Carpe Viam

11 Comments

Poem Commentary

"He who hesitates is lost" and they who hesitate to take action will not be found blameless.

Carpe Viam

In human attitudes lies the future of mankind

 Horace poetically said in The Odes   

“Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero”

Meaning

“Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future”

and

 Isaiah and Corinthians state

‘Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”

and

Waterhouse wrote

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may”

and

Pirkei Avot states

"And if not now, when?"

All wise words if not taken to the extreme

 
However, if words of antiquity were our only teacher

and if the prevailing human attitude today was “carpe diem”

 then the next 24 hours would be

 the most magnificent period since the beginning of time.

and we would all be enriched beyond our imaginations

FOR ONE DAY.

 

But, what of the day after tomorrow and the days to follow?

Are we to eat drink and be merry while our planet decays?  

Are we to permit our environment and all life to be poisoned

while hiding behind a cloak of greed and uncaring?

 

Horace, in his poetic comparison of different attitudes,

also eloquently wrote “Carpe Viam” meaning to “seize the road”

Well the road to the future of mankind lies in the hands of

those that will step forward and do just that

Giving voice to the battle against self-indulgence  

so that our environment will not eventually become our enemy.

So join me and step forward citizens of the world

Time is of the essence  

“Carpe Viam”

 

   ©Copyright Charlie Gragg 2009

Poem Comments

(11)

Please login or register

You must be logged in or register a new account in order to
leave comments/feedback and rate this poem.

Login or Register

devaamido commented on Carpe Viam

09-27-2009

The usefulness of any piece of advice about how to approach life is ONLY and AT BEST valid for the time it is given. Hence, Janis Joplin's advice in the '60's to: "Git it while you can!" was valid for a period of hedonistic abandon, the outcome of which was to undermine & will eventually destroy a human societal network that had become so toxic as to threaten the Earth herself. The question for Humans is whether or not they can abandon destruction as a lifestyle soon enough & evolve a new less harmful mode of living, in time to survive. The Earth will likely survive & heal herself with or without humans. Good write with or without literary fidelity.

Hampton

09/27/2009

Your comments are those of one who practices deepness of thought on such matters. I give you a 10 on your comments.

cmlestrade commented on Carpe Viam

09-26-2009

What a compelling offering. Yes we need to live for the day, this day and prevent the evils of the future from happening. We can all make the effort. Every little bit can help or on the flip side hurt if we aren't doing all we can.

Hampton

09/26/2009

Thank you,your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

dahlusion commented on Carpe Viam

09-25-2009

This needed to be written and by no other than you. Yes, for humanity to wake up to our selfish reality of being is the most important awakening needed because we are the enemy of our environment and not the other way around. We can listen to, read, and academically praise all of these "wise men" before us and, really, what have we learned? Great write!!

Hampton

09/25/2009

Your comments are right on target. Thank you Dah.

HarverTomsson commented on Carpe Viam

09-24-2009

Perhaps something got lost in translation, Charles. Isaiah voices God's will for purposive grief to reorder priorities, but instead He finds iniquitous living just for the moment. In Corinth, the argument is that IF there is no resurrection for the dead (no future) then to live just for today becomes reasonable. But the obvious point is that we are stewards of tomorrow. Which is, from a different chain of logic, identical to the call to action you are making. The road to a better tomorrow is to make better choices today. In that, only the self absorbed and self indulgent would presume to disagree. Among some Christians, there is an expectation for imminent "rapture" that would preclude care for this earth's resources. To that, I would respond that God intends to destroy all those who destroy the earth [see Rev. 11:18]. It is a moral virtue to care for our planet's future. Some words from antiquity are just the mouthings of fools buttrussing their minds against any intrusion of wisdom.

Hampton

09/24/2009

Thank you Harver. I respect your views and appreciate your providing this very thought provoking analysis.

connsk8 commented on Carpe Viam

09-22-2009

Good messages but not my style of getting them across, but I read it as promised!!!

Hampton

09/22/2009

Thanks for the comment on the messages. As far as the style is concerned one must remember that the style reflects the authors style and is not intended to relicate the style of the reader.

In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite.

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) Czech writer.

Hampton’s Poems (111)

Title Comments
Title Comments
Searching 5
The Poetess 14
Nonsense 12
Solitude 18
Lame Limericks 14
Message to Papa 15
Young Jimmy O’Fallon 11
The Computer From Hell 18
Life Ain’t for Sissies 16
The Mind In Motion 13
The Game of Poetry 9
Silence 55
WordSlinger 19
Holiday Thoughts 12
Sweet Mary 18
From White to Grey to Black 19
The Reckoning 12
And All of That Jazz 16
Today 25
No Offense, Just My Opinion 16
Lucky 10
You’re Only as Old as You Feel 13
Saturday Night 13
Political Change? 14
The Female Gender 17
I’m In Charge Here, Aren’t I? ( With Epilogue) 10
I’m In Charge Here, Aren’t I? 7
Remembering 11
This Web We Weave 13
The End 16
The Day the Clouds Cried 16
The Path of Life 12
My Mother Ruth 12
Forever–ast
er
11
Humanities Challenge 14
A Cowboy's Perspective 12
July in Buda Texas 14
The OP Poets Parade 20
The Chatelaine 12
Shot Through the Heart 17
Poetry and Fine Wine 18
The Man What Am 10
The Final Beat of My Heart 16
The Rainbow of Poets 19
A Cowboy's Lament 13
Of This World I am Not 17
The Wee People 19
An Evening at an Irish Pub 15
The Scent of Love 14
Fresh News from Buda Texas 16
Memories of Times Past 13
The Dance of the Poets 20
The Confession 14
Road to Obscurity 18
Barbara 14
Shadows 15
Prescience 17
Words That Bind 54
Wondering 26
New Year News from Buda Texas 13
We Are All Witnesses 16
Christmas 25
A Cowboy’s Prayer 29
The 9 ers 24
Love Defined 27
Tis a Time to Give Thanks 21
More News From Buda Texas 26
Choices 26
News from Buda, Texas 21
In Search of God 21
Writers of Poems (WOPs) 26
Out of the Darkness 15
Visions from Within the Mist 18
Baseball 12
The Night Stalker 16
The Man I Presume to be Buck 16
The Sounds of Time 17
The Little Man in the Green Hat 18
Blah Blah Blah 14
One Two Three 13
Carpe Viam 11
Love in the Afternoon 13
The Moth 14
Lost & Dungeons of the Mind 11
The Creative Process 19
The Truth and the Tribe 19
The Long Wait. 19
Feathers 26
The Arrow 14
Take Two Cialis and Call Me in the Morning 26
Ghostly Images 16
Friends 11
Angels Without Wings 20
IN MY OWN WORDS 13
The Rider 16
Pride and Shame 18
The Winning Poet is.... 21
Memories 13
Politicians 67
Your Mailbox Is Empty 18
God's Visit 17
Poets and Poems 20
Love Thy Neighbor 13
Renewal 8
The Roar of Silence 17
Blessed Are These Days 4
Time and Space 5
Life's Journey 8
Gift To The Fallen 16
Hunger 21
The Antique Shop 30