BEING Present

VEDO CHATTERJEE is on a journey to experience what it means to be truly present in the moment. He shares the pitfalls and triumphs along the way, and his current learnings as a "work in progress."

- VEDO CHATTERJEE

With an air of professional calm, the therapist asked Ed to pick out five things in the room. Nervously scanning the room, Ed identified the desk, a plant, the coffee machine, the computer, and a stuffed toy. Though the task seemed odd, he noticed the details of the room more than he had ever done before. He realized the purpose of this exercise was to pull him into the present moment, albeit in a dry and procedural manner.

Halfway across the world, Maya was asked to close her eyes and remember a cherished moment. She picked a day when her mom had hugged her despite a colossal mess-up. The memory had assumed greater significance over time, and she always felt safe when she remembered that day. The act of recalling and revisiting the memory was meant to change her emotional state in the present, by accessing love and joy she had felt in the past.

These accounts suggest a certain degree of complexity in the interplay of our emotions, motivations, and perception of time.