From Shaman to Banker – The Protagonists
From Shaman to Banker – The Protagonists
Sheldon Solomon (USA) - On the Trail of Human Greed
Social psychologist Sheldon Solomon thinks he knows why humans are perpetually striving for validation and recognition. “It's the subliminal awareness of one's own transience, the loss of the ego. In the end, fear of death creates culture,” he says. “A society that affords such a high status to wealth is encouraging greed.”
Johannes Hewig (Germany) - The Financial Crisis in the Lab - Can We Measure Greed?
Some people seem to find it easy to take huge economic risks. What role do emotions play in this process and what mechanisms take place in the brain? “Pleasant feelings such as euphoria trigger over-exaggerated risk responses. And winning intensifies them even more – because of the reward response in the brain,” says Johannes Hewig, psychologist at the University of Würzburg.
Phillip Chiyangwa (Zimbabwe) - Entrepreneurship, Ostentation and Good Deeds
Businessman Phillip Chiyangwa is thought to be one of the richest men in Africa. One of his nicknames is “The Godfather of Black Empowerment.” Chiyangwa loves to show off his generous support for charities and educational establishments. But his rise from poor vegetable seller to multi-millionaire is controversial – he has been accused of crooked practices and reveling in luxury in poor Zimbabwe.
Sarah Brosnan (USA) - Simian Food Jealously
When primatologist Sarah Brosnan studies the behavior of her capuchin monkeys in her laboratory at the University of Atlanta, she's instinctively reminded of the greedy brokers and managers who constantly compare their incomes and bonuses with those of their colleagues. “Oh dear,” she says. “One gets a sweet grape, but the other just a piece of pepper!”
Rudolf Elmer (Switzerland) - Ex-Banker und Whistleblower
Rudolf Elmer is seen as an enemy of the state in his homeland. For years, his former employer, the Swiss bank JULIUS BÄR, has been trying to prove he's a criminal. For a long time, they followed his every move. His offense: Elmer, who for two decades worked as a bank manager in a variety of places including the Cayman Islands, exposed what he called the “system of greed”.
Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche (India) - The Way of Letting Go
Khandro Rinpoche is an outstanding Buddhist spiritual teacher. “Today's lifestyle,” she says, “suggests to each individual that he is the most important thing in the universe. We lose sight of ourselves, cling to things and suppress the realization that everything is impermanent. This constant self-denial creates neuroses - and the worst of them is greed”.
Kelly Sutton (USA) - Life as a Minimalist
On his website “Cult of Less,” New York programmer Kelly Sutton calls for a lifestyle decoupled as much as possible from material goods and offers to give away everything he doesn't need. “No question: I have felt free and much happier since then. Many just don't realize that this lifestyle really enriches you. You just have to try it!”
Eben Alexander (USA) - A Near-Death Experience
The renowned Harvard neuroscientist has the simplest formula against indulgence and greed: “Memento mori! The funeral shroud doesn't have any pockets.” In 2008, Alexander lost consciousness and lay in a coma for days. This near-death experience changed his life, he says. “When the fear of death disappears, selfishness and greed also disappear.”
Pops Mohamed (South Africa) - Musician and Philosopher
Pops Mohamed is one of South Africa's most renowned musicians - many even call him “South Africa's Minister of Music.” When he talks to his students, he tells them to question the personal ego in particular. They have to interview themselves in the mirror, and can only do it by candlelight at night. "Who are you? Why are you there? What is your purpose in life?”
Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq (Greenland) - The Wisdom of the Shamans
As an Eskimo-Kalaallit Elder, Angaangaq has been elevated to the highest rank of the shaman. He constantly invites people from all over the world to his home, not just to remind them of the effects of climate change but also to bring them closer to Nature's energies and so embark on a journey inward. His message: “Melt the ice in your heart!”
Michael von Brück (Germany) - The Inflation of the Ego
“The constant WANTING TO HAVE,” says religious scholar and ZEN-teacher Michael von Brück, “makes people run like hamsters in a wheel, so they never return to their senses.” The theologian recommends regular meditation to reach a “wakefulness of consciousness” as a remedy for egotistical greed and addiction” and taking the term Nirvana – “The expansion of the ego” – quite literally.