Carpe Diem Regained: The Vanishing Art of Seizing the Day Hardcover – 6 April 2017

If we were to be on our deathbed examining what we have done with our life, how would we grade ourselves? Or if we were told that we have only a month left to live, how shall we spend it? These are questions that are relevant to the philosophy of Carpe Diem – seize the day. It is a phrase from Horace’s Odes. Seizing the day is a cry of action and for action. It spurs one to live so that in living he finds a life of meaning. But, Krzanarik, warns, the art of seizing the day is vanishing because modern life snatches that from us.Extreme consumerism and digital technology, television are all responsible for dulling our appetite for carpe diem. Instead of seizing the day with ‘Just do it’, we are conditioned to seize our credit cards and ‘Just buy it’. This book is full of examples of inactivity, but it also presents many splendid examples of people who have seized their day.Krznarik is a deep and careful thinker. He sees danger in what others see as salvation. The Mindfulness cult of the modern age is one. He accepts that mindfulness has its virtues. When Joshua Bell played Johann Bach on his antique Stradivarius in a Washington train station, only seven out of 1,097 people stopped to listen. But people pay US$100 to listen to Joshua Bell play the same pieces in a concert. The problem with mindfulness is its preoccupation with the present. Krznarik explains why being present is never enough. Relating the story of Henry Gustav Molaison, he shows that a man who has no memory longer than thirty seconds can never for enough thoughts to assess the future and make the critical decision to seize the day.He sees the ethical case against carpe diem – the charge of moral subjectivism, having no criteria for distinguishing right from wrong that others can see and follow. Anything might be justified on the basis that one was just seizing his day. To overcome this, Krznarik looks to the Golden Rule, the same one expressed by Jesus Christ and Confucius 500 years before – Krznarik says, ‘Those who believe in the carpe diem ideal should uphold it for all people, not just for themselves’.

The book is like new, delivery as planned, I will definitely use this seller again! Recommended!

This was an interesting self help book as the author puts a view and then argues against it, which I found helpful. As with all these things there is no real answer, except just do it, stop procrastinating. I enjoyed it.

Fabulous, thought provoking book. Up there with my other favourite life affirming books: How to be free by Tom Hodginson and Mark Boyle's Moneyless Manifesto. These books really should be on everyone's reading list

loved this contemporary philisophical journey into the ‘vanishing art of seizing the day’. Anything that makes old ideas fun and relevant to everyday life deserve lots of attention.

Excellent book a real thought instigator. The author has certainly done his research and I loved some of the exercises - very inspiring

This is an amazing book. Inspiring and thought provoking. A real wake up call to all of us to start living, not simply existing.

I enjoyed reading this great book. I also liked reading the other books written by this great person