Everyone say opa! | Alex Pattakos | TEDxHappyValley

In his uplifting and engaging talk, Alex Pattakos offers a new approach to living and working with meaning that is uniquely inspired by Greek philosophy and culture, from ancient times to the present day. Alex also shares insight and wisdom originating from the late Dr. Viktor Frankl.

Alex Pattakos, PhD, affectionately known as "Dr. Meaning," is a political scientist and co-founder of The OPA! Way, a new paradigm for living and working with meaning uniquely inspired by Greek philosophy and culture. He is the author of the international best-selling book "Prisoners of Our Thoughts," which is based on the wisdom of his mentor and friend, the world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Viktor Frankl.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx.

All right. All right.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

In closing ...

(Laughter)

Okay, okay, no, I just had to do that.

Let me start - I obviously
can't see people in the back,

but by raise of hands,
I can get a general estimate here,

How many of you in the audience
have found the meaning of life?

Raise your hand.

(Laughter)

Okay. So there are a few of you.
Keep your hands up a little bit.

Okay, everybody else look around,

at the end of this talk,
please go see them for the answer.

(Laughter)

All right. Just wanted
to get that in context.

I'm a recovering academic,

(Laughter)

so one of the problems
as a recovering academic

is that I have to consolidate
at least 16 weeks - a semester course -

into a few minutes.

And the timekeeper, fortunately,
is going to keep me on track.

So, fortunately, I was born
in Brooklyn, New York,

so I can speak very quickly,

and then if we get this on the web,
you can slow it down on your own.

(Laughter)

All right.

What I'm going to share with you
really does have a lot to do -

because we've been talking about
the inspiration for this TEDx event

being Viktor Frankl,

who, as you all know, was my mentor.

And I'm really happy to see,
to not only open up the event today,

but also to see quotes and so forth,

and I notice that different people
have talked to me about, you know,

How did I meet Viktor Frankl and what
was his impact on my life? and so forth.

And let me tell you, I mean,

the human quest for meaning
is a megatrend of the 21st century.

More and more people
are looking at meaning

because they are seeing
so many meaningless things in their lives,

including their work lives,

that people are starting
to really look at meaning

as maybe the salvation or the opportunity
to find what the Greeks -

I'll give you a Greek lesson
here in a little bit -

"the good life," as Socrates would say.

We call it "living the meaningful life."

And so Viktor Frankl was really
the master or the grand master in meaning.

He had a ministry, a medical ministry,

that was really out to not only
use meaning as a way to conduct therapy,

but it was also a way to spiritualize
medicine and the practice of medicine,

which, again, has Greek roots.

You're going to hear a lot -

the word "Greek" is going to happen
many, many times over the next minutes.

And so the idea here is
think about what the world would be like

if all of us were living
and working with meaning.

Wouldn't it be a great place?

Maybe some of the things -

because this talk has been influenced
so much by the other talks preceding me.

I mean, it's amazing -
not just the inspirational stories

but the formidable challenges
that everybody's had to go through,

and so it's hard
not to be influenced by that.

And the more I hear these stories,
the more I realize

when we start talking
about war versus peace,

when we start talking about people
who can't really express themselves fully,

civil human rights,

I mean, all these things,
these are all meaningful values

that all of us should be,
as Doctor Frankl would say,

"authentically committed"
to achieving and realizing those.

So that's really the essence
of what I'm going to share with you,

and what I'm going to try to do

is give you an opportunity
to learn a little bit from my ancestors,

my ancient Greek ancestors,

in terms of what they've contributed.

Because the Greeks, as you know,
in the last few years

have been going through
tremendous challenges, all right?

I mean, the economic crisis.

I mean, people come to me,

and they act as if Greece is responsible
for the global economic fallout,

or that little, teeny country -

there's almost as many people
in Hong Kong as there is in Greece -

but that little, teeny country
in the Mediterranean,

that invented and offered
so many things to Western Civilization,

is now being used as a scapegoat
for a lot of things.

Now, fortunately, we have a Greek cousin,
Cyprus, that's now getting more attention.

But the idea here is
we really are looking for,

"What can we learn from a culture

that offered for thousands
of years so much?"

just like China has,
and there's a lot of kindred spirit -

one of the reasons that I decided
to come to this event.

Because the invitation was, to me,
was a humbling and honoring opportunity

to not only share with you
the search for meaning ala Viktor Frankl

but also to be able to share with you

some of the things
that come from my heritage.

So that's really what this is all about.

I've spent a number of years,

even prior to the economic crisis,

going to Greece, looking and not only
reconnecting with my heritage

but also looking
at what Greek philosophers -

going back to the ancients,

many of whom were contemporaries
of Confucius and Lao Tzu and the Buddha -

but also looking
at traditional Greek culture,

and What can we learn from that
and bring that back here?

Because as Elaine and I
have experienced in Greece,

there are many things. even within
the confines of all these challenges,

that people seem to be living,
believe it or not,

a good-slash-meaningful life.

We were trying to figure out,
What's their formula?

What is it about this?

So what I'm going to share
with you is a concept,

and it's going to be a very easy
concept, in many respects,

to remember and to practice.

And by the time we end this talk,

I'm hoping that this will be something

that will carry with you
after you leave here today,

and that you'll be able to carry forth
in your work life and your everyday life.

So let me share with you.

In going to Greece
over the last several years,

one of the things that we
picked up many, many times

is we heard a word that I'm sure
most of you have heard.

It's a word - the Greek word now -

"Opa!"

Okay, how many of you
have heard the word opa?

Okay? I mean, most of you have.

I'm not talking about
the German reference to grandfather;

I'm talking about the Greek word,

and typically that word,
that opa word, is typically used,

or at least heard particularly here
and North America and Western Europe,

it's heard at times of celebration.

You know, maybe you're
breaking plates at a restaurant,

maybe you're at a festival,

maybe you're at a wedding, you're dancing,

and opa is really an uplifting,
enthusiastic type of thing.

Well, interestingly enough,

opa, the word, as a common Greek word,
goes back to Ancient Greece.

And actually, we found it and
traced it back to the writings of Homer.

You've all heard the word Homer?
I don't mean the TV character.

(Laughter)

You're right. "The Iliad"
and "The Odyssey."

And Homer was able to articulate

and the history of the word opa emerged
in really a unique way.

As a matter of fact, in a way
that's almost analogous

to the Chinese philosophy and symbol,
the yin and the yang.

Because in the Greek alphabet,
there are two "O's."

There's one that looks
like our O in English, omicron,

and then there's another O,
another letter O,

that looks, in the capital,
like a horseshoe.

I know you see it around.

It's the omega.

And the omega sign - like Omega watches.

So there's two O's.

So O-P-A in Greek
has two different references,

two different meanings even.

The O that looks like our O
is that expression of spirit.

Actually, we refer to it as enthusiasm.

The English word "enthusiasm"
actually comes from two Greek words,

and it actually means,
"manifesting the spirit within."

We're not talking about religion;

we're talking about team spirit,
individual spirit and so forth.

That's really what this is,

that's when we see
the celebratory kind of use of opa.

That's what you hear about,
see in the movies.

I'm sure you've seen
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

That's all of our family, isn't it?

So the idea here is that's the opa.

But when Homer was writing about opa,
there was also the other side.

And the other side of opa
is the omega opa.

And the omega opa reference
goes back to opening up our eyes,

being awake,

looking for danger in our path
as well as looking for opportunities.

Now, unfortunately,
to the Greeks in the modern times,

especially the last number of years,

they kind of forget or forgot
the omega opa.

That's what got them into trouble.

They weren't looking down the road

to see whether or not
there was some danger down the path.

Okay? The economic crisis
is obviously one result of that.

We're going to spend too much,
we're going to do things -

trying to keep up
with other parts of the world.

We're not really doing the planning,
maybe the management

that they should have done
to make sure to protect themselves.

But the idea here is
that those two types of opa words,

omega and omicron,

are like two sides of the same coin.

It's the Greek version
of the yin and the yang.

It's the idea you've got to have both
and integrate both

to live your life fully.

That goes back to the ancients.

But if we look now
at more current context,

what we've done is we've said,
"Well, wait a minute.

We can take 'opa,' and we can
actually create an acronym

using O, P and A."

So let me just share with you
quickly what they are.

The "O" in OPA means
connect meaningfully with others.

Others is the O.

We have heard all day today

so many people saying how important
it is to connect with others, haven't we?

When you're in times of stress,
when you're depressed.

Viktor Frankl once said,

back in the time of World War II
when he was writing,

he said, "Society is plagued
with three major problems."

He referred to them
as the "mass neurotic triad."

The three are aggression - has aggression
gone away since World War II?

Not at all.

Aggression is probably more;

we have more types of aggression

than Viktor Frankl
probably even dreamt of.

Depression - has depression gone away?

No, what we're hearing a lot
is depression is increasing,

clinical depression's on the rise,
particularly among young people,

so depression certainly hasn't gone away.

And addiction.

All right? So aggression,
depression and addiction

are three things that Viktor Frankl
described as major societal problems

at a time that you think
we would've been focusing on resolving;

and instead, they've been
exacerbated over the years.

So the idea here is that we have to deal
with those kinds of issues.

So the idea of connecting meaningfully
with others is one way to deal with those.

Reach out when you're depressed.
We heard that today, okay?

Reach out when there's aggression,
and try to find people to help you.

This is an important element.

So connecting meaningfully with others -

but that's a major problem
in our society today.

You know, we have Facebook,
we have all these social media,

but yet in many respects,
we're more disconnected than ever.

Would you agree with that?
(Audience) Yes.

This is the kind of thing -

authentic connections,
meaningful connections

are very important.

And this is like what we found in Greece.

Because when we went into Greece,
and we went into villages,

and some stories
of going to visit the village

and having people taking you
into their little almost a hut

and sharing with you and making you feel -

because that's part of
what the Greek notion of hospitality is.

It's all about taking care of each other
and taking care of strangers.

If you've traveled to Greece,

you probably have recognized
that Greek hospitality is world-wide.

I mean, talk about
the hospitality industry,

you can't get anything better
in terms of feeling welcomed.

And that's a major part
in all of our travels, our experiences -

and it's not just because I
have family throughout Greece;

it's the fact that I've talked
to thousands of people,

and they've all experienced that notion.

If we could just apply that kind
of Greek hospitality to our own world.

Think about it.

We go to a traditional Greek village,
and they treat each other as villagers.

We talk about a global village, don't we?

We say it takes a village
to raise a child,

but we don't treat each other
like villagers;

we're strangers, okay?

So "O" is connect
meaningfully with others.

The "P" in the OPA acronym
is engage with deeper purpose.

We've heard that many times.

The idea is we need to find our purpose.

You know, Viktor Frankl
and based on Viktor Frankl's work,

one of the things that I espouse -
we've all heard the statement -

where there's a will, there's a way.

You all have heard that?

Okay, but we're going to add to that.

Where there's a purpose, there's a will.

Okay, so where there's a will,
there's a way,

but where there's a purpose,
there's a will.

So many of the speakers today
have talked about that.

When they were able
to identify and articulate a purpose,

their will increased.

Their desire to live increased.

They were willing to go through the fire.

Whatever.

We've heard so many things here
that are like remarkable,

and it wasn't just today.

This entire time I've been here,

it's been amazing
the kind of inspirational stories.

So engage with deeper purpose.

And then the "A" is something

that, again, we've all, probably most
would attribute to many crazy Greeks.

It's attitude.

The idea behind this
is embrace all of life with attitude.

I'm not talking about positive psychology.

I'm not talking about trying to just say
we've got to be focused on happiness.

As a matter of fact, Viktor Frankl said,
very clearly, very profoundly,

he said, "Happiness cannot be pursued.

Happiness can only ensue

from doing something to help others
beyond yourself or to be in service."

So think about that.

Your most happy moments usually come
when you're not even noticing them -

you weren't planning them.

But if you try to be happy
by going out and partying all night -

and I notice a lot of people
party in Hong Kong;

(Laughter)

maybe they're happy; I don't know -

or you're shopping until you drop,
doesn't necessarily mean you're happy.

So the idea behind happiness here,
again, part of it, it's a mindset.

It's the notion of attitude.

And again, I heard a number of people
today, in their talks,

talk about the importance
of your choice of attitude.

And again, the first principle
of logotherapy,

Viktor Frank's logotherapy,

is the fact that every one of us,

every one of us as human beings

have the ultimate freedom
to choose our attitude.

And Frankl survived
four Nazi concentration camps.

I look at my life.

I never, never would compare
my life to Viktor Frankl's.

But as a U.S. Army veteran, Vietnam era,
there's been many times

where I could have taken a quick dive
and never come back up again,

but part of my passion,
part of my enthusiasm for life

revolves around the fact

that many of my own brothers
and sisters didn't make it.

So I'm living my life with enthusiasm,
with passion, not just for me.

But it would be arrogant of me,

it would be totally, you know,
something that I couldn't even imagine

that I was given the opportunity
that they weren't.

They died at age 18, 19, 20, 21.

And I was given an opportunity to be 25.

(Laughter)

Okay, so the idea here is that attitude
is a very, very important part.

There are many exercises
or many ways of dealing with it.

I know a lot of people say,

"I already have an attitude.
Why would I change it?"

That was supposed to be joke.

(Laughter)

But there are ways

of how we can get ourselves out of
that inner, mental concentration camp,

outside of that box
that kind of shuts us in.

Because we heard so many people, again,
talking about the challenges they had,

about, How can I have a good day?

You know, I have a bad-hair day.

You know, is that all you have?

That's your biggest problem
is a bad-hair day?

Right? I mean, it's amazing.

But think about the possibilities of,

Do you want to take the high road or
take the low road in terms of your life?

Which way do you want to go?

So the idea behind exercising the freedom
to choose your attitude is important,

but it's also important to recognize it
within the "A" construct of OPA.

Attitude isn't just
about having a good attitude.

It's also being able to have
a positive, resilient attitude

when times aren't going so well.

Because life is about ups and downs.

If you think about a heart monitor,
and you think about balance,

What happens when the heart monitor
is a straight line?

Are you excited about life?

(Laughter)

No.

The heart monitor shows a wave,

which basically means
sometimes it's going to take a dip.

So our resilience factor, which is really
what this whole event is about,

is about, How do you deal with the dips?

And not just say I'm ecstatic
about all the great times.

And so those are critical issues.

So the whole concept here now of opa

is, again, "O" stands for what?

(Audience) Others.

All right. "P" stands for what?

(Audience) Purpose.

And "A" stands for what?

(Audience) Attitude.

So together we have - say it together -

others, purpose, attitude.

So what does that mean?

Opa!

So what I want you to do from here on out

whenever you're finding
yourself stressed out -

I'll give you a quick example.

I have a second here to do this.

Because we're all adults
in this room, right?

I'm not going to take
my clothes off, don't worry.

Imagine you're walking down a sidewalk,
and the sidewalk is crooked.

I noticed, again,
in Hong Kong - lot of steps.

I don't know how many times
I almost twisted my ankle.

And you're walking along, and you trip.

Okay, as an adult, what do you
normally do when you trip?

What's the first thing you do?

You look around. You want
to make sure nobody saw you.

Right? Because you're embarrassed,
afraid that somebody -

Oh my God, I didn't do it.

It was the city of Hong Kong -
they screwed up.

What I want you to do
is when that happens in life,

and you take a trip,

I want you, after you trip,
to go like this:

Opa!

(Laughter)

Okay? All right? So this is the thing.

So I want everybody to stand up, okay?

Because this is your last thing here.

I want everybody on the count of three -

I'm going to go backwards,
three, two, one -

I want you to, without hitting
your sidekicks here,

I want everybody,
at the top of your lungs, to say -

okay, three, two, one -

(Audience) Opa!

Thank you very much.

(Applause) (Cheering)