“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
Whilst written by Jimmy Cliff I like this version of the song by Nilssson and produced by John Lennon
If we remember Robin Williams and the 90s movie Dead Poets Society, Robins character makes the famous speech to his students about Seizing the Day ...Carpe Diem. It is later than you think (Sydney Morning Herald Editorial 3 January 2015)
After this week it isn't so much about seizing the day but enjoying the moment. It is never easy and we never quite understand , appreciate or think too much about death till it is at the doorstep knocking loudly. There is tomorrow and then suddenly we ask ourselves where has all the time gone. For some it is a rich fulfilling life and a long one , and for others it is tragically short. There is no rhyme or reason , we turn to religion or philosophy , but ultimately there is a lottery and we have to accept it willingly or dragging and screaming. It makes no difference. Life is finite and death is certain.
My friend Tim passed away peacefully on 5 February 2015 .He had been ill for sometime but showed a resolute quiet determination to try and get well but when that wasn't going to happen he approached death as he did life straight forward with no complaint despite what it had thrown him .Pretty much the way he rode . I spent many a great ride with him and what keeps ringing in my ear is "Spinners are winners " and his other often repeated comment to me was spend time with your family . I suspect because he was far from his he valued his and having lost his wife , he knew the sadness that comes from losing them early .He couldn't fathom the hours of training I put in or possibly he did as he once would have spent considerable hours running in his earlier years( and was a good marathon runner running a 2.45 in earlier years) , yet he had reached that stage where he realized there were possibly more worthwhile pursuits in life. But these are choices we make.
Life is what you make of it and sometimes it does throw some really mean curve balls , but we just have to spin our way up and maybe we will make it to the top of the hill and maybe we won't but if we have the people we love by our side and we do take the time to love and share and be part of their lives then there should not be any regrets. The journey is really what it is . It is very much a first world problem as we have more distractions and we sometimes just need to de-clutter our lives to see what is important . Pretty much like cycling . The type of bike may vary but ultimately it has 2 wheels and you need to ride it and expend energy doing so.
As 2014 unfolded into 2015 , the tragedies of the past year drew this editorial piece in SMH :
Life may be partly framed by its ending, but it is not defined by it. Life is precious. It is not a rehearsal.I think Horace , the Roman Poet really meant what Tim meant , its not how hard you party but it is how you have loved life . And he did .
Religious beliefs to one side, the soul does not leave by the back door, walk round the house, step over the welcome mat and re-enter through the front.
Death may be a constant companion in theaters of war, but not in ordinary life. When death does come upon us unawares, it is a tragedy. It is cruel and unfair.
Though our allotted lifespan is unknowable, the impulse, indeed the pulse, of existence is to pursue, as much as one can, a life worthwhile. More than 2000 years ago, the Roman poet Horace declared: "Carpe Diem" (seize the day).
Less well-known is the conclusion to that phrase, which roughly translates as "for one cannot trust in tomorrow".
One could interpret this to mean live every day as if it is the last – party like there's no tomorrow! Sydney Morning Herald ...Its later than you think 3 January 2015
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