Carpe diem? I'll tell you why not.

I think that carpe diem is a good idea only in theory. Sure, when the future is uncertain, (ie. there's a chance that you may die in a month) the feeling that you can do absolutely anything you want is all fine and dandy. However, these days, the future can take too many immediate twists and turns for people to only worry about the day that they are experiencing. True, you should make the most of the time you have while you're here, but eating, drinking and being merry can get you into a lot trouble nowadays. I think that the diet version, 'carpe diem limited', 'living life to the fullest- within reason' is probably what would turn out best for people in the long run. People live a lot longer now than they did during the Renaissance, which is good, and which also means longer repuations to protect, which is not so good if you take carpe diem to heart.