Ichi Go Ichi E: Being Present

I had a chance to watch an interesting Japanese movie called “One Second Ahead, One Second Behind” told through the perspective of a 30 year old man and a young lady. It’s hard to describe the movie as it’s not a classical Rom-Com or Drama. But basically it’s a movie about time and our relationship to it. 

The young man Sumeragai is always in a hurry, trying to beat the clock and rushing to get to the next thing. The young lady Reika is always late and takes her time. One too fast, one too slow. Both seem out of sync with the world. And really out of sync with their peers and life in general. 

These modes are where many of us get stuck. We get stuck in the past and ponder situations and relationships that never worked out. We also end up spending much of our time thinking about the future. Anticipating. These are both important modes, we have to learn from the past. We also need to look forward to future events. But what matters is the present. This is where the calm and joy is. Yet I keep rushing forward and miss so much in my life. And sadly I only recognize this looking back. 

It reminds me of that Japanese saying “Ichi Go Ichi E”: In this moment in time, an unrepeatable moment, once in a lifetime. There is something to this. So this is a kind reminder to breathe. To step back and be present. And more importantly, to try and enjoy the present.