“Carpe diem”

Horace wrote a poem entitled “Carpe diem” which is both a phrase (“seize the day”) and a philosophy of life. Exactly what do you think it means, in your own words, and is it good advice?

The use of “Carpe diem” or “seize the day” as a philosophy of life by Horace was very good advice. Many opportunities in life are lost because we do not acknowledge that they exist. Instead, we decline opportunities every day, waiting or hoping that something else will come along, something that we consider better or more suited to our needs. Waiting for opportunities that never come is a waste. People should remain busy, spending time doing something that will make them feel pride and satisfaction. Instead, we hesitate or wait until the opportunity is gone. Then, we sit and reflect on the opportunity that we had and missed. By following the advice, “seize the day,” we are able to think of what will allow us to achieve success or happiness at the very moment.

Accepting whatever happens is not always easy. It is human nature to try to change or fix things that did not go right. It is often said that we cannot go back, but we go back in our minds and try to analyze what we should have done. We try to play out events over and over, rather than just accepting what is, and acknowledging the events that have happened. We feel the need to relive our mistakes or poor choices, and try to change the outcomes. It is too often that someone is depressed because they cannot move forward after a life changing event. Sometimes, people feel the need to live in the past, and stay there. It is simply not possible for them to move on yet.

Some reflection of the past is necessary in order to move on and make better choices. Making the same mistakes over and over...

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... unforeseen situations. Living without trying to change the outcome of these events is not human nature. Man tries to change the outcome of everything from the weather to accidents, but ultimately, no one has control. We can attempt to learn from our mistakes and prevent tragedies from reoccurring, but there are many instances where accepting them is the only option. We can move out of the path of a hurricane, build safer homes and insure them, but ultimately, there will be homes lost whenever there is a hurricane. This is unpreventable, and under the right circumstances, we can just move on. Other examples include everything from family to career. There are always circumstances we can change to improve outcomes, but sometimes, tragedies still occur. The only choice we have is to accept the situation. There is not always a possibility of accepting what has happened.