“Carpe Diem”

Wallace Davis, President/CEO of VOA Southeast does regular radio messages in Mobile AL. In one of Wallace’s messages. He tells the story of young soldier who boards a train with his commanding officer. They sit opposite an elderly woman and her young granddaughter. The young soldier and the granddaughter exchange subtle glances. As the train enters a tunnel, the grandmother is startled to hear first what sounds like a kiss, then a slap. She is surprised to hear the sound of a kiss, but relieved to hear the slap. At least her granddaughter was lady enough to have expressed her chagrin. The young lady was pleased that the young man had gotten enough courage to make his move. The Commanding Officer was amazed that his subordinate had taken the intitiative, but wondered if she knew that she had slapped the wrong man! The young soldier was pleased that he had taken the opportunity to make his move and to slap his commanding officer!

The phrase Carpe Diem” is translated from Latin as “seize the day.” It has been popular on posters and in existential philosophies as a mantra for living in the “now.” As such it has become a philosophy of our modern culture. But one that is like most of our culture: a sound bite, without substance or context.

There is much to be said for living in the present. It is, after all, the only time we actually have in which we can exert some control. The past is just that---yesterday. Tomorrow is a promise and a dream. We have no assurance that tomorrow will ever dawn for us.

So today is our opportunity to be who we want/hope/plan to be. Christianity has been heavily influenced in the last hundred years by Eastern Thought. But in many ways, this influence is a return to our roots. “Western philosophy” has dramatically altered the original context of the original followers of Jesus. His was, after all, a Jewish context. He saw the world in the Jewish mindset of his day. It was Paul who “Hellenized” or made the faith acceptable to “Gentiles.”

Our fixation on the future is related to our Greek influences. The concern of Jesus was the “now” and how that impacted our future beyond this life, not the tomorrows of this world. This is the concept of "living intentionally" that we usually credit to Eastern philosophy or religion.

But the philosophy is popular because it works in our own sense of time. As tomorrow arrives, it is a new opportunity. Today is to be “in this moment.”

This is the teaching of Jesus. He intended the establishment of the Kingdom of God; which has been the subject of much debate. Biblical scholars and theologians have for centuries debated the translation of one small word in the Scripture; did Jesus say the Kingdom of God is at hand or in hand?

Our confusion and distress as Christians arise from our inability to reconcile today with the hope of tomorrow. Christianity has altered the focus from today to what might lie ahead. The fear that comes with that keeps us from fully understanding the Joy of today.

Our reality however is that today is all we know. While yesterday is the foundation of today—it does not determine how tomorrow must be. Today allows us to alter the progression of our past. That is the ultimate message of Jesus. Tomorrow is not unalterably determined by the past. Each day is a new opportunity to alter the future. As trite as it sounds, Today is indeed the first day of the rest of our lives. It is the opportunity to begin that diet, to change our behavior, to express our feelings, and to be servants of God.

Those of us who are “of a certain age” are all too aware of the passage of time and its impact on our present and future. For us, the impact of today is critical to the construct of tomorrow. We understand how tomorrow may be shaped by the decisions we make today. I can remember one nurse who works with homeless Veterans commenting that her work was the result of bad decisions of the 70's.

However, I think "carpe Deim" means more than simply enjoying the day. It means that we must make decisions about how we life today with an eye to the consequences of those decisions for ourselves and others. When it is intentional, it may not go as we hoped, but we will know that we decided for the right reason. To do that we must be centered. That means finding the principles upon which we will base our interactions with others.

Jesus' example was always to make the decision for the good of others. In practice and in principle He paved a path for us to follow as servants and better neighbors.

The reality is that in our time, that message is lost in the shouting and confusion of politically loaded religious machinations. But remember--Jesus lifted out only two commandments. if we can listen to them in our hearts--we will seize the day.