Carpe Diem – The Arrival of Fall

My son Jase. (C) 2010- Shelby Hurst Photography – http://shelbyhurstphotography.wordpress.com

The fall (autumn) season is a time of transition, it is a time of change from the hot hectic pace of summer (yard work, vacations, gardening, etc.), to a slower paced time of harvest and relaxation in the cool weather. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I live in Oklahoma, so the fall is a wonderful respite from the brutal summer heat, especially this year which was one of the hottest, and driest since the dust bowl. I also love fall for its cool crisp mornings and evenings, and for the spectacular foliage color change.

The other day as I was relaxing on my back porch enjoying a fine cigar and watching the squirrels busily gorge themselves on acorns, as well as hurriedly stash away reserves for the coming winter months. While I was ruminating on the fall season in general, as well as other transitional periods/seasons, my mind kept drifting back to one of my favorite movie scenes of all time, the “Carpe Diem” scene from “The Dead Poets Society”, starring Robin Williams. Please watch the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQtmGcdSDAI

Carpe Diem is a Latin phrase which translates to “Seize the Day”. As the Character of Robin Williams conveys so well in the scene, today is all we have, so seize today and make the most of it. As most of my readers should know the concept of enjoying life to the fullest, and truly “living” life, is an essential element in my life, as well as in my spiritual path (which is also evidenced by the title for this site).

Enjoy life to the fullest, because everyone will have a winter period of their life prior to their death, and since tomorrow isn’t guaranteed you may already be in your winter period and not even know it. Therefore, surround yourself with friends and loved ones, don’t dwell on the past, and don’t stress over tomorrow, simply enjoy living in the now. According to the Book of Matthew, Jesus stated, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself”. (Matthew 6:34)

The Buddha taught that worrying about the future, or the past, is simply a form of attachment that leads to suffering. Since the world is in a constant state of transition (from one season, one day, or even one life to another), you should strive to become fully “present” in order to fully live in the now. Just as the seasons constantly change, every day, and even every moment is an opportunity to change negatives to positives, to end resentment in order to cultivate love and respect, and to change worrying about the past or future into enjoying life to the fullest.

Therefore, Carpe Diem! Grab life by the horns and make the most of this day, this very moment!

Practical Tip: Try to start each day anew. If you were angry yesterday, try to release that anger that you are holding against a situation or someone. If you are holding onto some resentment against someone, reach out to that person out of compassion and respect. Also, try to make either a mental or physical note to make a positive impact on yourself (your health, your relationships, your finances, etc.), or someone around you, and make a real effort to accomplish something to that end at some point during the day. Finally, if you have a goal or dream, try to do something each week towards accomplishing that goal or dream, but of course don’t let yourself become stressed. 😀

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Also please check out my book, “The Path: Using the Religions of the World as a Guide to Personal and Spiritual Development.” (Click on the book cover to view on Amazon.com)