“There is an ethics underlaying this, of course. The “Seize” translation is one of force and advantage-taking, with no clear guardrails on disadvantaging others along the way.”

Krznaric’s book is a fair overview of the historical origins of the phrase “carpe diem” which we have in popular culture mis-translated as “seize the day.” This, he argues, has not been a beneficial mistake. Instead, our understanding of the phrase (YOLO! take advantage in business and politics, live in the now, make spontaneous choices, etc.) have all been unhealthy and even dangerous advice in our culture, especially as they have been seized by corporate and political interests designed to exploit our misunderstandings (Just Do It, Buy Now! Art of the Deal, You Only Live Once! Meditate: Nothing matters but the present, and once again, YOLO!). 

Most of the book outlines various ways we believe in the philosophy, ways we attempt to enact it, and ways that others exploit those attempts. It’s hard to argue with him: we are surrounded by a capitalist system well-designed to do exactly this: ‘Seize’ every opportunity to profit from consumer attitudes.

There is an ethics underlaying this, of course. The “Seize” translation is one of force and advantage-taking, with no clear guardrails on disadvantaging others along the way. Krznaric offers his own wrestling with the moral and ethical considerations, of course.

But what should it be? In keeping with “carpe diem” originator Horace the Roman poet, it should be translated as “pluck” or “gather” or even “harvest,” a very different agricultural metaphor of collecting moments which are meaning, in the EpicureanA philosophy of simple and sensual pleasure as a goal of lif... More tradition. While Krznaric does not explore the EpicureanA philosophy of simple and sensual pleasure as a goal of lif... More thinking overmuch (for instance he does not point out that the Epicureans were more about controlling our desires than fulfilling them), he does make it clear that “gathering” offers a very different set of strategies than “seizing,” and that at the heart of our anxiety to fulfill our lives isn’t the next iPhone at all, but perhaps an existentialist choice, the power in ourselves to make choices about what we will value and why.

It’s a convincing argument, one which is important for our culture but will fall on deaf ears for most who can’t be bothered to read a nonfiction book that isn’t about doubling profits and efficiency models. I can’t say that Krznaric approaches the book as exhaustively as he might (I personally found little enlightening here, but appreciated his categorizing–in fact, I suspect it was written with its own sense of market-strategizing in mind) nor can I say it is the most stylishly written of books: quick, concise, utilitarian. Even so, the importance of the content far outmatched the reading experience.

P.S. His book “Carpe DiemSimply translated as "Pluck" or "Seize" "the Day," it is the... More: Seizing the Day in a Distracted World” is exactly the same book under a different title.