memento mori, memento vivere

Author: Khiem (lum)
Posted: 2026-05-23

Written: 2026-01-03

   There is a rule in this world that, someday, you must die. You may die in tears, in happiness, in grief, or in regret. Some may think that death is a tragedy, while others may suppose it is a gift from the sky, or a sign received after enduring unknown hardships. After all, however, we cannot predict our death. Thus, the ancient Romans came up with an extremely famous quote that survives to this day: “Memento mori, memento vivere.” Along with this quote is another well-known phrase: “Carpe diem,” popularised by the 1989 film Dead Poets Society.

    The ancient Romans were wise enough to acknowledge the importance of fully living their lives because, although they could not know the exact date of their death, the exact moment they would say goodbye to this world, they understood that they should not leave life with regrets over unfinished chapters. They knew that life was meant to be enjoyed and experienced because, if not; what a waste!

    In a world where the pressure to succeed is overwhelming, where people are constantly competing for jobs, and where society is filled with conservative expectations, it is difficult to find time to carpe diem. Maybe modern people, I believe, have lost the true purpose of life. We are born only to end up in a competition where we are forced to run barefoot, without ever realising that we have not truly breathed in the taste of life. Spiritually, life is like something magical appearing before our eyes, yet we are told to stop caring about it once we turn twenty. Our bodies seem destined to type on computers and write on exam papers, but not to grow flowers or hold someone’s hand. I am sure we yearn for those feelings, yet somehow our minds do not allow us to pursue them.

    So take time to carpe diem. You are still alive, and you must continue living your life. I know you do not want to suffer from poverty, but besides fearing that, please also fear losing the purpose of life itself. We shall all die, but let it never be said that we forgot to live.

time has its wings

    Sometimes I ask myself why the day goes by so quickly. The bird that I saw by the window disappeared in a moment. A friend of mine went abroad after accompanying me throughout my primary school years. And undoubtedly, there is the white hair of my mom and dad. Maybe everything only lasts for a moment, and the thing that stays forever is the memory stored in my soul. Time takes everything. It takes the first five years of my life, leaving me without a memory of how I first saw my parents. I hate the fact that I forgot the last time I took off my shirt to free myself in the rain.

But as I grow up, I realise that time leaves me with one thing: a mosaic of my soul. I could not capture the exact moment, but I could sense it. I could sense it in my heart, in my personality, and in what I want to be. I may not remember how I learned to walk, but I know one important thing is that I can walk. Similarly, I may not remember how many times I have cried, or how many worries I have grown in my head, but I will always acknowledge that those tears built a strong, resilient, yet emotional version of me. Those feelings stay forever.

Please remember that time has wings. It can fly whenever it wants to. But please do not take it as selfish. Please let it take its course. It flies because it knows you have much more to marvel at, to wish for, and to work on. But time makes sure you have feelings. That lasts forever.