Carpe Diem

1 Nephi 16:2

"And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center."

I re-watched one of my favorite movies today, Dead Poets Society.  It is such a moving movie about siezing the day, about capitalizing on the moment, and living your life without putting off for tomorrow that which is truly pertinent to today, the here and now.  

Thinking back on this movie, I can't help but be reminded of President Monson's talk in the most recent General Conference about finding Joy in the Journey.  Don't put your happiness off until tomorrow, find things in your current life that make you happy and make life worth living, worth being joyful about.  Seize the moment, seize the opportunity you have today to make the most of your life right now.  Waiting to "be happy" until you're done with school, until you find the right job, until you're able to afford a place of your own, until until until.. leaves you with a bunch of empty yesterdays.  Yes, events happen, things take place, but life is all about joy and happiness, not about what you may or may not accomplish in a given career or university.  It's about growth and progress, and finding joy in the little aspects of life.  The hug from a co-worker, the smile from a stranger for no apparent reason, the quiet moments alone in which you feel comforted when you feel that no one is watching or that no one cares about you.  That is the great part of life.  

Dead Poets Society brings up an interesting way to go about life.  "Suck the marrow out of life."  That sentiment rings truer the more I ponder on it.  Don't do anything half-way.  Give it your all.  Enjoy your journey on this planet.  Take an active role in your own life, don't sit by passivley, letting your life just happen.  Seize the day!  

Figure out what it is you stand for, and then stand for it 100% of the time.  Don't compromise yourself for the good-standing in others' eyes.  Stand fast in your own evaluation of yourself, and in the Lord's evaluation of your life.  The only way to have a testimony of who you truly are, is to be someone, and not someone who constantly changes.  There is a quote that comes to mind that I can't think of whom it is attributed to: "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."  And don't procrastinate finding out who you are.  Yes it takes a lifetime to truly know who you are, but that doesn't mean it takes a lifetime to know who you want to be.  Seize the moment and become who you want to be, a person that will make God proud to call his son.  A person full of happiness and joy.  A person that loves others as well as himself.  A person that acts in situation as Christ would.