day no. 15,887: annexing every age

"Of all people, they alone who give their time to philosophy are at leisure, they alone really live. For it's not just their own lifetime that they watch over carefully, but they annex every age to their own; all the years that have gone before are added to their own. Unless we prove most ungrateful, those most distinguished founders of hallowed thoughts came into being for us, and for us they prepared a way of living. We are led by the work of others into the presence of the most beautiful treasures, which have been pulled from darkness and brought to light. From no age are we debarred, we have access to all; and if we want to transcend the narrow limitations of human weakness by our expansiveness of mind, there is a great span of time for us to range over." -- Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

Those who live in the moment have small lives. By definition, moments are fleeting and those who live in them are just as much. But those who live in the deep streams of history live broad lives that are disentangled from the mere moment of their existence and connected to the grander narrative of the story of everything and everyone.

"The 'carpe diem' religion is not the religion of happy people, but of very unhappy people. Great joy does not gather the rosebuds while it may; its eyes are fixed on the immortal rose which Dante saw." -- G.K. Chesterton, Heretics

Those who live in the moment insist on being heard as their own author and maker while those who live in history insist on hearing from the Author and Maker of every story. History is a hold of treasure to be enjoyed and an inheritance graced to those privileged to live downstream. Those who live in the now reject history and disinherit themselves. They divorce their ancestors by despising their traditions.

"Man cannot love mortal things. He can only love immortal things for an instant."  

-- G.K. Chesterton, Heretics

Those who live in the moment have only the day's wages to spend while those who live in history have the honor of annexing every previous age to come to their aid.