Wednesday Wisdom

Who?Quintis Horatius Flaccus known as Horace was a Roman playwright and poet born in 65BC. He was born in Southern Italy, the son of a freed slave who moved the family to Rome where Horace began his schooling. After his father's death, Horace moved to Athens to study philosophy and literature at The Academy, the school founded by Plato some 200 years earlier.

After the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Horace joined the Roman civil war, serving in the army of Brutus and Cassius. Octavian Augustus and the Second Triumvirate defeated Brutus' army at Phillipi in 42 BC, endangering Horace's future. Fortunately, the defeated army of Brutus received amnesty, and Horace was allowed to return to Rome. Horace used his last resources to obtain a lifetime appointment as a Roman scribe, which enabled him to pursue his passion for poetry.

What he produced

His literary talent attracted the famous playwright Vergel (Virgil) and Horace was invited into his literary circle. His first works were satires extolling the Epicurean ideals of moderation and contentment. He is most well known for his "odes" or "carmina" which are lyric poems about friendship, love, and the practice of poetry. Having studied in Athens, Horace was familiar with The Oddessy and the Iliad. These incredible works of Homer are believed to be influenced by an ancient tale called the "Epic of Gilgamesh". This is believed to be the oldest surviving literature from around 2,000BC. Written by an unknown Sumerian in Mesopotamia, which was the fertile crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in now modern Iraq. In this tale, Siduri meets Gilgamesh, a king mourning the loss of a friend. Siduri tells Gilgamesh to get up, accept death and enjoy his life on Earth. This earliest of all written texts also happens to be the first written concept of; the past is done, the future is unknown, and live for the day.

2022: Why do we care?

Throughout the ages,Horace's odes have been an enduring theme in poetry and literature. He is noted for "Dulce et decorum est pro Patria Mori" which translates to "it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country", "Nunc est Bibendum"; "now we must drink", and "Sapere Aude"; "dare to be wise". The most indelible Latin phrase from his poems was "Carpe Diem" which roughly translated as "pluck the day".

In 1938 Robert Frost wrote a poem titled "Carpe Diem". A character in the poem named Age encourages children to be "Happy, Happy, Happy, and seize the day of pleasure."

Seize the day, a sentiment that is just as pertinent today as it was thousands of years ago. Perhaps it is also a sentiment that binds humanity and culture across generations.

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.