A plane is getting hijacked and everyone on the plane is VERY scared. There is fear on everybody’s face. It is clear to them that they are not in control anymore. At one level, they were not in control anyway once they got into the plane but this was different. They signed up for it knowingly. They knew the risks before they boarded the plane. Hijack was different. They didn’t sign up for it and they didn’t want it.

Somewhere in the backseat, there is one person who seem to be not perturbed by this hijack. In fact, he is smiling and going about his work.

Do you think this is odd?

I presented this scenario in one of my recent talks and the reaction ranged from “odd” to “idiotic.” I concur.

However, when the context is changed, we all behave like that “odd” person on the plane.

Think about a typical moment in your life. It is typically “hijacked” either by your past or your future. Most of the time, you don’t notice it or behave as if there is no problem with it. The moment is taken away from you – robbed. Moment after moment disappears without you noticing or trying to escape from this hijack.

I wish there was a simple trick to snap out of this hijack and start living in the present moment. But not trying to “live in the present” is to throw away the “gift of life.”

Deepak Chopra said it beautifully.

Past is history.
Future is a mystery.
This moment is a gift,
that’s why it’s called the PRESENT.

Here is something to think about: