Page 5 - Linkline Summer 2018
P. 5

 President’s Welcome
As a former Latin scholar and a lawyer, I have a few Latin aphorisms up my sleeve that I like to throw out there every now and again  I am certainly not alone in this practice  The most universally recognised philosophical Latin saying however has to be in my view Carpe Diem  It is a Latin phrase that has stood the test of time and can resonate with us all  It is the motto adopted still today by many schools and universities and has gained notoriety in modern times for example, by Dame Judi Dench having Carpe Diem tattooed on her wrist for her 81st birthday and by Metallica rocking around the world with their song Carpe Diem Baby  It was the words uttered by the late enormously gifted Robin Williams in the iconic film Dead Poets Society  It forms the very essence of some of the world’s greatest branding such as the Nike: Just Do It and even more recently it has been used in social media with #yolo (you only live once) 
The full phrase used by Horace in Odes is actually slightly longer and perhaps not known to all, but it gives the context we all understand to the meaning of the shortened saying Carpe Diem  The full phrase used by Horace was “carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero  This translates to “Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow” 
Whilst the use of phrase Carpe Diem has been reiterated and perhaps overused at times, seizing the day and not waiting for what might transpire tomorrow is really about recognising an opportunity and having the courage to take a chance on it  Some windows of opportunity never repeat themselves and we can kick ourselves for not taking the chance when we could, or to adopt another phrase: “Opportunity knocks but once”  The word opportunity originates from the Latin “ob portum veniens” which means “coming toward a port”  It originally referred to a favourable wind that would blow a ship into harbour  Seizing an opportunity in effect means therefore taking advantage of a favourable wind 
I am writing this introduction in the blistering heatwave we have been favoured with since end June/July and am conscious that even our weather presents us with different opportunities  Reading the newspaper this morning I am glad to see the pharma industry capitalising on sun screen sales and prosecco and gin sales up by 110% and 124% respectively  They are examples of seizing the opportunity that exists now  Similarly, in the artic spell we experienced this winter a local tradesman close to where I lived capitalised on the opportunity presented by the incoming inclement weather and over invested in a stock of plastic sledges  When the schools were declared closed, and families had downtime, our local tradesman was reaping the rewards  This shows taking an opportunity requires a degree of foresight and an ability to recognise a chance and taking that chance  It is incumbent upon us all to take opportunities that come along but also that we as a professional body continue to provide opportunity for education, training and professional development 
Helen Noble - President CILT Ireland
  To end: audaces fortuna iuvat
 The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport 5
  PRESIDENT’S WELCOME


























































































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