We often hear the phrase, 'Live each day as if it is your last', from both sources of secular and Christian wisdom. While they bear a superficial resemblance, they are, at their core, profoundly divergent. My study group is going through 'Crazy Love', and we've just completed week two, reminding us of that opening adage. Incidentally, I'm reminded of the line 'Disce quasi semper victurus, Vive quasi cras moriturus'; which I used on a design for my class hoodie to the dismay of my classmates who had no idea what it meant and couldn't be bothered to search it up and justify my budding interest in Latin...
Differences first. From the secular perspective, I would argue that we live our lives to leave a legacy. That is what the world promises us is the noblest way to die. In a fashion that would leave those remaining compelled to give the departed respect of various kinds. One of the most straightforward is 'Pro Patria Mori', where soldiers who die are given the promise of posthumous commendations and memorials. Another commonly cited example is that of Alfred Nobel, who was able to alter his epithet from 'marchand de la mort' to 'benefactor of the Nobel prize' after reading his erroneous obituary. The world promises we will be remembered for what we accomplish. In a typical human method, we are judged by what we do, then sanctified or demonised in collective recollection. The number of those who remember us depends on the magnitude of our deeds. This would probably be the secular noble approach.
There would probably be a second secular approach, which I would name the secular hedonistic approach. Quite simply, this alternative would propose enjoying whatever we have not yet experienced, but have harboured desire for. Since only a single day remains, you will never have a chance to experience it again, nor will there be any repercussions for you the following day. Of course this throws all consideration of regret and the future existence of others right out the window. Or perhaps the defenestrated concerns would not have been within the periphery of people who would subscribe to this view in the first place.
The Christian perspective asks us to consider a very different question, 'If you were to perish today, would you be able to face your God and confidently claim 2 Timothy 4:7?' The approval sought comes not from earth, but from heaven.
There are of course, many common implications that both the secular and Christian take on the final day share. Perhaps one could be expressed with another saying, 'Living life without regrets'. Yet even this can be subdivided into Christian and secular takes. From a secular perspective, consistently making choices that you know you would not want to rescind is difficult. You never know what may happen to change your reasoning, to cause the whole delicate construction of justifications and muddled emotions to come tumbling down in a regrettable heap. On the other hand, an ideal Christian walk with God involves a constant consultation about the complex choices we are confronted with. With prayerfully directed and divinely confirmed decisions, living in line with God and His principles does away with any regret because God is our immutable justification. Some might critique this as a denial of responsibility to deflect the piercing weight of regret, but I would say it was never our responsibility to begin with.
What then might both sides agree on? Perhaps in terms of how we relate to each other. For the good of all, it makes sense to live in a way that does not engender bitter hatred and deep divides between individuals or groups. To be in harmony with others. We may agree to disagree ideologically, but relationally and personally, let none hold the festering grudges and cold fury that seem so inconsequential in the spectre of the reaper's scythe.
A second point would be about the value of time. Every can agree that time is limited; that between our nativity and demise there is a finite period where we can manoeuvre to make the most of our lives. When it comes right down to it, whether you subscribe to the wisdom of man or the wisdom of God, it is hard to make the most of each second we have. The ultimate goal may involve living a good life from the secular perspective, or drawing closer to God from the Christian perspective, but wasted time may be one constant human failing that we all share, and for which all will bear a sentiment of regret.
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