Carpe Diem! Seize the Day!

Most people are familiar with this Latin phrase that invites us to take life by the horns. The reason we should do this is simple and it is summarized in another, lesser-known, Latin phrase: Memento Mori, which means, “Remember, you are mortal” or “Remember, you must die.” Put together, these phrases encourage us to live life to the full – while we can! To savor life – while it lasts!

The combined wisdom of these two sayings adequately summarizes the message of Ecclesiastes 11:7-10, with one minor modification – God is added to the mix.

Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. Even those who live for many years should rejoice in them all; yet let them remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is fleeting. Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the inclination of your heart and the desire of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are fleeting.

The beginning of a new year is a perfect time to reflect on our mortality and the fleeting nature of time. Though time relentlessly trudges forward at a steady pace, our experience of it is relative. Sometimes it seems to pass so slowly. At other times, it seems to race by so quickly. For most of us, as we grow older, time seems to hasten – the years fly by and we wonder, “Where has all the time gone?”

No matter what season of life we currently experience – childhood, youth, adulthood, or old age – this passage encourages us to live joyfully. We are invited to enjoy life, but to enjoy it realistically and responsibly – to bask in the bright sun while never forgetting we dwell in the shadow of death.

Because of its realism, Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 is an interesting combination of good news and bad news. Half of it is incredibly optimistic and positive. The other half is brutally realistic in its acceptance of bodily decay, the inevitability of death, and the reality of divine judgment.

This juxtaposition of good news and bad news accurately reflects life in the real world. Our experience of life is not all good, neither is it all bad. Instead it is something in-between. It is a combination of glorious beauty and unspeakable brutality and suffering. To deny either – the beauty or the brutality – would be deceptive and unrealistic, something the Teacher (see Ecclesiastes 1:1) will not allow.

Life is Good!

The text begins with a bold declaration that life is good: “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun” (Ecclesiastes 11:7).

Life is sweet. It is the opposite of bitter. Like honey, it is to be savored with enthusiasm and delight.

The sweetness of life reminds us that it is a joy to be alive. As the author states, it is good to walk in the light of the sun – to feel its warmth, to see the world bathed in its glow. Truly, life is beautiful. All the ugliness of sin cannot hide this fact!

Therefore… Rejoice!

Because life is good, the only appropriate response is to delight in it – to embrace it with a glad and joyful heart.

The Teacher invites us to rejoice in all seasons of life, from childhood to old age: “Even those who live for many years should rejoice in them all” (Ecclesiastes 11:8a). Clearly, joy is possible (yet different) in all stages of life.

Joy arises from a cheerful heart, and thus, the Teacher invites us to nurture this attitude: “Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 11:9a).

Many of us need to hear this invitation to joy. We need to be reminded that life is meant to be enjoyed and not merely endured – that we are called to thrive and not just survive. We can celebrate each day, each hour, each moment, for all good things – sunlight, air, color, smells, sensations; the list is endless – are a gift from God. Certainly, the world is full of sin, but it is also full of joy as well!

Faith embraces God’s gifts. It enjoys them. It smiles at life. “Christians are not called to be pious drudges. Faith is often thought of in relation to troubles: faith overcomes; faith is triumphant; faith shines from the ashes of affliction... All this is true. But faith also smiles... A joyless Christian is an utter self-contradiction” The Apostle Paul counseled believers from a prison cell: “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

The Teacher invites us not only to rejoice, but to pursue greater joy by identifying and chasing our dreams: “Follow the inclination of your heart and the desire of your eyes” (Ecclesiastes 11:9b). It takes courage to chase your dreams, especially when we realize how few of them actually come true. Tragically, most dreams die. Some are forced to die – we have to let them go for the sake of something or someone else. Some are lost. Some are never attempted.

That is what makes the Teacher’s counsel interesting, especially when we consider that he is particularly addressing young men and women. We usually counsel young people to be disciplined and extremely cautious out of our fear of youthful waywardness. But this counsel, as well intended as it is, is simply too safe. Life is more thrilling and more wondrous. It invites us to dream, to risk, to dare. Opportunities abound in youth and we should encourage young people to exploit them to the full.

We need not fear following this counsel. The Teacher is not endorsing a carefree life of self-gratification and reckless pleasure-seeking. Such foolishness would give into youth’s illusion of immortality or indestructibility. Instead, the Teacher is inviting young people to take advantage of the unique possibilities youth offers. He calls them to fully develop the gifts that God has given. This could be the most productive time in their life and should not be wasted. The Teacher knows that failing to do this holds possible repercussions throughout one’s entire life: “A misspent youth sounds like fun when told as a joke, but it is usually the precursor for a misspent life.”[2]

Though the opportunities are endless, we should not be weighted down by cares and concerns. The Teacher’s final encouragement is to lighten up – to not take ourselves too seriously: “Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain from your body” (Ecclesiastes 11:10a). He does not wish us to be crushed by excessive responsibilities and their accompanying worries. Anxiety and pain (not sorrow) are the antithesis of joy. In this regard, the Teacher’s wisdom reflects Jesus’ teaching in his command that we refrain from anxiety in the midst of serious responsibilities: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34).

Joy is Serious Business

Life is meant to be enjoyed. As C. S. Lewis wrote, joy is the serious business of heaven. Thus, we are called to rejoice while remembering certain key truths:

Remember our mortality. After the Teacher encourages us to enjoy all our days, he warns, “yet remember that the days of darkness will be many” (Ecclesiastes 11:8b). The “many days of darkness” is a reference to death (cf. Job 10:21-22). It calls attention to the fact that we shall lie in the grave longer than we shall live above ground. Whether it’s tomorrow, or eighty years from now, the one certainty of life is that we will die. The sweet and pleasant light of the sun will eventually be eclipsed by the darkness.

We are generally uncomfortable thinking about death, and do all in our power to deny its reality. The Teacher warns us against this. Instead, he invites us to think of death, even in the midst of life. This was much more common in the past. Monks use to place human skulls in their study to remind them of death. The Puritan commentator, Matthew Henry, wrote, “Wherever we walk, a skeleton is with us.”

In the movie, Dead Poet’s Society, the English professor John Keating (played by actor Robin Williams) asks his students why an old poem encourages us to carpe diem, seize the day. When a student’s response fails to recognize the wisdom of the saying, Keating remarks, “Because we are food for worms, lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die.” He then turns the students’ attention to a trophy case, filled with trophies, footballs, and team pictures.

Now I would like you to step forward over here and peruse some of the faces from the past. You’ve walked past them many times. I don’t think you’ve really looked at them. They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you. Their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in.

The boys lean in and Professor Keating whispers, “Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”

Like Keating’s students, we don’t like to think about death, yet it is the most certain, undeniable, inevitable, inescapable, universal fact about our existence. We must realistically face this fact – or ultimately be shattered by it.

And yet, this does not have to lead to dismay. Instead, the certainty of death should stimulate us to living life to the full right now. The dark backdrop of our inevitable death should highlight the positive opportunities for joy in the present moment. Our joy need not be dampened by this fact. Instead, it can be heightened – it draws attention to how precious life really is!

I will never forget the time Elizabeth and I faced each other on the couch in her apartment after I proposed marriage to her and she accepted. Our heads leisurely rested against the back cushions as we stared deeply and longingly into each other’s eyes. In that moment of excitement and joy I said the following words – words that neither of us will ever forget: “One of us will have to watch the other die.” This brought instant soberness, and even tears, to our joyful moment. It did not dampen our joy (alright, I’ll be honest, it probably did a little); it merely put it in a realistic context.

Remember divine judgment. After calling us to chase our dreams with cheerful hearts, the Teacher reminds us a solemn truth. All our deeds will stand in the light of God’s judgment: “know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9c). For what things will we be judged? In context, it is “for all things,” meaning, for the “inclination of our heart” and the “desire of our eyes.” In harmony with other biblical passages on final judgment, our secrets, our inner motives, intentions, desires, and actions will be on evaluated by God.

We are called to joyfully live life to the full, but to live it in light of God’s righteous will. Many people have a hard time reconciling these two thoughts. It seems like a contradiction, because, for some, joy and responsibility do not mix. But, biblically speaking, true and lasting joy is always related to what is right, to the divine will. Old Testament scholar, Derek Kidner, summarizes this tension well:

At first sight this reminder of judgment looks like a sword of Damocles hanging over us, to rob the feast of all its relish. It can be that to us, but only if our joy is a parody of its true self. The ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes – or, in two words, perfect freedom – must have a goal worth reaching, a “Well done!” to strive for, to find fulfillment. Otherwise triviality takes over, or worse still, vice. Whichever of these connotations the word “playboy” has for us, we know that for lack of relating his life to anything demanding, still less to heaven’s assessment, that man is a pitiable figure. So this verse, by insisting that our ways matter to God and are therefore meaningful through and through, robs joy of nothing but its hollowness.[3]

Joy is not trivial or superficial. It is not an end in and of itself. It is the consequence of living according to the divine will. Detached from righteousness, joy has little weight.

Perhaps there is another way to hear this warning in a more positive light. Divine judgment implies that it really matters how we live. It suggests that our actions, attitudes, motives, intents – even our dreams – really matter to God. God wants us to enjoy life. As the ancient rabbis taught: “Man will have to give account for all that he saw and did not enjoy.” Crenshaw states this with bold optimism: What are we to know? “That God will call you to account if you do not enjoy life to the height of your capacity.”[4]

Finally, the Teacher calls us to lighten up because we must remember the brevity of life: “for youth and the dawn (prime) of life are fleeting” (Ecclesiastes 11:10b). Life passes quickly. Our time on earth is brief. No matter how well we treat our bodies, they will eventually fall apart. The song from Fiddler on the Roof is true: “Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset; swiftly fly the years. One season following another; laden with happiness and tears.” The prime of life passes. Aches and pains become more pronounced with old age. With each passing day, the saying becomes more applicable: “The old gray mare just ain’t what she used to be.”

For this reason, the Teacher admonishes us to not ruin our best years of physical health with vexation – with anger, resentment, or bitterness. Life in the real world, though laden with joy, also encompasses tears. The world often disappoints. The Teacher informs us to not let it get us down, or even worse, to keep us down!

We should not be vexed by current events and circumstances. Some people seem to take a curious joy in being angry. Some people’s expectations are so high that they are constantly disillusioned. Some people are so anxious about growing old that they lose their joy by lamenting the inevitable loss of youth.

The Teacher calls us to abandon our cynicism. It is easy to be a cynic in this world. It takes very little effort. It is much harder to rejoice, to be thankful.

Significance

The beginning of a new year brings with it a fresh sense of time. No matter what season of life we currently inhabit, we are challenged to seize the day.

Now, what’s the hold up? What are you waiting for before you will go out and live life to the full? The Teacher’s counsel is simple: Don’t wait. The time to enjoy life is now.

The list of excuses we can offer is virtually endless. Pastor Chuck Swindoll summarizes a few:

“If I just had a little more money.” “If we could just live somewhere else.” “If I just had my degree and all of that behind me.” “If only I hadn’t married this person” … or “If my wife would only come back” or “If my husband would return.” Those are nothing but self-appointed excuses. “If my church were different.” “If we only had another pastor.” “If my kids would just obey.” “If my son would grow up, I’d be happy.” There are dozens more – all excuses that keep us from enjoying each day God gives us. They act as parasites, sucking the enjoyment out of life.[5]

In order to seize the day, we must abandon our excuses, accept our current circumstances, and rejoice in the life we have been given. In the words of Joseph Campbell, “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

The Teacher’s counsel is quite simple: Don’t wait to grab life by the horns or it will be too late! “The tragedy of life is not how much we suffer. But how much we miss!”[6]

In the words of Rocky Balboa, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” We could add to this, “It ain’t over until it’s over, but when it’s over, it’s for good!” In a recent interview, Sylvester Stallone was asked why so many people relate to the underdog Rocky. He said the reason is simple. We all stand alone in the ring of life, and nobody beats life. The test of our character, therefore, is not in how many hits we can give, but in how many hits we can take and still stand up and keep fighting. Until that last bell rings, we are in the fight of our lives – and we don’t have the option to give up.

Don’t give up on life while you are in the prime of your life. There are still dreams you can chase, desires you can pursue. Take those piano lessons now. Renew your membership to the health spa. Take up a new hobby. Develop a new talent. Don’t act like you are an old dog who can’t learn new tricks in the midst of the prime of your life! Too many people have given up on life too soon. Don’t resign yourself to an empty existence. Life has too much to offer. Get off the couch, turn off the TV, and live a little! And remember: God will judge you on whether or not you made the most of the gifts you were given.

Now is the time to reflect on the beauty of life, the fleeting nature of time, the inevitability of death, and the reality of divine judgment. May our reflections lead us to carpe diem. The reality of our mortality, divine judgment, and life’s brevity are not meant to discourage us, but to spur us on to seize the day. This is the Teacher’s desire – that we would nurture rather than suppress the vitality of life.

Segue

With this said, there is one final “remember” that brings all things together. “The positive approach to life which has dominated this chapter must rest on something more substantial than cheerfulness or courage, or even sound morality. The final chapter gives itself to what is basic, and urges us to lose no time in making it our business too.”[7] And that is to “remember your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1a). Our ultimate joy must be in God. If it is not, everything we possess – youth, health, possessions, achievements, etc. – will one day abandon us. Only when our joy is ultimately placed in God can we know true and lasting joy. Only then do we truly “seize the day” for all its worth.

This will be the theme of our next session.

© Richard J. Vincent, 2007