Anyone who has ever seen the movie Dead Poets Society is likely familiar with the stirring lines “Carpe diem! Seize the day, boys! Make your lives extraordinary!” Even if you don’t know the film, “carpe diem” is one of those phrases that’s managed to hang around ever since the fall of Rome, despite the rest of the language totally disappearing. You’ve probably seen plenty of advertisements or cartoons using the old phrase with the helpful translation “seize the day” thrown in there, just in case you don’t speak Latin.
However, I’m here to tell you that we’ve actually all got it wrong. Robin Williams was totally leading those boys astray, and I know this because, unlike the rest of my class who chose to learn useful skills in high school, I nerded out and actually took Latin for four years. Therefore, I can tell you that’s not how the phrase should be translated. Carpe, the command, doesn’t so much mean seize as it means harvest, and while “harvest the day” has possibly the worst ring to it of all time, I think it’s kind of interesting to think about it as a different sort of inspiration.
For me at least, seizing the day can sometimes seem like an impossible task. It has this vigorous idea of having to grab your day by throat and take as much from it as you can when to be totally honest, there are days where getting up feels like an accomplishment in itself. The whole battle analogy doesn’t really work for everyone, and it shouldn’t have to; every day can’t feel like an active war which you’ve just won.
Harvesting the day, however, is something I can convince myself to do a lot more easily. Harvesting feels like it better represents the work I’ve done up to this point. It acknowledges that there’s already been labor, there’s already been time, there’s already been effort and patience, setbacks and solutions, losses and gains, all of which I think imitate life a lot more closely than the battle idea.
Some days, you just need to be a little extra gentle with yourself because if you’re not feeling up for a fight, then maybe you’re up to garden. Maybe this is the day meant for just checking in on yourself and using your time to repair. Do a little digging around, some soul-searching, and see what you can find. If it feels like you’re just not getting the victories you wanted for today, they’re still growing beneath the surface, still making progress. Someday soon, you’ll get the chance to make good on all that time you’ve spent and harvest the rewards.
Therefore, for everyone out there who’s fighting the good fight or growing strong and steady, just out of sight, I think you’re doing amazing. Whatever the phrase means to you, make sure you get out there and “carpe diem”—make your lives extraordinary.