Addressing Faith & Doubt

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to Frankly Speaking, your weekly destination for insight and inspiration,
with your host, Frank Morangos. Frankly Speaking is sponsored by
Heppa four two one Chapter of North Miami, in partnership
with the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails,
and place my hand in the print of the nails
and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
Good afternoon. I am thrilled to be here in the
iHeart Studios in West Palm Beach, Florida, to provide another
broadcast of Frankly Speaking. I am your host, Frank Morangos,
in for the next thirty minutes, I promise to provide

(00:48):
you with Frank talk in a lively interview concerning the
influence of the ancient Hellenic ideals, values, and faith on
our contemporary culture. To do my part to help make
America Greek again. I am certain that most of you
immediately recognized the source of the statement with which I
began my monologue today. It is, of course, the famous
scriptural demand of Saint Thomas the Apostle, memorialized for generations

(01:12):
in the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of Saint John.
It is the response of Thomas after he was informed
by the other ten apostles that Jesus, who had been
crucified three days earlier, had risen from the dead and
appeared to them while he was absent. Thomas's brash response,
indicating his intense reluctance to believe their implausible story, is

(01:34):
the reason for his signature nickname. From that time forward,
he would be referred to as Doubting Thomas. What is
indeed remarkable is that instead of being censored or even
upbraided for his doubts, his uncertainty and unbelief, seven days
later Jesus appeared to the group of his disciples once again,
and this time he invites Thomas to examine, to touch,

(01:57):
and to probe his wounds. Do not doubt, Jesus, insists,
but rather believe. Since that remarkable encounter that took place
in a first century upper room in Jerusalem, Christianity has
honored the brazen honesty of Thomas the Apostle to this
very day, referred to in Holy Scriptures by the Greek
name Didimos, translated the twin Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, and

(02:23):
Lutherans have commemorated the memory of Thomas on December the
twenty first. However, following a reform of the liturgical calendar
in the twentieth century, the Catholic Church moved Thomas's feast
day to July the third in order to free the
Advent season from interruption. Eastern Orthodox Christians, on the other hand,
venerate the memory of Saint Thomas on October the sixth,

(02:45):
merely a few days ago, to commemorate his martyrdom and
most especially his missionary work to India. The date is
based on the tradition that he was martyred on that
day in India. Ironically, he was killed, like Jesus, by
being pierced the spear in his side, the very bodied
location that he had asked to probe. Ironically, he was killed,

(03:07):
and so the feast day also highlights his pivotal role
as a spiritual inquirer who, through his initial doubt, provided
a new and powerful confirmation of Christ's resurrection. Although commemorated
on different calendar dates, the most by most mainland Christian
traditions acknowledged Thomas as the patron of architects, builders, surveyors,

(03:28):
and also the patron saint of India. Most importantly, however,
like Saint Thomas, aquinas the Apostle, Thomas is acknowledged as
the one who desired and was allowed to probe, to
honestly inquire and intently pursue the resolution of his doubt.
Generations prior to Thomas used the mythological stories of gods

(03:50):
to play a prominent part in the ancient world. Although
invisible society believed that the divine was made apparent by
the natural world's phenomena, the author of poets and in
dreams and visions. However, at the dawn of philosophy, this
level of belief started to erode. The first seeds of
history of doubt were planted by the Greek philosophers, who

(04:12):
introduced a new way of inquiring about the nature of
the world and the place of human beings in it.
Socrates was acknowledged for challenging the previous mythological conceptions of life,
and because he questioned everything, even the faith of the
gods of his day. His contemporaries called this philosophical process atheism,
a charge for which he was later indicted and finally

(04:34):
executed by the Athenian court. Socrates was the first to
use doubt to challenge the world's knowledge. However, it would
be wrong to label him a skeptic, but on the contrary,
while he considered himself ignorant, he believed that through the
process of honest inquiry, truth would ultimately be revealed. After
the death of Socrates, his devoted student Plato, further leveraged

(04:57):
his teacher's process of doubt to question the under standing
of then known world. Through his famous Allegory of the Cave,
Plato argued that just as things are more real than
their shadows, there was another realm beyond the visible that
was more real. As influential as Plato had become, it
was not until Aristotle, Plato's greatest student, that a school

(05:19):
was founded and dedicated to the prominence and process of doubt.
Aristotle's empirical conception of the universe is essential to the
history of doubt because it championed rationalism, the theory that
opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge
rather than on religious mythology or emotional response. Consequently, throughout

(05:42):
his life, Aristotle demanded proofs and demonstrations in every intellectual discipline.
As his primary object of study was the observable things
around him. Aristotle may be arguably considered the first real
scientist and the inventor of the scientific method as we
know it today. According to Aristotle, and I quote him,

(06:02):
doubt is the beginning of wisdom. As such, in his
philosophical system, Aristotle used the word apoea, which can be
understood as being in a conundrum or a state of puzzlement,
to express the condition of doubt or the declaration of uncertainty. Today,
Aristotle's principle that doubt is the beginning of wisdom can

(06:23):
be applied to a variety of professional, personal, and spiritual contexts.
Consider a scenario where a leader is guiding a team
in a workplace setting. Imagine that the team is facing
a significant challenge, such as developing a new product or
solving a complex problem. Initially, there might be a consensus
on the approach to take, but as they are invited

(06:45):
to doubt, to probe, like Thomas, to delve deeper into
the issue, that team may actually notice discrepancies or potential oversights.
Applying Aristotle's principle involves adopting a mindset of constructive skepe decism.
Instead of assuming that an initial plan is flawless. Wise
leaders should encourage coworkers and teams to question assumptions, explore

(07:09):
alternative solutions, and identify potential risks. Such an attitude of
doubt and increy can lead to a more thorough examination
of a problem. It will uncover insights that might not
have been apparent otherwise. Process of doubt and critical examination
can ultimately dead to a more refined and successful product, solution,

(07:30):
or plan. Apart from business, the principle of doubt can
also be applied to self improvement and personal decision making.
It can be a valuable aid when contemplating a major
life decision, such as changing careers or choice of moving
to a new city. Approaching decisions with a mindset of
doubt and increy can be beneficial. According to Aristotle, instead

(07:53):
of relying solely on initial impressions, assumptions, or emotions, the
wise question underlying motivations, potential consequences, and alternative options. Such
an approach can help us make more informed and thoughtful decisions,
leading to greater wisdom and fulfillment in both scenarios. Embracing doubt,

(08:13):
that is, the humble posture of uncertainty, as a starting
point allows for a rigorous, honest, and more insightful examination
of the situation. Such a modest posture can ultimately lead
to better outcomes and a deeper understanding of the complexities
of life in our personal lives. The life of Saint
Thomas the Apostle, is worth commemorating because he is a

(08:36):
testament that doubt is not without merit, for it can
be a springboard to greater understanding and seeking answers and
an honest resolution of our doubts. We can find reassuring
evidence that may reinforce our faith and convictions. Because Christianity
deals with faith, doubt must be part of the process.

(08:57):
Otherwise we would just be dealing with no facts. The
Apostle Thomas underscores the fact that, when pursued reverently, doubt
can actually help authenticate what we seek and to develop
unwavering and powerful, transformative faith. In the New Testament, three
Greek words are translated as doubt. When Jesus asked Peter,

(09:20):
why did you doubt? When he walked on the water
of the Sea of Galilee. The Greek word uses distaso,
which means to duplicate or to waver between opinions. In
implies shifting, vacillating, wavering, or waffling between two positions. The
second Greek word translated as doubt is via crino. Besides

(09:41):
its more common translation as to judge or to discern,
it can also imply the meaning of being at variance
with the self, or to hesitate. And finally, the third
word which is used for doubt in Holy scriptures via
a logizumos. Translators render this Greek word as thought, reasoning, imagination.
It refers to an internal conversation, a deliberation within ourselves,

(10:05):
questioning whether or not something is so. If honest, we
must all confess to using this practice of inner dialogue
of discourse from time to time. However, if applied reverently,
it can actually lead, like Thomas, to an increase of
faith and conviction. According to a recent poll, roughly half

(10:25):
of Americans express some uncertainty or outright disbelief in God.
Religious doubting is especially prevalent among young people, who nearly
six and ten young adults reported some degree of uncertainty
about God's existence. In twenty nineteen, the American Enterprise Institute
survey reported that forty six percent of American respondents expressed

(10:48):
uncertainty that God even exists. The more recent General Social
Survey found that forty nine percent of Americans are willing
to acknowledge that they know that God really exists and
have no doubt about it. I recently heard a story
that illustrates today's monolog about doubt. Apparently, one tribe of

(11:09):
Native Americans had a unique practice of training their young braves.
On the night of a boy's thirteenth birthday, he was
placed in the dense forest to spend the entire night alone.
Until then, he had never been away from the security
of his family and tribe, but on this particular night,
he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took
off the blindfold, he found himself in the middle of

(11:31):
a thick woods by himself all night. Every time a
wig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce.
Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping
out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he
wondered what more sinister sound it massed. No doubt, it
was terrifying night for many. But after what seemed like

(11:54):
an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior
of the forest, looking around the boy's flowers, trees, and
the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment,
he beheld the figure of a man standing just a
few feet away, armed with a bow and an arrow.
It was the boy's father. He had been there all
night long. We are indeed living in the most challenging

(12:18):
and stressful times in human history. Undoubtedly, pressures and situations
from every side will test and batter our convictions, like
feeling all alone, blindfolded in a midnight forest, or walking
through a storm like the ragged Peter during his walk
to Christ on the waters. There is no magic pill

(12:39):
to cure the blindfold of doubt, but we can shorten
the road to recovery by taking the first and most
critical steps towards the solution. That is prayerferly asking like Thomas,
to reverently probe, and then we will see the light
of truth. When we return out, we'll be joined by
Katerina Kliptis. She is the president of Tim Horton's You Us,

(13:00):
the quick service restaurant brand. To look forward to hearing
her story and how her Greek heritage is influenced professional
as well as personal life journey. Are you ready to
have a great Greek time? The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
of North Miami wants to invite you to a great
Greek time. It is time for their Greek Festival coming

(13:23):
up November seventh, eighth, and ninth. They'll be food, games,
dancing tours, live music all throughout the three day festival
and it's absolutely free to you. Again, this is the
Greek Festival at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in North
Miami November seventh, eighth, and ninth. You can get more

(13:43):
information at Annunciationmiami dot org. That's Annunciationmiami dot org, free
to you, and the entire family hope to see you there.
So welcome back to Frankly speaking. Each week, apart from
introducing the greater public to the rich history, the culture,
and faith heritage of the ancient Greeks, the show also

(14:05):
includes an interview with a noted Greek philanthropist or a
successful entrepreneur. Today, I'm thrilled to welcome Katerinaglitis. She's the
president of Tim Horton's USA, the quick service restaurant brand
that has more than six hundred and fifty locations in
the United States. I was surprised with the number, Katerina,
and welcome to frankly speaking.

Speaker 3 (14:27):
Thank you, thank you very much, happy to be here.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
No, it's really great because I see you every Sunday.
You never miss a Sunday, at least if you do,
I never noticed. And you're always very quiet, you know,
very respectful. You've got the kids, you're teaching them Greek dance.
And when I read your resume, I was really enthusiastically

(14:51):
surprised as into the background that you have, So tell
us a little bit about your life journey. I was surprised.
I used to see that you came from my family,
a Greek family that had its own restaurants. Is that correct?

Speaker 3 (15:07):
Yes, that is correct, That is correct. So grew up
in the restaurant business. I think that in many ways
comes from our Greek heritage. Yeah, up with us. Yeah
this everybody was in different versions of the restaurant industry
from way before I existed. So by the time I

(15:28):
came along, my parents had a restaurant that they were
running on their own. They were, you know, young, recently married,
recently with the baby, and I spent my early days
and honestly all my day since then in the industry.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
So what kind of restaurant they had?

Speaker 3 (15:44):
Kind of fast, casual, Greek diners of course, Greek, of course,
lots of breakfast, some Greek foods for sure, but lots
of sandwiches, omelets, you back, lava, everything in between.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
So was it like the typical diner in in New York,
you know, where the menu is like fifty pages long.

Speaker 3 (16:04):
It's probably a little bit less than that. We were
the Cleveland version of this. So we had a lot
of takeout business, a lot of twenty four hour business
as well. Over time they grew to have more and
more restaurants and several of them were twenty four hour
overnight locations. So tried to keep the menu a little simpler,
varied by the year.

Speaker 2 (16:24):
So tell me a little bit about your home life.
Was your father or your mother the cook?

Speaker 3 (16:31):
Let's see, they were both kind of owning and running
the business together. My dad was usually in the back cooking.
Ma was usually up front, catch hearing and waitress thing.
So they kind of split responsibilities there at the beginning.
And the stories I've heard or that it was really
the two of them. It was on the back, my

(16:52):
on the front and knee and a high chair, crying
or occupying customers until they got to the place to work.

Speaker 2 (17:00):
No, they're from Greece. Were they born in this country?

Speaker 3 (17:03):
They were born in this country. I have uncles who
were born in Greece, so grandparents, for the most part,
moved over between kids. All my Yadas Bauddhas are from Kiyos,
so both Buddhas from Gerdamela. The Yada's from two different
areas in Gaias. But my parents and solves were both

(17:25):
born in the States.

Speaker 2 (17:27):
So what was your experience like in the restaurant business.
Did you start by washing dishes or serving tables or
tell me a little bit about how that all.

Speaker 3 (17:40):
Yeah, I guess from the time I was very very young,
was there helping however I could. Some of my earliest
memories are running bottles of ketchup and mustard and mayonnaise
out to tables in the dining room. So once I
could walk, they would give me things to take to people,
not heavy things like play the food, but take ketchup

(18:02):
and condoments out to different tables and that, oh man,
I must have been two years old at the time.
I then remember helping fill little containers that syrup in
the back room while they were all working up front.
I remember stalking coolers with drinks, anything that someone as

(18:23):
a little kid to do. As I got older and
became a little more useful in other ways, I was
probably eight when I was taking orders at the cash register.

Speaker 2 (18:32):
You're eight years old taking Oh yeah, oh yeah.

Speaker 3 (18:37):
We had a milk crate. I would stand on top
of the milk crate to be tall enough to reach
the castle.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
I can just see that. So it's very much like
Saturday Night Live. You know, cheeburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger. Did you
have Coca cola? Just PEPSI?

Speaker 3 (18:51):
We were actually all Coca cola.

Speaker 2 (18:53):
Yeah, so you're in Cleveland, you were in New York.
So that was the case exactly. So after taking orders,
then what happened? When were you running the business at twelve?
I mean I was.

Speaker 3 (19:05):
I was not running the business at twelve very much,
but BA was still in charge. But I was very
involved with customers. I always liked being kind of front
of house at the register, at the front counter, in
the dining room. We had a heavy breakfast business at
the location that I was spending most of my time in.
When I was about ten to eleven, years old, and
because there was a big breakfast business. You order at

(19:27):
the counter, we bring this food out to you, and
then from there on out waitress style, from coming back
to check on you, bringing you more coffee, bringing the
pot around for refills. And I always I liked getting
to talk to guests and taking care of them and
making sure they were having a good experience. And it
was a really nice and interesting childhood. But one of

(19:48):
the really nice parts, I'd say people saw us grow up,
people kind of beyond my immediate family. It was other
people working in the restaurant. It was our customers. Really,
let's you this year over year over year over year,
from being little kids, to high school to off the
college and even now when I come back and I
pop into the to the restaurants, they're like, oh, Hi,

(20:10):
where do you live now, what's going on? There's been
many years since when you were first here serving tables
with us. And I think that was a really nice
angle of it. All it was is being so oriented
to people from a young age.

Speaker 2 (20:24):
Did the restaurant did your parents do a special picnic
or anything like that, you know, for Easter, let's say,
for a nastasy service, resurrection service.

Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, I remember when I remember pictures, I should say
I've seen pictures of when we were younger, they did.
There was times where they would close the restaurant and
have events in the restaurant for everybody, celebrating the holidays
in Easter. When the business got bigger and there was
a lot of locations. I want to say that happens
less from my memory, but there's pictures of a plenty

(20:57):
of a nastasy bunch and dinners and those kinds of things.

Speaker 2 (21:02):
So did you did you just allude to many locations?
Did you have more than one location for the restaurant, Yeah,
they did.

Speaker 3 (21:10):
My parents had one when we were babies, and over
time they grew that. They had elves at one point
and a food truck, so it became a big, a
pretty big group of locations across Cleveland. We were always
very embedded in the Cleveland community. Our restaurants were all

(21:30):
across different parts of Greater Cleveland. And all of my
work ethic comes from my parents seeing what they built,
and I think this is some of our heritage as well.
Just when you have up with us who came from
you know, herding sheep and the vuna back in a Yeah,
so it's built into you. And again, what's the name

(21:53):
of the chain, Gyro George, Gyro, George, Gyro George.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
Yeah. Wow. So from Jira George, how did you find
your way all the way to becoming president of Tim Horton's.

Speaker 3 (22:09):
Yeah, I guess so. Restaurants were clearly in the blood
and working hard and trying new things were very much
a part of the entrepreneurial experience of the generation and
multiple generations before me. So in college, I was at
Harvard for undergrad we were recruiting at career fairs, probably

(22:30):
junior year. I remember lots and lots of my peers
and other students and friends were looking at kind of
the big three industries people tended to go into from there.
It was consulting and banking, and then various nonprofit and
government work. And there was a handful of retail companies
at these career fairs. They tended to be a little

(22:51):
less frequented than the banks and consultants, but these retail
companies were getting a lot less visibility. But again, restaurants
were in my background, and I always liked things that
were consumer facing. Again, I liked being with guests and
customers upfront, so you have.

Speaker 2 (23:07):
The personality is no question.

Speaker 3 (23:09):
Well, thank you, I appreciate that. And Burger King Corporate
was one of these retailers who was there, and it
was twenty No, this would have been like twenty twelve.
Fabtake could be a year or two off. But Burger
King was there recruiting young undergrads who wanted something hands

(23:31):
on with high responsibility to do immediately after college. And
you went with Burger King, and I went with Burger
King exactly. So that was my first friends.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
What did you study at Harvard? Was it marketing or business?

Speaker 3 (23:45):
Economics and government? So yeah, lots of Harvard is a
lot of liberal arts studies. So I did economics and
government as my two focuses. And with that it's really
way of They teach you how to read and write
and problem solve and you can apply that to really
anything in the world. I applied that over to Burger King.

(24:08):
I joined their Leadership Development program, and in the capacity
of that just got fun, interesting, real projects, big work
to focus on and found myself loving it. I moved
down to Miami, Florida for it.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
I'm glad you did, selfish, glad to have you at
the church every Sunday, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 3 (24:31):
Yes. One of the nice things from it was definitely
getting to find the Enunciation Church community. At the time,
there was a big shock coming from the Midwest and
then living in the Northeast for school. Miami's a different
place than all of that. So my thought was I'd
get some experience, learn a few things, and subere life
took me from there. But I found myself just absolutely

(24:52):
loving it. And I guess the more I loved it,
the more I did, the more people saw I was
genuine and then had a good attitude about the things
I was working on, and they always approached problems with curiosity,
And I didn't know the answer to anything I was
doing when I was first starting to do it. But
I've come to really believe that with the right mindset
and work ethic and curiosity, find the right people to

(25:16):
surround yourself with and we all figure things out together
along the way. So when things led to the next
and Burger King at some point acquired tim Wharton's, which
is a big coffee, baked good breakfast based to as
our chain originally from Canada, and with that we became
restaurant Brands International to a much bigger company that now

(25:40):
had these two brands globally, and from there we actually
acquired a couple other brands along the way. We then
took on Popeyes Chicken. We then took on fire House Subs.
So today we've got these four incredible brands under the
portfolio and we have opportunities to switch from brand to brands.
So I spent nine years doing various things in the

(26:00):
Burger King world, grew throughout really the field organization over there.
I did some marketing, some developments, some operations, and then
led kind of franchise performance and franchise relationship aspects of
the Burger King business in different regions across the country.
When thing led to the next couple of years back,
I got a call to bring that experience over from

(26:23):
running kind of the franchise business at Burger King to
then getting to lead the Tim Horton's business across the US.
Incredible opportunity brand I've always loved and admired and personally
a really big coffee person. So industryal wise, fantastic fanta.

Speaker 1 (26:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (26:41):
Absolutely. When we have Tim Hortons in Miami, I'm excited
for you to try it now we're working on growing
throughout the South. But you're common at the beginning that
you were surprised through so many locations is something we
hear often from people in the South because we have
very high density. Further north in the US, there's four
thousand locations in Canada, but we have about six hundred

(27:03):
and seventy locations in predominantly the northern US, Michigan, Ohio,
and upstate New York. But the last couple of years
we have been really excited to be helped bring importance
to new people in new areas in new market. So
with that, you've expanded.

Speaker 2 (27:20):
So are you going to offer Greek coffee? Have you?
Have you pitched that?

Speaker 3 (27:24):
Probably not in this market, but you never know. We're
always looking, well.

Speaker 2 (27:27):
You know, Miami, will it will, it'll, It'll thrive in Miami.
We'll just call a Cuban coffee, you know. Oh yeah,
but it's the same thing. So we're coming to the
end of the interview. I can't thank you enough. I'm
really inspired by your life's journey. I can see all
of the Greek culture coming through you know, not only

(27:49):
in your intelligence, your your your personality, your drive, you know,
your ethic all of that. Your family should be very
proud of you. But I'm really really jealous of one
thing about Cleveland, Ohio. I'm sure you probably know what
I'm talking about, and that is I'm sure that you
have visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame many

(28:11):
many times. Have you been there?

Speaker 3 (28:15):
Absolutely?

Speaker 2 (28:16):
Do you enjoy it?

Speaker 3 (28:18):
I do? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is fantastic.
I would say it is one of many amazing amenities
that Cleveland has to offer. Not to turn this into
a pro Cleveland infomercial, but fantastic city, great theater, great lakes,
great sports, great industry, amazing place, including the Rock Hall.

Speaker 2 (28:38):
All I can tell you about Cleveland is it's cold
every time I've been there, but I've always enjoyed the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Well, Katina, thank you
for being part of Frankly Speaking's broadcast today and as
far as I'm concerned, you're in the Hall of Fame
of personalities in South Florida. God bless you and I

(28:59):
have a great Thank you so.

Speaker 3 (29:01):
Very much, thanks for having me, great weekends as call,
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
Bye bye, thank you for joining me this afternoon and
Frankly Speaking, but before Concluding today's broadcast, I want to
briefly discuss the Greek word used in Holy Scripture to
refer to Saint Thomas, namely the word didimos, meaning twin
or double. Apart from the proper name used to refer
to the Apostle. The influence of the Greek word didimos

(29:26):
in the English language is directly seen in how it
has been generally adopted in science, and more specifically in astronomy.
As an adjective. It is used in biology, among other fields,
to describe something that grows in a pair. It has
also been selected as the name of a binary near
Earth asteroid system named for its dual body nature. Its

(29:48):
small moon is called the morphous. Other related words in
English include duel consisting of two parts, double twice the amount, size,
or number, dubious pertaining to two different outcomes, hence raising
doubt or uncertainty, and the word doubt itself a feeling
of uncertainty suggesting two opposing thoughts. Finally, surprisingly, so the

(30:11):
word diploma a folded paper, often signifying that it was
once a document folded in two. So as mister Gus
Portocalos insisted in My Big Fat Greek wedding. There you go.
Give me a word, any word, and I will show
you the root of that word is Greek. Thank you
for joining me today on Frankly Speaking, a show that
seeks to provide frank talk and a lively interview about

(30:35):
the influence of ancient Hellenic ideals, values, and faith on
our contemporary culture to help make America Greek again. If
you would like to share a question and or suggest
a future guest or a topic, I'd love to hear
from you at Frank at franktalkradio dot com.