"Quest for the real moment" , by Erik Pevernagie,oil on canvas, 100 x 80 cm.

Let us 'time' be a friendly coach, putting the enchantment of each 'present moment' artfully in a chosen frame of our thoughts.

When we zoom freely into the 'now' and surrender readily to a liberating privileged moment, we can be instantly overwhelmed by a flash of enlightenment and surging creative strength, allowing us to expel the cloudy specters blurring our minds.

When the mind remains the ally of our heart, and the gut is the brain's brother-at-arms, we can tackle challenging situations, be inspirational appeasers, and stay honest to a fault. If we want to satisfy our quest for the 'real moment,' we must be honest with ourselves and the others and ready to reconcile all intricate contentions.

Life is about capturing the magic of the singular moment that gives the inspiring power to forge ahead into a world of insight and understanding. At some point, people question the kind of life they are leading and wonder whether it is the life they want to live. Is it merely a series of 'phony' moments and a succession of fake sequences that they experience? Do they build up an authentic life story that gives them enrichment? Are they aware of living their 'own' life and not merely a life for 'other' people? Do they not just play a role on behalf of some social groups, masquerading for fear of exclusion?

In our quest for the 'real moment,' we expect to grab hold of the single instant," a lightning instant," that Henri Cartier-Bresson experiences like a journey between the past and the future, the land we know and the land we do not know. In our pursuit, we hope to encounter that 'genuine' moment, that frail child of the fleeting time that leaves a scar in the memory.

In daily life, some mental or optic signals unconsciously trigger remembrance of past occurrences. "Now" and "then" meet spontaneously without interfering with the will. Past and present are automatically associated. When Marcel Proust confronts "involuntary memory," it brings him to the "essence of the past."

If we are attentive, we can catch eternity in the glow of each moment of our life. For T.S. Eliot, it is "not the intense moment, isolated, with no before and after, but a lifetime burning in every moment."

Each instant can reach us the essence of the world, and each flower we encounter can transform each moment into a personal realm. No one could formulate feelings better than Georgia O' Keeffe, "who "takes a flower in her hand and looks at it. It's her world for the moment."

Phenomenon: Moment, time, memory

''Factual starting point: Girl exposing to life