In this brief motivational talk, the speaker recounts attending a fiercely contested German soccer match between Dortmund and Schalke, where he and his team were seated on the dividing line between opposing fan sections. Observing intense anger on both sides, he reflects on Viktor Frankl’s concept that “between stimulus and response there is a space,” suggesting that occupying this mental space of neutrality can bring peace and personal power. He argues that the deep animosity between rival groups often stems from trivial differences (e.g., geography) and that recognizing the other as a mirror of ourselves can dissolve ‘othering.’ The talk concludes with a reflective prompt, inviting listeners to consider how they might locate the neutral space in their own lives and relationships during the upcoming week.
Chapters
Good morning, everyone. Here's your Moment of Yes for Monday, September 19th. Guten Tag from Germany. I am so far ahead of you guys right now, man. We've had a full day of training and you're just waking up. Yeah, no. So your Moment of Yes for today. On Saturday, the staff went to a German professional game over here, Dortmund versus Schalke. And this is like, imagine Michigan-Ohio State in football or Auburn-Alabama. Now, now amp that up by 10. And that's the rivalry between these 2 teams. And so our seats happen to be right on the edge of the visitors section and the home fans. And so it's like literally like this little wedge, and the wedge is divided by security. And the anger and the hatred and the vitriol between these 2 teams and these fan bases, like we were just, we were in the middle of it. And we were just like looking down both ends. I looked to the left, anger. If I looked to the right, anger. So it was really this fascinating idea of being in the middle. You know, the Viktor Frankl quote, which I've referenced before, is, between stimulus and response is a space, and in that space is where we find our peace. It's where we find our power. So I just love the idea of being in the middle between 2 radically different sides. The reality is, like, if either one of them had been born on the other side, they would have been that much passionate about their side. And so again, it's always this helpful reminder of what is really the difference between 2 groups that seem to have such a hatred for one another. And usually the reality is not much, you know, maybe an area code, a zip code. And so if we can find ourselves being able to live in that space between mentally when it comes to the issues in our own life, where we notice what we're attached to and the people that we are othering, if we can release that othering a little bit and look at them, you know, almost as a mirror reflection of us and notice that we're really just not that different, we're really just the same, we just have, you whatever this difference is that makes us feel separate, which makes us feel other. So if we can go into that space of neutrality where we can appreciate both groups, you know, that's the space where we find our peace. So what are you thinking about this week? What do you, as you move into a Monday and a new week, you know, what does that other look like? What does that, you know, what is the space of being in between look like for you? That's your moment of yes for today, everybody. Have an awesome day.
