avatarShawn Forno

Summarize

Stop Trying to ‘Seize’ the Day

Learn how to ‘pluck’ it instead

Photo by Alex Plesovskich on Unsplash

Carpe diem.

This two-word Latin phrase has been the battle cry of Peloton instructors, multi-level marketers, and high school drama teachers since before Robin Williams made it infamous in the 1989 classic, Dead Poet’s Society (a movie that I still really like, BTW).

You’ve heard it countless times, and you probably think you know what carpe diem means.

You’re wrong.

Because while most of us (myself included) were taught that carpe diem is a call to arms to “seize the day” and live life to the fullest, it turns out that the actual meaning behind this phrase is way more chill.

And honestly, the real translation makes a heck of a lot more sense.

‘Pluck the day’

According to a passage from Nicholson Baker’s book, The Anthologist (thanks to Austin Kleon for this great reference), the Latin phrase carpe diem doesn’t tell us to “seize” the day with a white-knuckled grip.

It tells us to do the opposite.

“Carpe diem” doesn’t mean seize the day–it means something gentler and more sensible. “Carpe diem” means pluck the day. Carpe, pluck. Seize the day would be “cape diem.” No R. Very different piece of advice.

Surprising, right?

That little difference — carpe instead of cape— has misled an entire generation into believing that the only way to #liveyourbestlife is to wrestle life into submission each morning…because #YOLO.

But that’s exhausting. Worse, it’s completely ridiculous.

No one can actually live like that, because that’s not how life works.

YOLO is terrible advice

How are you supposed to “seize the day” when you have to go to the dentist or make a Powerpoint presentation for the investors? What do you do when you’re on the toilet or filing your taxes?

We’re told multiple times a day that we’re a failure if we don’t spring out of bed at 5 am to go for a 10-mile run. You’re somehow not “living life to the fullest” if you don’t compose a symphony with a stranger at the bus station or cry when you see a rainbow.

But we can’t all just go cliff diving whenever we feel like it or quit our job to discover our “real purpose” at a co-working space in Bali. You’re not somehow less valuable because you haven’t hugged a horse today or painted a picture.

This gross misreading of carpe diem has led millions of people to make terrible life decisions in the desperate pursuit of experiencing “real” life. And the irony is that it’s a lot easier to live a “good” life than you think.

No bungee cord or Red Bull required.

There’s no secret to life

Baker goes on to explain the real lesson behind the Latin:

What Horace had in mind was that you should gently pull on the day’s stem, as if it were, say, a wildflower or an olive, holding it with all the practiced care of your thumb and the side of your finger, which knows how to not crush easily crushed things–so that the day’s stalk or stem undergoes increasing tension and draws to a thinness, and a tightness, and then snaps softly away at its weakest point, perhaps leaking a little milky sap, and the flower, or the fruit, is released in your hand.

Pluck the cranberry or blueberry of the day tenderly free without damaging it, is what Horace meant–pick the day, harvest the day, reap the day, mow the day, forage the day. Don’t freaking grab the day in your fist like a burger at a fairground and take a big chomping bite out of it. That’s not the kind of man that Horace was.

Sounds a little different than what we were taught, right?

Life is not a non-stop highlight reel. It can’t be. And trying to make your life into something like that — even with good intentions — is a recipe for disaster.

Living a good life isn’t about hustle or questing after a non-stop deluge of experiences. It’s about finding the few good moments as often as you can and taking the time — and care — to enjoy them.

Because the truth is that life isn’t about chasing after unforgettable moments. It’s about appreciating the forgettable ones that pass us by daily.

  • A little green bush clings to your t-shirt as you brush past to get to your car.
  • Walking barefoot on the cooling—but still warm—sidewalk in the early summer evening.
  • The way a glass of water cools the back of your throat when you’re really thirsty and you can’t help but say “AH!” after that first clear sip.

“Plucking” out moments like these sounds a lot more doable than “seizing” the whole day. And frankly, it’s a lot more like the life I actually want to live.

How we spend our days

Learning the truth behind carpe diem reminds me of another one of my favorite quotes from writer, Annie Dillard:

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”

It’s easy to focus on the big moments — weddings, graduations, funerals, and your first Burning Man. But the reality is that the majority of your life will be spent doing quiet, ordinary things—the mundane.

You will spend more time brushing your teeth than going to concerts or kayaking down a river. And that’s ok.

We all need passion and pursuit, but according to most philosophers and yes, even dead poets, spending your life chasing after novelty means that you will miss out on the best things in life.

But if you can pay attention to the mundane — if you can carpe diem—you will realize that every moment really does count.

And every day is worthwhile.

Shawn Forno is a travel writer with 15+ years of experience (Lonely Planet, Tortuga Backpacks). He’s also created and managed content strategies for creators like Matt D’Avella (Netflix director, The Minimalists). Shoot him an email if you want to work together or check out the travel channel he runs with his wife.

Philosophy
Life
Life Lessons
Gratitude
Motivation
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