Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibi
Finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babylonios
Temptaris numeros. Ut melius quidquid erit pati,
Seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam,
Quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare
Tyrrhenum: sapias, vina liques, et spatio brevi
Spem longam reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit invida
Aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero
Which translates into English as:
Don't ask (it's forbidden to know) what end
the gods will grant to me or you, Leuconoe.
Don't play with Babylonian fortune-telling either.
It is better to endure whatever will be.
Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one,
which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the rocks placed opposite.
Be wise, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes.
While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled.
Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.
Recently I was looking for a multi-ring detachable key chain to separate my house keys, from my parents' keys, car keys, and membership cards to the library, gym and grocery stores discount clubs. It seemed like it would be a fairly easy item to find and indeed there were multitude of options ranging in price from $10 to $100. I stumbled onto a website that offers such key chains for only $3.99 (shipping included) with the added bonus that one can personalize items with uploaded photographs or a multitude of graphic designs. After little thought I placed the order on September 8th and customized my keyring to include one of my favorite phrases in a nice shade of teal. Shortly thereafter an automated e-mail notification confirmed the order and informed me that the shipment would arrive within a week or so.
Imagine my surprise when a small package from Kowloon arrived in our mailbox today. Indeed, an enterprising Chinese seized the day and managed to customize an order, ship it from Hong Kong, have it clear customs and arrive to the end user across the world within a week. A WEEK, for $3.99! I'm sure this little key ring has an enormous carbon foot print...
Many years back I had the good fortune of working with Chinese manufacturers back in the day when Honk Kong was still under the Brits. The changes we've seen since those days in terms of manufacturing, supply/demand, and the early trade agreements negotiating tariffs and quotas (i.e. NAFTA) are mind boggling. To quote Friedman the world is indeed flat, hot, crowded, and getting smaller every day. I find it odd and equally terrifying how while we have more information resources than ever before, our minds and worldviews are narrowing instead of expanding.
I don't fear the future; having been properly admonished by the ancient Greek poet. But damn, I'll be looking behind me to see who is nipping at my heels as soon as I find my keys and see "Carpe Diem " staring me in the face.
