What you give you get. Self responsibility – only for heroes? Daniel Goetz and Eike Reinhardt at TEDxKoeln

Hardship and suffering in the Sun Dance, the supreme ritual of the Plains Indians, is no simple test of courage or an entertaining circus. Rather, the conscious and meaningful devotion is a sacred act in favor of a higher good. Eike Reinhardt and Daniel Goetz share their own experiences of participating in this ritual of the Piapot First Nation (Canada). They ask the question: What can we learn from indigenous cultures? And how? On their travels around the globe they sit with the old men at the campfire and learn other cultures first hand.

Eike Reinhardt: In the North American prairies

people followed the buffalo for hundreds of years.

It gave them food and material for their clothes,
their tents, their weapons and tools.

It required great courage

to face this colossal beast of muscles and horns.

The buffalo are gone.

But the people who hunted the buffalo

still live there.

The Indians of the plains.

We had the great fortune to meet
these people on their reserves,

sit with the Elders at the campfire

and participate in their rituals.

Daniel Goetz: And the people
there tell the following story:

One night a young boy comes running
excitedly into the tepee of his grandfather.

"Grandpa, grandpa – I dreamed something!

I dreamed that in my chest two wolves are fighting each other.

The one wolf was bad, it was spiteful ...

... and cowardly.

The other wolf was good.

It was peaceful, hopeful, and wise."

The old man smiled: "These two wolves
are fighting in the chest of every human being."

"And grandpa ...", the boy looked at
the older man with wide eyes.

"Which wolf will prevail inside of me?"

The old man says: "The wolf that you feed."

ER: As the little boy
hears this from his grandfather.

he is relieved. He knows now
that he himself can influence

which wolf will gain the upper hand inside him.

The First Nations People say:
"What you give you get."

DG: We are interested
in what First Nations People say.

We are interested in what we can learn today

from indigenous cultures.

And, of course, we are often asked:
"OK – what can you learn from them?"

That's a good second question.

And we would love to talk about that all day.

But first, another question is more important.

Namely: How can we learn from indigenous people?

To put it differently:

What is the right attitude we need to be able
to learn from indigenous cultures?

We are convinced:
Many concepts are exchangeable.

Evaluations are variable.

One's own experience, however, is inviolable.

ER: We believe that one’s own experience

is the best basis for new insights.

We would like to take you
on our own hero's journey

to the Sun Dance
of the Piapot First Nation in Canada.

The Sun Dance is the supreme ritual
of the Plains Indians.

There, we fasted four days,

did not have anything to drink for 2.5 days

and then sacrificed our own flesh on the fourth day.

It begins on Thursday with a ritual walk.

The Walk of Life.

The tribal Elders

lead the community to the holy places

where the Sun Dance is held.

There, you make your commitment.

The commitment is an obligation with yourself.

The commitment is made
between yourself – and the Creator.

In the Christian tradition
we speak of the Creator, too.

And what is remarkable:

No one controls from the outside
if you keep or don't keep your commitment.

No one keeps track, if you

secretly eat or drink

or otherwise betray your own promise.

You are your own "police".

DG: The second day, the Friday,

is devoted to the construction
of the great Sun Dance lodge.

The lodge is rebuilt every year.

In the center, it is supported by the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life represents and establishes
a link between Mother Earth ...

and the Creator.

We were asked not to take pictures –
which we respected, of course.

ER: On Saturday,
the Sun Dancers have two options:

Either sitting on a mountain side
in meditation for 16 hours

from sunrise to sunset – motionless.

Or dancing in the Sun Dance lodge
without stopping

to the monotonous sound of the drums.

The big day is the Sunday.

It is on that day that the Sun Dancer
sacrifices his own flesh.

For this, the skin is cut open at the chest.

Two small sticks are then pushed
under the skin of the chest.

These sticks are attached to cords
that lead to the Tree of Life.

Tied in such a way, the Sun Dancer
dances around the Tree of Life four times.

Then he throws himself backwards

so that the little sticks are torn out of the skin.

Thus, he is symbolically reborn.

DG: What you give – you get.
We experienced personally

what a difference your own attitude can make:

For one of us, the Sun Dance
was almost a near death experience.

Sacrificing yourself for the tribe.

For the other, it was a proud act

of an unyielding tribal warrior.

ER: And as we were standing at the Tree of Life,
exhausted and happy,

one of the Elders came to us and said:

"You are warriors now. And when
you are back home, tell your people.

Tell them how much we love Mother Earth."

DG: And we are here tonight
to fulfill our commitment.

ER: Hai-hai.

DG: And this also clearly shows:
The Sun Dance

is not about having an adrenaline rush.

It is not a simple test of courage

or a new sort of extreme sports.

And certainly not a folk circus.

Sacrificing yourself can contribute
to the welfare of the community,

as is the belief of First Nations People.

In fact, in our own world,
this idea is not unheard of either.

Believers fast before sacred holidays.

Monks traditionally live in deprivation.

Jesus sacrificed himself
for the salvation of his followers.

Sacrificing yourself requires courage.

It requires you to pull
the badge of victimhood off your forehead.

It requires you to face your own fear.

Our fear tries to prevent us

from becoming a victim.
And that's a good thing.

But courage is not the absence of fear,

it rather means overcoming your fear.

We observed a First Nation man who
was trembling with excitement at the Sun Dance.

The tears ran down his face.

And yet – he made this sacrifice

and overcame his fear.

ER: A ceremony like the Sun Dance
always takes place in the community.

First Nations People say:
"We are always connected.

We all belong to a larger oneness."

During a ceremony the Elder will say:

The energy of the ceremony
comes from everyone together.

He himself is primarily
the mediator of the worlds.

At the end of a ceremony
you traditionally thank everyone,

with whom you have a connection.

You say: "To all my relations."

Or, in the language of the Cree First Nations:
"Kahkiyaw niwahkomak"

DG: Our world often appears
confusing and restless to us.

We are looking for guidance and meaning.

And we experience the world
as very individualistic.

Therefore, we strive for individual development.

We often think of ourselves
as the center of the universe ...

enclosed in a vacuum.

ER: "To all my relations", however,

positions you in the community.

In the First Nations view,
personal development is always connected

to the development of the community.

The Mohawk Elder Monture Angus says:

"When our women and our men
come to understand their place and role

in the community that they are responsible to,

then our nations become fully revived."

Perhaps, you can compare this
to the situation in an orchestra.

Each musician has his or her own place, too.

DG: What you give you get.
What does that mean anyhow?

It is often misunderstood.

In the sense of "You give and you take."

But it is not about giving and taking at all.

It is not like:
"Sometimes you win – sometimes you lose."

Also not like:
"I give what I want – and I take what I need."

It is not like that.

It is no "accounting of favors and courtesy."

It's not: "I am doing something good for you ...

and in return I receive
something good from you."

For example: "I am doing a good job.

My boss has to reward me for that!"

It is not meant like that either.

Rather: What do I stand up for?

What do I value?

One’s values can only grow and prosper

if they are nourished and protected – like a baby.

Thus, you deposit into your own account,

when you follow your own values.

This way you become
the hero of your own story.

There is a significant difference between

being a victim – and sacrificing yourself.

The hero sacrifices himself –
and thus becomes a hero!

Now, what does "What you give you get" mean?

Most likely: "What I give – I experience!"

ER: But isn’t that tedious and exhausting?

Yes! It sometimes is.

And all the same ! I'll do it!

Heroes are not always wise or rational.

But they listen to their inner voice – and follow it.

With fighting spirit, if need be.

Do you remember the story
of the Jamaican bobsled team

that wanted to travel to the Winter Olympics?

Indeed – some do.

How crazy do you have to be
in order to pursue such an idea?

How much mockery
did these athletes have to endure, initially?

How many pitying looks?

And all the same! They did it!

And in the end they were more successful

than most had believed before.

And with that, they have given hope
and courage to many.

DG: And sometimes, the greatest
competence a hero can possess

is perseverance.

When we were meditating
for 16 hours sitting on the hill

or dancing in the Sun Dance lodge,

keeping up was essential for us.

You could say: Stop whining – keep moving!

Grin and bear it.

Do not complain – just do it!

Julius Erving, a basketball star
of the American NBA, says:

"Being a professional means for me,
doing the things you love to do

even on those days when
you don't feel like doing them."

Stop whining – keep moving.

ER: The First Nations ask:
"What is your medicine?"

What do they mean by that?

The question is not asking for a pill or an herb.

Much rather, it asks:

How can you contribute with your talents
to the welfare of the community?

Often, this is expressed in a spiritual name.

The First Nations start their homework early

in finding their personal mission in life.

For that, they do meditation runs
or vision quests,

in which they retreat

to the solitude of nature.

A talent is, therefore,
not a purely private property,

with which one can boast.

So following the call of the heart means

using your talent to the benefit of the community.

“Passion!” This word already contains heroism.

For what do I burn?
For what am I willing to sacrifice myself?

Or even better:

How can I feed the good wolf inside me?

DG: But what does that mean for us?

How can we feed the good wolf?

Some people say: "Sacrificing yourself –
that doesn't sound like a very good idea!"

In German, "Opfer" can refer
to two different things.

The "victim" –
a person that a suffering is forced on to.

And the "sacrifice" –
the offering someone is willing to give.

It is based on the word "sacred".

To sacrifice – referring to an almost holy act.

In that sense we want it to be understood.

And sometimes, someone comes to us
and says: "OK, now I can understand it."

"But how can I become a hero?"

For this person we have five tips at hand.

First: "What I give, I experience."

Choose a person to whom you give
all your positive energy for a while.

and notice how that person
grows with your support.

And then notice how you yourself grow.

ER: Secondly: Spiritual Name.

What is your spiritual name?

Or put differently:
What is your mission in life?

For what are you willing to sacrifice yourself?

On what occasions in your life
have you already done this?

DG: Thirdly: "And all the same!"

Is there a project wherein
you experience resistance,

and where you can now become a hero
and say, "And all the same – I do it!"

and then do it?

Fourthly: "Stop whining – keep moving!"

Do you have a personal project
that is important to you

but that stretches like a chewing gum?

Then it is the time now to put
all your perseverance into it

and say: „Stop whining – keep moving!“

DG: Fifthly: "Pull the badge of victimhood
off your forehead!"

Where are you fed up with the pity of others ...

or even your own self-pity?

Where can you become a proud warrior

and wipe off the pity?

ER: And if you have done all this –
or even just one of these things

look in the mirror and try to say that you are no hero.

We are convinced that you won’t be able to say that.

DG: : And if you like, place your hand on the chest
of the good wolf in order to strengthen him.

Have much joy and happiness in doing so.

ER: To all our relations. Hai-hai.

(Applause)