Carpe Viam
In human attitudes lies the future of mankind
Horace poetically said in The Odes
“Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero”
Meaning
“Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future”
and
Isaiah and Corinthians state
‘Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”
and
Waterhouse wrote
“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may”
and
Pirkei Avot states
"And if not now, when?"
All wise words if not taken to the extreme
However, if words of antiquity were our only teacher
and if the prevailing human attitude today was “carpe diem”
then the next 24 hours would be
the most magnificent period since the beginning of time.
and we would all be enriched beyond our imaginations
FOR ONE DAY.
But, what of the day after tomorrow and the days to follow?
Are we to eat drink and be merry while our planet decays?
Are we to permit our environment and all life to be poisoned
while hiding behind a cloak of greed and uncaring?
Horace, in his poetic comparison of different attitudes,
also eloquently wrote “Carpe Viam” meaning to “seize the road”
Well the road to the future of mankind lies in the hands of
those that will step forward and do just that
Giving voice to the battle against self-indulgence
so that our environment will not eventually become our enemy.
So join me and step forward citizens of the world
Time is of the essence
“Carpe Viam”
©Copyright Charlie Gragg 2009
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