The Victory March

You should treat this life like it's the only one you have. A fairly common critique of religion (and sorry if I'm on a religious tip lately) is that the ease of an afterlife calms the ability to live in the present. Augustine wrote to admonish Christians to act as ambassadors from Heaven - their place on Earth simply being a vacation. To act as a tourist in this life. Muslim jihadists are quick to suicide because it will usher them away from this life and onto the next. Even Buddhist monks strive to reach enlightenment - a realm far beyond this one.

It would seem as though religionists are obsessed with things out of this world. It doesn't feel that way most of the time, though, does it? It feels like you're planted firmly here on the planet.

After a victory, Roman generals would parade the streets, but they always had a slave march next to them, whispering in their ear above the crowd, "Memento Mori". Remember that you're mortal. Remember that even though you are the winner today, tomorrow is a new day. This is probably the darker side of Carpe Diem. Instead of remembering how great today is, it points out that you might not get a tomorrow.

And, Augustine be damned, I'm not sure that living for the moment doesn't fall in line with Theology. "Eat, Drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!" might be a Dave Matthews Band lyric, but it's also from Isaiah (22:13 for sticklers).

I took some allergy medication near the end of work yesterday (only I would have a bad reaction to some sushi served at an event on Chinese Food Safety), and it made me so drowsy that I ended up going home and crashing immediately. I woke up in the middle of the night only to go back to sleep.

In the morning, I wondered if I continued on that path, then I would end up working or sleeping at any one point in my day. Only two activities. One soulless, the other unconscious.

Yesterday was very much a wasted day, and I should only be getting around 26,280 of them. Every one of them should count. Taking stock at the end of the day should be about how alive you are. I failed at being alive yesterday. Yes - it is possible to fail at life. It doesn't have to be exciting, but you still have to live.

Respice post te! Hominem te esse memento!

I love dead languages.