Carpe Diem
Today’s Daily Stoic Meditation outlines the importance of seizing each day as it is.
Not wishing for what you do not have, or longing for the past, it is the act of appreciating and living in the now.
Not just appreciating and living, but thoroughly seizing each moment
“Let us therefore set out whole-heartedly, leaving aside our many distractions and exert ourselves in this single purpose, before we realize too late the swift and unstoppable flight of time and are left behind. As each day arises, welcome it as the very best day of all, and make it your own possession. We must seize what flees.”
— SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 108.27b–28a
Our Fatal Mistake
As human beings, we have one fatal mistake that keeps us from achieving long term happiness within life.
There’s something that we do, be it consciously or not, that forms a barrier between ourselves and our greater good.
Our fatal mistake is living in the past or future, rather than the now.
The Issues
There’s many serious issues that arise when we live in every other period but the only one we truly possess.
Issues such as:
- Grave unhappiness and dissatisfaction
- Missing out on opportunities
- Feeling constantly stress, anxious or hurt
- Being distracted and lack of focus etc
The main reason why it is a mistake to avoid the now lies in what the now actually is.
The now is the only thing we have. It is the only moment we have. We do not have the past nor the future, we only have now.
With this, the mistake becomes evident.
You cannot live in the things you do not have. You cannot stay attached to the future when it is uncertain, and you cannot live in the past when it is long gone.
Forgetting to seize the current moment is fatal and works only to your detriment.
Seize The Day — Carpe Diem
And, with the notion of our fatal flaw, the idea of seizing each day becomes incredibly pivotal.
Why Not?
We only have today. We only have right now.
Why not seize it?
Why not throw ourselves at the day and take all that we can?
Why not learn, grow, make mistakes and love?
There is no reason as to why we shouldn’t seize the day.
The present is ours, and we must take that in our stride. We must take what is ours, and welcome each day with open arms.
For each day is another chance to do well, to grow and to excel.
