I felt like quoting Auden, so I did

"...but Time, the domain of Deeds,
calls for a complex Grammar
with many Moods and Tenses,
and prime the Imperative.
We are free to choose our paths
but choose We must, no matter
where they lead, and the tales We
tell of the Past must be true.
Human Time is a City
where each inhabitant has
a political duty
nobody else can perform,
made cogent by her Motto:
Listen, Mortals, Lest Ye Die."

from 'Aubade' by W.H.Auden