Religion and Ethics Forum
Religion and Ethics Discussion => Philosophy, in all its guises. => Topic started by: Nearly Sane on June 21, 2017, 03:09:14 PM
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As someone who has both mentioned the meaning to me of Carpe Diem (not Fish of the Day) on here, and IRL spent some time talking about it, this is interesting. It is definitely not about bungee jumping in Namibia or similar for me. It is much wider in relation to what you havevad your central beliefs and you live up to them in daily life.
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170517-what-it-really-means-to-seize-the-day?ocid=ww.social.link.twitter
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As a young person I certainly seized the day, not thinking of the consequences. When I married at 19, having my first child ten months later, I had to wise up very quickly. However, from time to time I still have 'carpe diem' moments when I do something crazy on impulse. I can only surmise that if god does exists it is putting off the 'pleasure' of my company for as long as possible. ;D
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No doubt I'm being overly cynical ("Surely not!" I hear you cry) but I'm a little suspicious of carpe diem, live-each-day-like-it's-your-last thinking. It strikes me as one of those things that sounds great in principle but starts to crumble when you apply a bit of thought to it.
Humans are, as far as we know, the only creatures with a sense of long-term futurity. This can cause us significant and undeniable problems - I've read enough books on mindfulness to know that. It's not easy to set aside either - mindfulness of the immediate here and now for any extended period is bloody difficult. But I think there's a right balance to be had here: as catchy and appealing as it sounds as a phrase, if everybody really did seize the day and live as though it was their last I'd give human civilization forty-eight to seventy-two hours maximum.
Good article, though. This bit chimes with me with regard to the current alcohol thread:
... hedonism has long been central to human culture, personal expression and passionate living, and it is essential that we find a place for it in modern life.” But the pursuit of pleasure can be viewed with suspicion, he says, “due to the legacy of Greco-Roman moral ideals and hair-shirt Christian teachings that have slowly infiltrated our minds. For 2,000 years there has been a long war against pleasure.