A bridge between the worlds

A bridge between the worlds

Mona Katzenberger, in interview with Konstantinos Athanasakos („Inside Information – I.I.“)

I.I. You are a legal conselor, author, pianist and tango instructor, and you have added a new capacity, that of a coach. What is it that makes mindset- councelling so attractive and so challenging?

M.K. There is no stronger power than to recognize one’s own truth and to relate to it.
It is astonishing how little the people often understand themselves.
It is my passion to recognize the uniqueness of people, all the light and shadow sides of a human being, that which is so challenging, incomprehensible and at the same time lovable.
We all suffer from our own contradictions – and the contradictions within us are just that fascinating thing. I love it to make this clear to my clients, to experience how they
grow beyond themselves in their professional and private life through this knowledge.

I.I. Single most important advice you would give to young multifaceted professionals today.

M.K. Enjoy being yours with all the abundance! Enjoy your universality, your diversity. Allow yourself to flow. Don’t let yourselves be talked into believing that you should concentrate only on the one. There are people to whom this fits. There are people who are not meant to concentrate on one thing all their life. It is all about self-love, acceptance and mindful communication.

I.I. What is your relationship with classical music at the moment?

M.K. I listen to a lot of classical music, preferably piano works by Beethoven and cello works. I play classical music on the grand piano. Together with my piano teacher Christyna Kaczynski – Kozel I study the secret of phenomenology in classical music.

I.I. What could be done so that classical music appeals to more than 2% of a population?

M.K. People may learn to hear more clearly again. I can well imagine that people in Beethoven’s time heard and played music differently than they do today. They were not at the mercy of constant media overstimulation like we all are. We live in a very rough and noisy world. In the world of musical consumption we have forgotten how to hear the subtleties of music. In the world of classical music it is now very much about a show effect, first and foremost about showing oneself, one’s performance, one’s technique, one’s talent. But where is the depth and subtlety that characterizes classical music, beyond the desire to show oneself?
In my opinion, people will find their way back to classical music if they allow themselves the silence. Then they will experience the depth, the eternity, the soft and loud sounds of the classical, great masters in a different way.

I.I. What is your opinion regarding international politics at the moment?

M.K. A phenomenon similar to what I described about classical music. It is a process of leaving the vanities behind in order to be effective for others.

I.I. What is the single most important reform Germany has to complete for a better future?

M.K. I recommend more mindful practices everywhere in schools, universities, public places, public institutions to prevent wars, crises, crimes and misunderstandings.

I.I. Success means…

M.K. …“love follows”. Love is the biggest success.
It begins with self-love, accepting oneself, with all the light and shadow sides, enjoying one’s own uniqueness, integrating it into life holistically. In the past, success was always strongly oriented towards turnover and profit. We are now entering the new age in which one’s own authenticity becomes more and more important for success. Interestingly, young people are less interested in profit and turnover than previous generations. May the inner richness be more involved for the concept of success.

I.I. Leadership is…

M.K. …”becoming quiet”.
What I often experience is that people in leadership positions are too busy with themselves and their own issues to recognize their employees in order to create a healthy working atmosphere.
Leadership then goes past the people. It is only possible to lead out of peace and quiet.
“you can only lead, if you meet your own soul” Pater Anselm Grün

I.I. Please share with us a routine that you cherish.

M.K. One routine I like to practice is to spend my work break under a tree. Inhale and exhale deeply and notice how the roots of the tree reach deep into the earth and the upper branches reach far into the sky. The tree then becomes my role-model. I imagine being deeply rooted in the ground and orienting myself upwards into the sky and I become very calm.

I.I. When things turn bad, you recommend…

M.K. No matter how hopeless a situation may seem, remember that we are always limitless creators of our reality. Suffering is part of life, we all experience it again and again, no one is spared- it is part of our growth. I know incredible stories of people who held on to their strength even in apparently hopeless situations. Miracles can happen, for example spontaneous healings.
In bad situations we should try to give ourselves space, to come to rest. What we evaluate as bad has a lot to do with our mental state. Sometimes the supposedly worst incidents take surprising turns.

I.I. Truth is…

M.K. The one truth does not exist. There are as many truths as there are people. The important thing is to find your own truth and live with it.

I.I. Is public opinion overestimated?

M.K. Yes, public opinion is overestimated. The danger here is that a lot of manipulation can happen. We live in a country with a constitutional freedom of opinion. Unfortunately, the respectful coexistence of different, contrary opinions is not yet a matter of course. At the moment there is a very aggressive culture of dispute, in general there is hasty condemnation and stigmatization – very obvious in the topic „Corona“. Never before has the discussion been as fast-paced and superficial as today. I have the feeling that people are basically overwhelmed by the flood of information. On this basis, it is becoming increasingly difficult to perceive precisely and to form a differentiated, own opinion beyond the „mainstream“.

I.I. If you had to relocate, where would you choose to go and why?

M.K. I would love to live by the sea, fall asleep and wake up with the sound of the waves.
This could be in Italy, France or South America.
The most important thing for me is the proximity to the water and a lot of nature around.

I.I. Is there a God?

M.K. Yes, I believe in God and in higher powers.
“God is in every human being. And if we want to find him, then we can only meet him in the depth of our heart. That is where he is at home.”
Rabrindarath Tagore

I.I. Why are most people afraid of the unknown?

M.K. The reason why people are afraid of the uncertain is that they are basically looking for security. This is a very human characteristic. This is how we want to face the unpredictability of life and fail again and again. There is no absolute security – we experience this especially in these times with Covid 19. Who would have guessed a year ago in which situation we are collectively in at the moment? But if we are honest: If life always were predictable, how boring would it be? We would probably get along much worse with it. The surprises also make life worth living to some extent.

I.I. There is an increased need and demand for coaches at the highest level, yet small and medium companies often treat us with suspicion. How do you explain that?

M.K. There is generally a lot of distrust in the market against certain high-level coaches. There are both variants: The excellent coaches who actually perform at a high level and really help companies to make sustainable progress, and those who act manipulatively and are primarily interested in high prices.
My impression is that small and medium-sized companies are generally a bit more cautious with budget issues.

I.I. Does the increased role of technology present a danger or a blessing for humanity?

M.K. The increased role of technology represents both a danger and blessing for humanity. Technology can be used for both, healing and destruction. Technology reflects the state of consciousness of our species. The state of consciousness of us humans moves in different dimensions.
In higher dimensions technology is used for enlightening and healing purposes. In lower dimensions, technology is misused for destruction with incalculable consequences. In order to promote a beneficial development of technology, an increased consciousness is a precondition.

I.I. Dear Ms. Katzenberger, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

M.K. Thank you so much for this great opportunity!