it well.”

American poet, Ralph Emerson once said that the importance of life “is not length of life, but depth of life” meaning that life is not measured by how long we live on this Earth but rather what we do with the time that we have on this Earth ("Ralph…Emerson."). The quote by Emerson is very similar to the ideology of French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne. Although the two men were from two different times, like Emerson, Montaigne also preached that life need not be measured by length but rather by use. No man knows when he is going to die therefore we need not concentrate on our death but rather we need to concentrate on the time we have living and achieve and accomplish as much as we can with the time we are granted. A great example

Meinke states, “The trick is, to live your days / as if each one may be your last” (1-2). In these lines the author states, never waste a day. Live life to the fullest every day so you don’t have to worry about death when your time comes. As well as, when your time comes you will have a sense of completion with your life. Carpe diem, “Seize the day.”

I am talking about the times when life decides to be more interesting. The times when a curveball gets thrown your way that can result in a home run or a strikeout. These times, these treasures, are the summatives. It is in these moments where you can fly or fall, rise or run, do or die. It is in these defining moments where our actions and their consequences are weighted heavier than our typical diurnal activities. For me, I was 8 years old. My dad had just passed away and I didn’t know what I was going to do or how I was going to be without him. Yet, at 8 years old, I made the paramount decision that no matter what I would be happy. Similar to assignments, some days will be harder than than others, but what we do with them determines our final

Carpe Diem, “seize the day”, is a literary theme that urges living and loving in the present moment since life and earthy pleasure cannot last. George Harrison of the Beatles said, “It’s being here now that’s important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We gain experience from the past, but we can not relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one.” Two great writers, Robert Herrick and Andrew Marvell, really reflect on this ancient Roman theme. Herrick’s “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” and Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” both touch upon teaching this very important saying, even if it’s always just kept in the back of the mind.

Horace wrote the ode “Carpe Diem,” little did he know that this phrase which translates to “Seize the Day” would become such a common saying and philosophy. Many interpret this phrase differently. Many take it too far where as others do not agree with it. “Carpe Diem” is literally translated to “pluck the day.” This phrase however is part of the slightly longer one "carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero", which can be loosely translated to "seize the day and put very little trust in tomorrow.” Seizing the day is supposed to be about taking it day by day, moment by moment, and to make the most of your life.

Many people can think back to a time when they thought for sure their life was over and they could not persevere. In these situations, people need to be strong and see that something better is going to come. That can been seen in this quote: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about in life: it goes on.” This quote, created by poet Robert Frost, can be applied by anyone in their lives to help them in the future. Frost, who is a very popular poet, is known for conceiving plenty of inspirational quotes and this one is no exception. The main point that Frost is trying to get across with his statement is that life keeps moving so do not get stuck in the present because there will always be another day. This quote relates to life by telling the reader to not dwell on the past and keep moving forward whether they have had bad

“Carpe Diem” a quote by Mr. Keating, a teacher in the movie “Dead Poets Society” uses this philosophy which means “Seize the day”. The 1989 film takes place in 1959. He thought his students should use little thought from textbooks and think with their own ideals, in a school where Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence are praised. In today’s society, this practice appeals more to parents and colleagues.

I chose this quote because I strongly agreed with the message Pope John Paul was expressing. It relates to my life because I am constantly thinking about how the current day will affect my future. I've done this plenty during my senior year of highschool as I am contemplating my future once I graduate everyday. What I can interpret from this quote and put into my own words is that if you want to have a successful future, you must start planning today not tomorrow. What this quote means to me is that everyday counts towards the future.

Carpe diem - seize the day. There are many instances in life when we, as humans, refrain from seizing opportunities that are out of our comfort zone. But letting this fear of change cloud our vision does nothing but harm us; new experiences open up our minds to enriching possibilities. The point Mr. Emerson is trying to get across, which I find to be extremely apparent and true, is that if we don't step out of our shells every once in a while, we will let these opportunities for knowledge slip through our fingers. A few years ago, when a friend of mine suggested that I volunteer at a summer camp, red lights went off in my head; I had never been surrounded by so many young children, especially not during the chaos only found at a camp.