Frankly Speaking with Dr. Konstantinos Sebekos

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 a HEPPA four two one Chapter of North Miami
in partnership with the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
A large marble statue proudly stands in the center square Prevesa,
a small port town in Greece located on the northern
peninsula of the mouth of the Amberscian Gulf. The sculptor
depicts Odysseus Andrusus, a hero of the Greek War of Independence.
In eighteen sixty five, his body was recovered from the
base of the Acropolis where he was assassinated forty years

(00:49):
earlier and given a proper funeral at the Metropolitan Cathedral
of Athens. And on July fifteenth, nineteen sixty seven, the
bones of this once controversial Greek hero moved from Athens
to Bravesa, the birthplace of his mother, emplaced in a
crypt located underneath his statue. Welcome to Frankly Speaking, the

(01:09):
weekly talk show sponsored by the American Hellenic Educational Progressive
Association or a HEPPA Chapter four two one for short
and the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami, and
I am your host, Frank Marangos, and for the next
thirty minutes, I will provide you with frank talk and
lively interviews that I hope will inform inspire all of

(01:30):
us to be more fully appreciative of the influence of
the ancient Hellenic ideals, the values, and faith on our
contemporary culture. In a sense, through this radio show, I
want to reimagine the term maga to help make America
Greek again. I appreciate your feedback, so please feel free
to suggest any topics or issues you think our listeners

(01:51):
would be interested in discussing, and you can always do
so by emailing me at Frank at franktalkradio dot com.
As I mentioned in last week's inaugural broadcast during the
interview with Brian Mudd, my producer and popular talk show
hosts for iHeartMedia, the primary purpose of Frankly Speaking is
to introduce my listeners to the rich history, the culture

(02:12):
and faith heritage of ancient Greeks, and to discuss how
that history may provide some insights to us today. The
show will also include interviews with noted Greek philanthropists, successful
local personalities and too to promote the news and happenings
of the local Greek American community of South Florida. So
I mentioned last week, my wife and I just returned

(02:33):
from a delightful European cruise, during which we were amazed
by the influence of the ancient Greeks, the Hellenes, and
the Byzantines on the countries. We visited. The architecture, the
prominent throughout the area, art statues, Aphrodite of Melos, the
winged victory that we saw in the Louver Museum, the music,

(02:55):
the dance, the songs, the food, the clothing. The Greek
culture has been around for four thousand years, a very
small about the size of North Carolina in size, and
yet Arnold Toynbee, the British historian, once remarked that it
is so influenced the nations because the Greeks repeatedly were
able to overcome natural as well as human obstacles. Historians

(03:19):
then insist that Greeks had two empires, Alexander the greatest one,
Byzantine period number two that ended with the Ottoman occupation
of Greece for four hundred years. But I would like
to add a third the Empire of reason, of philanthropy
and ethics. What was most impressive during our European visit
was a degree to which Greek philosophy had influenced so

(03:41):
many global cultures. Temples, churches, governmental buildings were replete with
carving statues, scrolls of Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras, and Epicureus, whose
writings laid the foundation for much of Western philosophical thought.
Oh it was Aristotle who, single doubt who was most
noted as having influenced humanity's understanding of ethics. Aristotle, one

(04:07):
of the ancient and greatest thinkers of all times, provided
a comprehensive system of ethics commonly referred to as the
Twelve Virtues. In his famous Treatise on Ethics, Aristotle insisted
that the man who possesses excellence and character would have
a tendency to do the right thing at the right time,
in the right way. His system of ethics was therefore

(04:28):
focused on the flourishing of human nature. For most people today,
the popular approach to living a good life is discovered
by answering the question what should I do. Aristotle would insist, however,
that we should modify this approach by asking what kind
of person should I be? How can I live a
virtuous life and flourish?

Speaker 4 (04:48):
So?

Speaker 2 (04:48):
What is virtue? According to Aristotle, of virtue is a
characteristic a tendency in an individual that causes him or
her to act in a particular manner. He also states
that each verse is a golden mean between the viceive
excess and its deficiency. For example, a virtuous man, according
to Aristotle, would know exactly where and when to be courageous,

(05:11):
but without bringing danger upon himself. His list of eleven
of the twelve virtues are the following temperance, liberality, magnificence, magnanimity, patience, truthfulness, witness, friendliness, shame, justice,
and modesty. I plan to discuss one of these virtues

(05:32):
during each of the next twelve months of frankly speaking,
but today I want to briefly discuss Aristotle's twelfth virtue,
namely the ethic of courage, sometimes conveyed by the Greek
word tharus. Aristotle suggests that courage is the observance of
the mean, the middle ground between cowardice and fulheartedness. The
courageous person is aware of the dangers that are to

(05:54):
come his way, but chooses to face them. Nonetheless, this
is the reason why I started my broadcast with a
dis decription of the statue of Odysseus Andrusus, a hero
of the Greek War of Independence known for his courage.
In fact, the first Greek film dedicated to the events
of the Greek War of Independence is entitled The Last
Days of Odysseus Andruzus, released in nineteen twenty eight. The

(06:18):
film focused on the controversial life of this once disgraced
army commander, who later became a noted hero of the
War of Independence. According to his detractors, Andrutus sometimes made
secret agreements with the enemies of Greece, Andrusus, on the
other hand, claimed that they were tricks to give the
Greek revolutionaries time to move people to safety. These actions

(06:40):
often helped the Greeks cause by delaying enemy operations. Tragically,
he was arrested by his political enemies, accused of working
with the Ottoman occupiers, and without a trial, was put
into the prison tower of the Acropolis at Athens. Andrusos
was assassinated on June fifth, eighteen twenty five. His body

(07:00):
was thrown from the Acropolis and buried at its base.
What made this act so deceitful was that it was
ordered by Yannis Kuras, who had once been Andrutus's second
in command. Fortunately, over the years, the Greek nation and
its people began to realize the truth about Andrusus. They

(07:20):
realized that he was actually a hero, not a trader.
In fact, historians began to consider him one of the
most important military leaders of the Greek War of Independence.
So fortunately, in eighteen sixty five, Andrutus's body was found
and given a proper funeral and burial in Athens. Then,
more than a century later, in nineteen sixty seven, his

(07:41):
bones were moved to the special monument that I described
in the beginning of today's show. His statue stands at
a prestigious place in the front of the port of
privasa warmly welcoming all that honor his mother's birthplace with
their visit. Speech made in Oxford in nineteen eighty six,

(08:03):
the late Melina Mercuri, then the Greek Minister of Culture,
repeated a no story about an episode about Andruzos that
occurred during the Greek Revolution. At the time, she said,
I'm quoting her, the Turkish army had taken over the
Acropolis and they were under seized by the Greeks, led
by Odisseas Andruzus. The enemy had run out of ammunition

(08:23):
and they started to tear down the pillars of the
Parthenon temple, gouging out the lead inside of them in
order to make and cast bullets. The Greeks found out,
and the terrible news spread like wildfire among the troops.
One of the few things that the average Greek has
always been very sensitive about is the protection of the
Parthenon from further harm, and so, led by this sensitivity,

(08:46):
the Greeks delivered to the protection of the Parthenon for
further harm. Led by this sensitivity, the Greeks delivered to
the Turks a load of lead with the famous phrase,
here are your bullets. Don't touch the pillars end of quotes. This,
in fact, is a wonderful example of the virtue of courage,

(09:08):
as Aristotle understood it. The Greeks had responded in the
only way possible. They had courageously saved the pillars from
the enemy with their very blood. They delivered the lead
bullets that were meant for their own chests. When we return,
I will be joined by a good friend, doctor Constantino Sebakos,
a medical resident at Florida International University in Gainesville, Florida,

(09:32):
will be joining by phone. I look forward to speaking
him how his Greek upbringing has influenced his life.

Speaker 3 (09:42):
Have a great announcement to share with you. The Annunciation
Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami is hosting a scholarship
luncheon for a Heppa four to twenty one coming up
Sunday at noon. A Heppa will be presenting thirty two scholarships.
They're twenty five hundred dollars each to college students. All
are invited to tend the complimentary luncheon. The church is

(10:02):
located at one twenty two fifty Northwest Second Avenue in
North Miami. For more information, call three oh five six
A one ten sixty one. That's three oh five six
A one ten sixty one.

Speaker 2 (10:22):
Welcome back to Frankly speaking from introducing the greater public
to the rich history, culture, and faith heritage of the
ancient Greek history, and to discuss how that history may
provide some insight to us today. The show will also
include an interview with noted Greek philanthropists and successful local personalities,
and then to promote the news and happenings of the

(10:42):
local Greek community of South Florida. So we're fortunate today
to have doctor Constantinos Sebakos, known by his friends Ascosta,
on the phone with me from Gainesville, Gusta. Welcome to
frankly speaking, thank thank.

Speaker 4 (10:54):
You for having me. It's a pleasure to be on
the show.

Speaker 2 (10:57):
No, it's our privilege to have you on. I know
that you're working as a medical resident, and I know
your time is very, very busy, so I'm so happy
that you put some time aside to speak with us.

Speaker 4 (11:08):
You're very welcome. It's my pleasure to be here.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
So Constantino's tell us a little bit about your background.
You know, it was always amazed when I first met
you and your parents, especially your mother, how dedicated she
is to the church and dedicated to the Greek culture.
And every time I speak with you, I know that
typically you mix Greek and English in the conversation, so

(11:32):
I know that the Greek culture has influenced you tremendously.

Speaker 4 (11:35):
Definitely, the I think the Greek culture has had a
significant influence in my life. My parents Panajota and Vasili,
they were both born in Greece. My dad grew up
in Fiedwros, which is a town near each and Olympia,
the birthplace of the Olympics. And my mother also grew
up in a small town in the island of Avia,

(11:56):
or specifically a peninsula, which is just northeast of Athens.
And you know, I think their upbringing instilled in me
the traditional Greek out of values that emphasized the importance
of faith, family, community, hard work, education, and hospitality towards others.

(12:16):
How did they meet, so it's actually pretty interesting. They
met through one of my uncles that married my mother's sister,
and my dad was visiting in Greece and he met
my uncle on a bus and they started talking and
my uncle talked about my mother, and from that conversation,

(12:39):
my dad ended up meeting my mother. He fell in
love with her, and they ended up getting married. And
that's how my mother ended up coming to the States
and specifically to South Florida.

Speaker 2 (12:48):
So how long did they date before they got married,
because it sounds similar to my own parents. My mother
actually went to Greece on a visit and they did
what they call prosigno, you know, matchmaking, and she was
married within a month.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
So I think I can't remember the exact timeframe, but
I wouldn't say it was an exactly of Broxgno, they
told my dad about my mother and he met her,
and I don't really think they really dated much. They
probably went out a few times and shortly after they
ended up getting married, So probably close to what you
would call it proxenno.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
So how quickly did they move to the States.

Speaker 4 (13:24):
I think probably within that year my mom was able
to move into the States. My dad was already living
in South Florida, in Miami in particular.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
Oh, I see what was he doing? What was his occupation?

Speaker 4 (13:36):
So my dad left Greece early on when he was
eighteen years old, and he headed over to Germany. He
was always good with his hands and fixing things when
he was in Greece a small motorcycle scooter shop. And
when he went over to Germany he really earned learned
the art of a typewriter repair, and he became really

(13:58):
an expert fine mechanic and was a wizard, I would say,
with anything mechanical. So he dealt with typewriters, logistical machines,
clocks and so forth.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
Oh, that's something I never knew about him. And it's
interesting that he represents so many Greek Americans, Greeks who
were born in Greece but matriculated over this country and
started off in menial jobs and became very, very successful.

Speaker 4 (14:26):
Yes, he had, you know, a great time, I think
in what he learned and the people that dealt with
in Germany. I think that's what propelled him eventually to
come over to the state.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
And they had two children, yourself and your sister.

Speaker 4 (14:41):
Yes, I have one older sister, Joshia, three years three
years different, and that would be a Lenny. She was
also I think a big influence in my life because
I'm actually a first generation a college student. And really
I think she paid the pathway for me. My parents always,
you know, pushed the important of education, of hard work,

(15:03):
you know, going through through middle school, high school, because
of decisions she made that you know, they influenced my decisions.
For example, undertake the high school curriculum where I was
involved with the International Baccalaureia program, which you pretty much
take intense of high school courses that prepare you for

(15:25):
like a college career.

Speaker 2 (15:28):
Well, you have a distinguished academic career. You are now
a medical doctor. I mean It's something that the majority
of Greek Americans aspire for their children. They want their
children to have a better life than they And if
you could be a lawyer or a doctor, they would say,
you know, then they've been successful.

Speaker 4 (15:46):
I would think, so that is I think with all
the Greek parents, they always you know, push for the education,
wanting to see their kids succeed, to be successful and
live happy lives, or the helping others.

Speaker 2 (16:02):
I mentioned in my monologue Cousta that the Greeks are
been around for four thousand years and they've had two empires,
Alexander the Great and we talked about the Byzantines, and
I would be suggesting that there's another empire, and that's
the Empire of reason, of knowledge and philosophy of education.
And I think you're a result of that. I think

(16:22):
that many many parents that matriculate to this country want
their children to have a good education. Would you agree
that that is a characteristic of the Greek ethos?

Speaker 4 (16:33):
Yes, I think in the Greek ethos it's important for us.
One thing that we push, we promote education, and that's
kind of like one of the things that are a
help organization stands for to promote the ancient Hellenic ideas
of education and philanthropy. So it's definitely I think ingrained

(16:53):
in our culture.

Speaker 2 (16:54):
Tell us a little bit about a HIPPA because a
HEPPA is the sponsor, one of the sponsors of the show.
I thank them very much for their generosity and support.
And I understand you've recently been elected president of the
chapter for twenty one.

Speaker 4 (17:09):
Yes, that is correct. So the HELPA stand for the
American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association. It was initially founded in
nineteen twenty two. Our particular North Miami chapter of the
HEPA four twenty one chapter was found in nineteen sixty three,
and really the mission of our HEPA and just the

(17:30):
greater HEPPA in generals to promote ancient Hellenic ideas of education, philanthropy,
civic responsibility, integrity, family, and just excellence through community service
and volunteerism. You know, I've been fortunate. I've had a
good group of a hepp of brothers that have surrounded me,
including George Kalis, Mark poppas Leasanaciomami Kalis, and George Karanikus.

(17:54):
I was recently elected as president in augusta September, and
you know through their guy and we've been able to
have a pretty robust scholarship program to help you know,
the next generation of Greek Americans, and.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
You've been very generous. I know this coming Sunday tomorrow,
there's going to be a luncheon at the church and
it's open to anyone who would like to attend, in
which are going to give out thirty two scholarships twenty
five hundred dollars each. That comes to eighty thousand dollars
to men and women who are in college. You talk

(18:30):
to us a little bit about that, that truly is
a fantastic program.

Speaker 4 (18:33):
Yes, so where we will be giving away thirty twolar
thirty two academic scholarships this Sunday, and we had a
very diverse applicant pool, and you know, we want to
recognize these excellent applicants that have choosed tremendous scholastic achievements

(18:55):
and they're pursuing various degrees that include engineering, architecture, biology,
criminal justice, marketing, business, medical school, law school, to name
a few. Most of our applicants they're staying within the
local college and university, specifically surrounding what would be the

(19:15):
FIU un University of Miami Broward College. But then we
also have some out of state applicants that are going
to some prestigious universities including Brown in Rhode Island, Northwestern
Georgia Tech, Michigan University. I just have to say we're
very proud of the applicants. They have incredible scholastic achievements.

(19:35):
Some are AP scholars, We've had a Miami Herald Silver
Night nominee, have Honor Roll students, and you know, I
think it's important to note that we're not only looking
at the scholastic achievements. That that is an important part,
but we also you take the holistic look and also
look to see if there's a financial need in hardship.
And we have a particular section in our application where

(19:57):
a student has some hardships they can share and we
found some significant things. The students have to take it
to get to where they are and we're really proud
of to help us and the financial impact to them.

Speaker 2 (20:09):
And I know that you also emphasized the character of
the recipient, which again is another Greek ideal. You know,
it's not just your mind, your body, but you know
your ethos as well, the way you carry yourself, the
way if you're an ethical person, And that was really
my monologue today, emphasizing Aristotle's twelve Virtues. Of one of

(20:29):
the twelve virtues, one of the recipients I understand of
the scholarships in the past was actually a friend of mine,
George the Phanopoulos from ABC News. So it seems as
though you've been giving out these scholarships for quite some time.

Speaker 4 (20:43):
At this level. We've been giving them out for at
least two years while I've been with a he book.
But the Hepa organization has been giving them for many
years in the past, but to a lesser degree than
out We didn't have the significant onness that we have
now to.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
Give OUTPA has been tremendously influential in South Florida. As
a matter of fact, I found out not too long
ago that I Heppa your chapter four twenty one, actually
spearheaded the founding of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of
North Miami, which is the co sponsor over the show
and held its first liturgy in nineteen sixty five in December.

(21:21):
So a Heppa has been involved with faith, it's been
involved in education. I know that you had a was
it a nursing home some kind of a retirement building.
At one point, Yes.

Speaker 4 (21:35):
We had a retirement building that housed individuals that were
greater than fifty five years old in the North Miami community.
Now the Heppa National is completely in charge of that,
so it has stayed to taking care of retirees.

Speaker 2 (21:54):
Fantastic, And I would be remiss if I also didn't
share something with our listeners that you you recently got
married and I participated in that wedding ceremony, didn't.

Speaker 4 (22:04):
I, Yes, you did. I I recently married the love
of my life, Maria Capsis, on January nineteenth, and I
would have to say that's one of the best moments
of my life. And you definitely participated in.

Speaker 2 (22:18):
You made the experience well, I mean you were shining
during the service. Obviously she's captured your heart. You know,
she's a pharmacist. I wonder if she put any special
potient together. I knew something like that happened.

Speaker 4 (22:32):
Very possible, But she caught my eye from the first
moment I met her. I was over in New York
in the Bronx, and I was attending the local parish
that I would frequent on Sunday's, Saint Peter's, and she
happened to be visiting that Sunday. In the moment that
I laid eyes on her, you know, she was very stunning,

(22:53):
and I'm just thankful that afterwards, during the coffee hour
that we were introduced to each other. You know the history.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
Yeah, well, I wish you many many years. Before we
end our interview, I want to ask you one final
question that pertains to something new in our society today,
and that is AI. As a medical students, as a
physician now in residents, what's your opinion about the use
of AI in medicine. Where do you see this going.

Speaker 4 (23:22):
I think AI has a lot of good that it
can do, you know. I think if you're searching for
it in initially maybe to find some sources, it can
serve as a good resource. But I think for new learners,
new people that are like medical students and residents, you
have to be careful to just develop a good sound
fund of knowledge and then kind of like use that

(23:45):
to fill in the gaps. My fear is that, you know,
like the new learners are going to start using this
as their go to and then we're going to have
like kind of Swiss cheef knowledge. Yeah, but I think
it has the potential to do a lot of good.
There's actually program called the Open Evidence that's AI, but
specifically geared towards the medical field and doctors, and I

(24:07):
like to use it because it gives us some good
information and it brings up like many good sources, and
then I can go within the source to find more
information that I'm looking for. So I think you just
have to be mindful of just getting a sound fund
of knowledge if you're a new learner, and then kind
of like utilizing that to your benefit to help your patients.

Speaker 2 (24:26):
Yeah, thank you for that, for that insight. I know
that Brian Mud, my producer, is looking to use AI
and get me out of the studio. He won't need
me anymore. He can do frankly speaking through an AI.
But seriously, thank you Costa for joining frankly speaking. And
I once again please convey my appreciation to the members
of a HEPA for their sponsorship. I look forward to

(24:48):
seeing everybody on Sunday tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (24:50):
I will thank you again for having me.

Speaker 2 (24:52):
Okay, God bless thank you for joining me today on
frankly speaking. Each week before we close, that plan to
share a select Greek word like mister constantine gus portocalos
from the Big Fat Greek wedding movie. Give me any
word and I'll show you its Greek root. Last week
I introduced the word macrothemia, which is a key term

(25:13):
in the New Testament, often translated as patients or long suffering. Today,
I want to briefly discuss another ancient Greek word used
to convey the concept of courage. While the English word
courage itself is derived from the Latin word core, meaning heart,
there are several English words related to bravery and strength
that do have Greek roots. The word thaughtos, for example,

(25:35):
is used in both Greek and English to mean courage, boldness,
and bravery. It can also convene meanings like confidence and
in some contexts harder or audacity. The word is often
associated with a positive state of mind, encompassing enthusiasm and optimism.
At its heart, thoughtos signifies the quality of being courageous

(25:56):
and bold in the face of fear or difficulty. It
implies a confident and optimistic spirit, suggesting a willingness to
face challenges with enthusiasm. As I mentioned in today's monologue,
Aristotle did not equate courage with being fearless. He actually
used the word thaus to express courage as a virtue
that involves both fear and the ability to act despite it.

(26:19):
Aristotle thodos best characterizes a courageous person's attitude in the
face of danger or fearful situations. It is the mean,
the balance between the excess of fear, which would be cowardice,
and its deficiency, which Aristotle considers as either rashness or
excessive fearlessness. In essence, thoughtos may be used to describe

(26:41):
the life of Odysseus Andruzus, who represents the courageous hero
who balanced confidence and boldness with a recognition of realistic fears,
all motivated by the pursuit of the noble. This confidence
allowed Andrutus to persevere and to act virtuously even in
the face of adversity, ultimately contributing to the protection of

(27:02):
the acropolis and the liberation of his beloved nation. I
would suggest then, that in the face of the dangers
facing our own nation and world to day, thought us,
understood as Aristotle's virtue of courage, may be just what
we need. Thank you for joining me today on frankly speaking,
a show that seeks to provide Frank Talk in lively

(27:25):
interviews about the influence of the ancient Hellenic ideals, values,
and faith on our contemporary culture to help make America
Greek again. If you would like to share a question
or suggest a future guest or topic, I would love
to hear from you at Frank at franktalkradio dot com.