Monday, February 3, 1997
OPPORTUNITY:
Seizing the day means having a life full of work and playBy
Natalie G. Marino
As I was perusing the Daily Bruin Thursday morning, I came
across an article that seemed to have high potential for being
interesting. It was on the same topic as one of my favorite movies,
"Dead Poet’s Society." The premise of both works is carpe diem,
which means to seize the day. Ever since I viewed Robin Williams in
this classic, I have tried to incorporate this philosophy into my
own life. I was excited to read through his article as I love to
see other people living out their lives in the manner of living
life to its fullest.
But, alas, I am disappointed with Chieh Chieng’s article. It
seems that he misunderstands the meaning of seizing the day. The
article’s subhead states that "living life as a dreamer diverts one
away from intended goals." Why is it that seizing the day must
entail sitting around and loafing and dreaming? Carpe diem means
living every day to its fullest and making one’s life the most it
can be.
He says that his "interpretation of carpe diem entailed playing
basketball every night" and letting his GPA decline. This may be
his definition, but is it the correct one? Seizing the day should
entail having fun as well as achieving one’s career goals. Hanging
out every night and not accomplishing anything does not fit into
the realm of carpe diem.
Chieng continues as he relates a story about his experience as a
tutor. He says that a "grade-schooler," who wouldn’t do his
homework, was following the philosophy of carpe diemby living in
the "present," but would end up as a burger flipper unless he
shaped up. He is portraying extremes, where on one side lies a
loafer who will never escape a burger job and on the other side a
stressed-out and unhappy pre-med student who thinks he must live in
the future. What happened to the true meaning of carpe diem? Living
life to the fullest is not living an empty or lazy life, but living
a life full of play as well as work. And this entails living in the
present, not sacrificing today for tomorrow.
Traveling into "undiscovered country" is a good thing. So why
must Chieng insist seizing the day to be a "trite" saying that
should not be held as good advice? We must all take this saying for
what it’s worth and make our lives the most they can be.