Living the Philosophy of Carpe Diem: Seize the Moment - Term Paper Example

Living the Philosophy of Carpe Diem – Seize the Moment Living the philosophy of carpe diem is, according to journalist Paula A. Sneed, living in the moment; the notion that the competition is intense, and will not become less intense, but will grow more intense. Thusly, Sneed recommends seizing the moment, taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the moment at which one becomes aware of their own compulsion to get into the fray and compete in what you do best in (Sneed, P., 1997, p. 2). Still another author, Michele Lowrie, in her book, Horace’s Narrative Odes, discusses the philosophy of carpe diem in terms of poetics of the presence, and the poetics of immortality (1997, p. 17). Either one of these writers would be accurate in their general concept; carpe diem is, in its literal Latin meaning, “seize the moment.” How that philosophy is translated into the life of men and women has been the source of much reflection over the centuries. However, for purposes of this paper, we will focus on the philosophy of the two authors already mentioned, and how those philosophies might manifest in the lives of the contemporary person. To live in the moment, Sneed suggests, is not to dwell on the past at length, but to take the lesson of the past, be aware of it, but to live in the moment armed with the knowledge of the past (p. 1). Lowrie takes the concept of living in the present, armed with the poetics of the past, to the issue of lyrics (1997, p. 1). That lyrics, song, poetry is tangential to living in the moment, even when the lyrics and the poetry are of the past they are translated according to the moment of the present (p. 1). To this extent, consider the Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play has been done in its classical version, that is, true to the poetry of the original writing; and in contemporary style, that is taking the poetry of the past, and putting it into the language of the present; carpe diem. The contemporary productions of the play have brought the lessons of the past to the moment of the present, seizing the moment to use what has been proven as a teaching tool in the past, to influence the minds and hearts of young people in the present. “Because the central didactic message of the Odes is carpe diem, a maxim that not only enjoins us to live in the present, but evokes the poetry of the present: its locus is the symposium (Davis, 1991). Sympotic poetry entails conversation and song, but song that keeps to the moment, inscribes its own occasion, and does not go on at length about the events of the mythic past (Lowrie, 1997, p. 1).” Thus, we have productions of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that present the lessons of the past on the contemporary stage of the present using rap in song and poetry. Sneed translates the notion of carpe diem to business, contending that time is of the essence, especially in the world of advertising; where poetry, song, lyric and language must be directed to the moment in order to attract consumer interest and favor (Sneed, 1997, p. 1). The secret, Sneed, says, is to understand that time is multidimensional, multifaceted, and translating those multifaceted dimensions into the life of the contemporary person (p. 1). It is interesting that Sneed, like Lowerie, uses lyric and music to explain her notion of carpe diem. Considering these explanations of carpe diem, which are very close in explanation and example, then the person who lives his or her life according to the philosophy of carpe diem is a contemporary person. A person whose language, dress, purchasing, work, and life’s focus are about the present, using the lessons of the past, projecting onto the future, but living in the moment and seizing the opportunity that is presented within the moment, or the dimension in time, in which they exist. The problem that the person working to live the philosophy of carpe diem might be faced with, is that of losing the perspective that comes from some amount of reflection on the past, even keeping sight of the past as one moves in the present. Additionally, living carpe diem might indeed have an effect on the future, but there would, in the state of carpe diem, be little reflection as to the impact of the now on the future. Going back to the original example of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the student who performs the play in the present, in its rap version, but who is unaware of its historical classic version, loses touch with the past and loses an appreciation for that which is the heritage of the message; that the youthful longing and lust have, for centuries, lead to tragedy and pain. The moral of the story becomes lost. Using, again, the example of rap music, which is exemplary carpe diem, in that it seizes the moment on behalf of the opportunity that exists for black artists in contemporary society; the language and lyrics of rap, which are void of historical connection, are demeaning and harmful to the future of young Black Americans because it is disconnected to the past wherein Black leaders and Civil Rights activists worked, even died, in the struggle to gain respect and dignity for Black men, women, and opportunity for the unborn generations of Black children. Rap has re-introduced the “N” word to society, and given it a legitimacy that past activists had worked towards excising from the social vernacular. The demeaning language with which rappers refer to Black women disregards the struggles of past leaders who sought to bring Black women into modern society with the grace and dignity and respect of their white contemporaries. The derogatory lyrics of rap have been inherited, in concept and meaning, by an upcoming generation of young Black people; who have embraced those lyrics – carpe diem – and who are at risk of becoming road blocks to their own best interest in the future. So we see that there are positive and negative outcomes of living the carpe diem philosophy. Perhaps the best approach, is to live in balance, and not concretely in the moment such that we are disconnected to the past, and inconsiderate of the future. Works Cited Lowrie, Michèle. Horaces Narrative Odes. Oxford: Oxford University, 1997. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . Sneed, Paula A. "Carpe Diem, Take Advantage of Time." Journal of Advertising Research 37.1 (1997): 2+. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . Read More