“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.” Horace
Carpe Diem: To Live is to Die…
Carpe Diem: To Live is to Die…
Do you want to live forever? That is the writing prompt/question our blogging guides at Daily Post borrowed from Plinky. My initial reaction to the question was: At what cost? Isn’t the point of nature about rejuvenation, transformation and rebirth? Like the seasons, every life form has its time of birth, growth and death/rebirth so the idea of forever is a formidable and potentially disturbing one. Sure, our internet life is recorded forever and our Facebook and other social network accounts might too. But do you really..?
From a spiritual standpoint, the soul lives forever so, technically, we do live forever. For those who believe in karma and the afterlife, life is eternal, just not necessarily on this planet. We are born and reborn and then the cycle starts over again and again… Sure, we find fossils and remnants of times gone by and we have trees that have lived for hundreds of years but to live in a human form, in the body forever? Do you really want to stick around like a fossil in a human form?
It is a thought provoking question because life and death are topics that stay close to our hearts even when we avoid talking about them. When I first read the question, I immediately thought of Oscar Wilde’s Gothic horror book, The Picture of Dorian Gray. We cherish our lives and value our friends, family and others connected to it, and the prayer in many a heart is to live a full and long life. But do we want to be ageless and see everyone around us age and die? Death is, as some would say, the great equalizer and living forever might not be ideal. What do you think?
Below are two poems about the passage of time. Enjoy your life now and may we all be blessed with long, prosperous and fulfilling lives.
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May John William Waterhouse
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
Carmina – Quintus Horatius Flaccus
Don’t ask (it’s forbidden to know) what end
the gods will grant to me or you,
Don’t play with Babylonian fortune-telling either.
It is better to endure whatever will be.
Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one
which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the rocks placed opposite Tyrrhenum
be wise, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes
to a short period.
While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled
Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.
Positive Motivation Tip: Live your life with zeal and a joyful heart. Your next meal depends on it.
PHOTO CREDITS: Waikawau Bay in New Zealand by Steve Burling via National Geographic
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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