Carpe Noctem

Carpe diem

We've all heard the expression. Maybe from a movie such as Dead Poets Society, maybe in some philosophy class, maybe some pompous friend of ours has uttered it while triying to dazzle us with his knowledge (I'm usually that guy).

The aphorism, first coined by Horace in his Odes, is meant to teach us to seize the moment, as time flies away and the bastard thinks very little of us, and doesn't come back when asked to. The future is unknown, for the most part, and Lady Luck is quite the bitch, so you can seldom leave your fate to her. Thus, you should try to change, affect or seize what you actually have within your grasp: today.

I like the concept, if you understand it fully. Makes you bold, but not reckless. Brave, but not stupidly so. You go wild in a party, but not enough to wreck the place. Mad enough to confess to someone, not enough to ask for his or her hand. It's fine, it clicks and has had one hell of a following this last few decades. I do have a problem with the wording, though.

You see, literally "Carpe diem" means "Seize the day". I know it's meant to signify the whole day, but it just bugs me. Days are boring. We live most of our lives by daylight, so plenty of good stuff happens there, of course. But by daylight, we are all, each and everyone of us, too scared. During the day, we think too much, we ask for permission too much, we worry too much. Days are good and all, but nights?

Nights are cold, and dark, and merciless, sometimes. Nights are times of long shadows, strange noises and phantom lights. So we rise up to the challenge. The best things in life happen at night. We are braver. We think the shadows will mask our faces, our intentions, our nervous smiles and flustered breathing, so we just do things and say things and confess things without thinking. We feel the cold air and stay closer together, and held hands and embraces mean much, much more. We are wilder, and bolder, and reckless. We remember, deep down, a time where big bad wolves weren't part of a fairytale, where a bonfire meant life and warmth and dancing and safe sleep. At night, we declare undying love and swear oaths of friendship. We are so much more beautiful, because we, under the cover of Darkness, are truer to ourselves.

So Carpe Noctem, everyone. Seize the nights.

The days will tend to themselves.