Carpe Diem Revisited

The Missing Paths of Seizing the Day

8 min readJul 3, 2025

EDC Carpe Diem Reminder Coin www.edcremindercoins.com

Carpe Diem — often translated as Seize the Day, is a phrase originally used by Roman poet Horace. Its meaning, unfortunately, is widely misunderstood. The whole phrase was carpe diem, quam nimium credula postero — Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow.

If I want to keep it very brief, the most common interpretation of the phrase is — live in the present, don’t worry about the past or the future. Embrace pleasure and joy. Impulsiveness without thought. The mindset of YOLO — You Only Live Once, focusing on thrill-seeking or short-term gratification.

But there is a reason why carpe diem is often paired with two other phrases — Memento Mori — remember that you must die, and Memento Vivere — remember that you must live. The ancient thought emphasized balance and moderation, encouraging the wise use of time rather than mindless indulgence. One of the key Stoic virtues was temperance, reminding us that too much of a good thing can, in fact, be detrimental. Aristotle’s “Golden Mean” was another name for the same concept — the example he would give is the virtue of courage. Taken to the extreme, it becomes recklessness.

My interpretation of carpe diem is to do what needs to be done today, without delay, so that tomorrow is more likely to be the tomorrow we hope for. Carpe diem is not just a suggestion to be mindful and present. It is about action. Memento Mori helps us put things in perspective. Memento Vivere helps balance things out.

Granted, Horace was a poet, not a philosopher. Perhaps we are all putting too much interpretation into something that he simply intended as an artistic expression. :) Maybe so. But the concept has fascinated people for centuries.

Then I came across Carpe Diem Regained by Roman Krznaric.

Excellent book. In it, the author, an Australian social philosopher, argues that the concept of carpe diem has been hijacked by four forces: consumerist culture, the cult of efficiency and productivity, modern entertainment, and the mindfulness movement. The consumerist culture and modern entertainment — sure, those two are no-brainers, but seeing productivity and mindfulness in the list is counterintuitive. But it is, again, the case of something which is virtuous, but without moderation, becomes problem. Efficiency can become obsessive, even harmful, and make you forget to live, forget about what matters, and why you are trying to be efficient in the first place. As to mindfulness, too much focus on NOW can distract us from what makes us human — reminiscing about or learning from the past, or dreaming about the future.

Krznaric is onto something here. We think we make these choices consciously, but oftentimes we are fed things or influenced by society, social research, or algorithms. Overplanning kills the beauty of surprises and random encounters. Consumerism and online distraction take us away from pursuits that may give our lives meaning and purpose. And mindfulness, Krznaric explains, takes us away from other meaningful ways to enjoy the present. Hard to resist, these four.

Is there a better way?

Krznaric suggests that there are different meanings people can give to the concept of carpe diem, specifically five pathways through which people seize the day:

Opportunity — Grasping a rare or unique moment, e.g., a career break or chance encounter.
Hedonism — sensory pleasures, from free love to gastronomic exploration.
Presence — Living fully in the now, in ways that are valid alternatives to mindfulness — the sense of wonder, flow (mastery of a skill), collective ecstacy as in dancing with the crowd, and so on.
Spontaneity — Acting on impulse, breaking routines.
Politics — Seizing the day collectively for societal change.

It’s a smart, accessible framework. The analysis the book offers for each one of these is rich and culturally wide-ranging. These pathways offer a way to reclaim agency in a distracted, or over-scheduled, but mostly passive modern life.

However, as I read the book, I had a strong feeling there had to be more to carpe diem than this. I believe the author’s analysis has a few blind spots that need to be considered. So, here are my five more ways to seize the moment.

Duty and Service

For all the emphasis on freedom, flow, and political awakening, duty and service barely register in the book as legitimate ways of seizing the day. This was a surprising omission, especially given how historically central service has been to the notion of a life well-lived. Yes, Krznaric comes close when he discusses politics, or when he suggests that carpe diem cannot be an individualistic concept, and that we need to remind ourselves that our lives impact other lives — our actions don’t play out in isolation. But it is not quite enough, in my view.

We often picture carpe diem as climbing a mountain, quitting a job, or diving into love. How about a nurse beginning another 12-hour shift? A father reading to his child after a long day? A volunteer showing up when no one else does? A citizen quietly acting with integrity? These aren’t acts of escape or thrill. They’re acts of service. They’re deliberate commitments to something beyond the self.

Duty and service must be a core expression of seizing the day. Seizing the day cannot always be about pursuing your own joy, spontaneity, or freedom. It has to be about showing up for others. It is doing what needs to be done, even when it is hard, invisible, and unappreciated. This is serving a cause greater than ourselves. Or serving a community. Fulfilling your responsibilities with dignity and intention. Loyalty, justice, compassion — doing things because they matter. To serve is not to abandon oneself, but to anchor oneself. It’s quieter and often far more difficult. But it can be just as urgent, just as present, and just as transformative. Seizing the day through duty means saying: “This moment matters because someone depends on me.”

This also happens to be perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of the philosophy of Stoicism, which is often erroneously viewed as an exclusively individualistic operating system. Yes, Stoicism is about helping us get better, more resilient, but within a framework of virtues and with the purpose of making things better around us. Stoics believed that fulfilling one’s duty was a central part of living well. It aligns with Confucian philosophy, too, where a meaningful life is found in caring for others and performing one’s role well. This is also the ethos of frontline workers, doctors, firefighters, caregivers, and volunteers. While Krznaric positions carpe diem as liberation from cultural constraints, here seizing the day means leaning into obligations. Duty thus becomes a source of meaning.

Discipline and Structure

Get Rational Badger’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Remember me for faster sign in

When Krznaric describes spontaneity, particularly in art and music, he touches upon this, but I feel he underplays the idea that routinely showing up, committing to long-term goals, cultivating discipline, and putting in the work can be a form of carpe diem. Living with intention is not, should not be, just about improvizing. It can also mean deliberately crafting your days to build a meaningful life, one day at a time. This is the writer returning to the desk each morning, the martial artist drilling, trying, adjusting, and trying again, slowly and steadily elevating skill. This goes back to the Stoic tradition, but also to several other cultures (Japanese!). Purpose does not always have to be spontaneous, and methodical, structured life can also be deeply fulfilling.

Love and Connection

The book discusses individuality, chance encounters, and an experiential approach to living, among other topics, but it falls short of highlighting love and relationships as a distinct path to seizing the day. I believe relationships deserve to be presented as a separate path. Carpe diem through authentic human connection — not just personal thrills or politics. Listening deeply. Forgiving. Dealing with grief together. Truly being with someone. Depth of a connection, vulnerability, acts of love and kindness, are among the most powerful ways through which human beings make life meaningful.

Creativity and Legacy

It is not just creativity in those aha moments — the spontaneous, the experiential. I mean the creative act — writing, building, designing — is a way to seize the moment while also transcending time. Krznaric touches upon a similar theme when he explores flow, where, as he puts it, being and doing collapse into one another. Let’s go beyond just mastery. Let’s think about creating something enduring. Creating something that helps stretch time. I don’t just mean a painting or a poem. It could be a garden, a community project, or a lifelong practice of teaching a skill and continually improving at it. Making meaning, rather than chasing it.

Play and Joy

Touched upon under hedonism, presence, and spontaneity, play does not get enough space in the conversation. Joyful absurdity. Humor. The first thing that comes to mind is the time I spend with my children. Trying to use every opportunity to create joy, to have fun, and to bring positivity. Embracing the absurd, dancing for no reason, letting imagination go wild. The games we play, which often don’t make any sense beyond that moment, the laughter, the exhaustion at the end. Joyful, almost defiant ways to honor the day. That's time well spent in my book.

In conclusion, as Krznaric also points out, carpe diem does not just belong to a hedonist, or a rebel, or an escape artist. It also belongs to the builder, the nurse, the martial artist, the parent, anyone who says yes to responsibility. Carpe diem can also be about answering the Call.

Duty and service. Discipline and structure. Love and connection. Creativity and legacy. Play and Joy. Worth reflecting on.

I leave you with a quote from Marcus Aurelius: “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” That, too, is carpe diem.

*The Carme Diem coin in the image is a product of EDC Reminder Coins, more on https://www.edcremindercoins.com/.

If you liked this read, check out my home page for articles about philosophy, learning, self-improvement, literature, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and more. Here are some you may be interested in: