As in most cases, what we need to know has been echoed throughout the ages from era’s long passed. Here a progressive philosopher from the Roman period has a voice that should be remembered… And today we will honor that. In doing so we instill that wisdom he shared so long ago within ourselves, bringing it back to life! I sincerely hope you remember the following excerpts and discussion for every one of the rest of your days here on earth.

Even if you only ever read this once… Remember it… Because unlike a choice to read this once – your life is only lived once… You don’t have a choice to come back and change your mind about that…

Seneca – On the Shortness of Life:

The majority of mortals complain bitterly of the spitefulness of nature, because even this space that has been granted to us rushes by so speedily and so swiftly that all save a very few find life at an end just when they are getting ready to live… It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and it has been given in sufficiently generous measure to allow the accomplishment of the very greatest things if the whole of it is well invested. But when it is squandered in luxury and carelessness, when it is devoted to no good end, forced at last by the ultimate necessity we perceive that it has passed away before we were aware that it was passing. So it is – the life we receive is not short, but we make it so, nor do we have any lack of it, but are wasteful of it.

Why do we complain of nature? She has shown herself kindly; life, if you know how to use it, is long… Many are kept busy either in the pursuit of other men’s fortune or in complaining of their own; many, following no fixed aim, shifting and inconstant and dissatisfied, are plunged by their fickleness into plans that are ever new; some have no fixed principle by which to direct their course, but Fate takes them unawares while they loll and yawn – so surely does it happen that I cannot doubt the truth of that utterance which the greatest of poets delivered with all the seeming of an oracle: “The part of life we really live is small. For all the rest of existence is not life, but merely time.”…

…You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire… People are frugal in guarding property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy… But life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future… So you must match time’s swiftness with your speed in using it, and you must drink quickly as though from a rapid stream that will not always flow… Believe me, it is the sign of a great man, and one who is above human error, not to allow his time to be frittered away: he has the longest possible life simply because whatever time was available he devoted entirely to himself… Can anything be more idiotic than certain people who boast of their foresight? They keep themselves officiously preoccupied in order to improve their lives; they spend their lives in organizing their lives. They direct their purposes with an eye to a distant future. But putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs on tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune’s control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.

Now that is powerful wisdom! It is undeniably in the spirit of “Carpe Diem” or “Seize the Day”. And before we continue to elaborate on that and make a solid contribution to that way of thinking, it’s crucial that we first discuss what it is not, and what you shouldn’t be taking away from this at all!

Although Seneca quite clearly states, “…he has the longest possible life simply because whatever time was available he devoted entirely to himself”, we need to address that this does not mean to become completely self-centered and belligerently unwavering to the needs of others. Taking this perspective is actually a mock to the wisdom he’s trying to convey because it completely ignores our human nature to seek relationship, friendship, community and communion (which is the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings). Every human is born with these innate drives. There isn’t a single soul on this planet that has no drive or desire to be in some kind of relationship or friendship with another person, or to feel part of a community of people such as a cultural or ethnic group, and to seek communion with others.

If we were to take the position of being completely egocentric and miserly with others, we’d in fact be wasting our time once again because we went extreme into an ideology and laid waste to our truest hearts’ desires. It’s important we pause a moment here and there to stop preconceived notions from taking center-stage and dislodging us from our most inwardly, true and deepest yearnings for experiences in life. We are social creatures and that too must be honored in order to live a full life.

Now another mention that’s important to explain is this quote, “Can anything be more idiotic than certain people who boast of their foresight?” What he’s pointing towards here is our tendency to create in our minds this feeling of certainty in our long-term goals simply because we had the foresight to lay them out and plan them. Although I highly recommend making these goals and planning them out, it is absolutely vital to remind ourselves that we ultimately have limited control over the circumstances that arise in life and therefore it’s pertinent to live each and every day to its fullest without holding back on what works best in this moment – even if it means making changes or alterations to our long-term goals sometimes. In other words, your long-term goals are a potential while this moment is a current fact and so should take precedence. Or to put it another way, it is prudent to plan for our future but at the same time folly to waste the present potential for what ‘may’ come to fruition in some distant future, which ultimately lies in uncertainty.

Now here is where we need to be careful, because at the same time, this too can be taken too far. ‘Carpe Diem’ may be a wise and virtuous statement but taken to the extreme is nothing short of recklessness. Frivolous is not wise or sensible. Nor does carelessness amount to being carefree. Understanding time is of the essence and that it should be experienced fully, never waning from the present moment, is one thing – whereas a mind bent upon seizing every single last pleasure because it feels good, completely disregarding the larger scope these actions relate in, is another thing entirely. Virtues are only virtuous if they are not impeding on another virtue. But here we have a more serious issue – a life spent unaware of larger pictures is a life doomed to have access to but a small fraction of what potential could truly be ‘seized’, so to speak.

In order to steer clear of this pitfall, it’s vital you understand this…

We live a life of possibilities, potentials and probabilities. Take one of these proponents to the extreme, ignoring the others and you’ll find yourself anxious and irresolute, leading to a life full of being despondent. Possibilities are what give us our foundations to what can or cannot happen. Potentials are the capacities that any one given thing has, while probabilities are the likelihood of possibilities reaching their potential. Taking into account that possibilities are everywhere, we need to find what our greatest potentials are in these, and in that way maximize our probabilities of having a great life.

Otherwise, if we focus solely on all the possibilities while ignoring our potentials or looking at probabilities based on our current circumstances, we will find ourselves adrift, meandering through life, confused with all the possibilities that seem endless. In this state, there’s too much to look at with no focused aim as to how one determines the best course of action.

If however we focus solely on our potentials, ignoring the wide range of possibilities out there and the probabilities associated with them, we will find ourselves narrow-minded and egotistical, acutely aware of our most obvious potentials and drives while remaining ignorant to the many possibilities that suit us, and the probabilities of achieving them. This will lead to an undeniable feeling of lack deep within us – a sense of emptiness that pervades our life.

Lastly, if we focus solely on probabilities, ignoring all the possibilities in life and our particular potential within these, our sense of self will be lost to random chaos because we’ve lost sight of our own potential and all the possible ways to express it. We would be fatalistic because a mind bent on probabilities without the scope of all that is possible or what potential lies within something, leads to existential determinism – which is nothing short of oversight and oversimplification all rolled into one. Ultimately, someone in this state would be locked in fervent anxiety.

So how do we take all this information and use it to make the most out of our lives? Let me put it poetically and I’ll close with some thoughts on it…

You came here, you’re here for a time, and then you’re gone… What happens from the time you started till the time you’re done, is a blend of what is meant to be and what you make of it. You see, life is this amazing phenomenon where a design for its perfection was made before the life began. Yet the life lived is but a product of the volition and willpower of the life in question. This is true for all life, be it a flower or the life you’re living right now. Whether it exists as one form of life or another, it matters not; each form of life though infinitely divided will never yield an identical duplicate or an equal life. So reach inside and find your design, the one that screams at you from deep within! Because it’s who you really are…designed to be. Now what you make of it is in your hands. Only you can bring it out. The clues are all around you, they speak from moments of inspiration, insight and deep feelings and urges that come from the deepest part of your heart. Follow them; they lead you to YOU – your truest self, your greatest potential, and that fulfilling life you always dream of.

And finally to close:

Life, your life, like that flower’s, is universally unique. Nothing in existence has ever repeated itself, despite the fact that it all evolves through cycles and repetition. Like every organism that has ever come to exist, you are unique like all the rest; your time here from the moment you started to the moment you pass is unique; your placement in this world from where you started to where you end up is unique; and everyone of your choices along the way is unique to you alone. Make each one count towards living up to who you really are, not what others tell you, you should be. Step outside of the modern mind-frame for a moment and see this world, and your life in it, through a broader lens, a deeper perspective, a longer timeframe. You are here NOW… Make it count!

I hope that, in tandem with all the above, this poetic end crystalizes and clarifies the essence of how a life is best lived, how a life is best served, and how to begin and continue on your journey to discovering and becoming your greatest and truest self!

… And just to top it off…