12 August 2005 - Santa Fe, New Mexico, Dr. Alex Pattakos, Founder of the “Center For Personal Meaning”, headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has accepted an invitation to help build the Statue of Responsibility monument. Dr. Pattakos will join the elite “Honorary Advisory Council” of the Statue of Responsibility Foundation. Pattakos will assist the Foundation in its plans to build a Statue of Responsibility monument on the West Coast of America before the end of the first decade of the 21st Century.

The Statue of Responsibility Foundation is committed to seeing the idea of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl become a reality. In the 1960’s, Frankl said, “Freedom is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. The positive aspect of freedom is responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”

“Alex Pattakos, a vibrant and passionate champion of freedom, is a most welcomed addition to our Honorary Advisory Council, said Daniel Bolz, President & CEO of the Statue of Responsibility Foundation. Alex was a personal friend of Dr. Frankl and received a strong personal endorsement from Dr. Frankl to see to it that Alex’s book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl’s Principles at Work, become internationally successful. Dr. Frankl believed that the message in Alex’s book was one that needed to heard by everyone concerned with practical applications of Dr. Frankl’s own message of finding meaning in life. Dr. Pattakos will bring great energy and drive to our growing group of committed Foundation volunteers. It will be through these individuals, and their understanding of why the message of the Statue of Responsibility monument is so imperatively needed in this moment in history, that we will succeed in our cause to build what has been called, the most compelling monument project of t he 21st Century,” Bolz concluded.”

MORE ABOUT DR. PATTAKOS

Dr. Alex Pattakos is widely known and respected as a pioneer in transformational thinking. Worthwhile Magazine (May 2005) identified him as “one of the most provocative authors and smartest thinkers found on today’s bookshelves.” As the founder of the Center for Personal Meaning, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, he is passionate about helping people realize their highest potential and find deeper, authentic meaning in their work and everyday lives. He is a leading authority on applying the philosophy and therapeutic approach of Dr. Viktor Frankl to work and the workplace and was encouraged personally by Dr. Frankl to write his new book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl’s Principles at Work. Prisoners of Our Thoughts includes a Foreword by Dr. Stephen R. Covey, best-selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Prior to founding the Center for Personal Meaning and being a principal of The Innovation Group, Alex taught at several universities in the USA, served as a graduate program head, and directed two applied research institutes. He was among the initial faculty for the “Innovations in American Government Awards Program” at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, served as a faculty member at The Brookings Institution, and was also an adjunct professor of Innovation Management in the business program at the University of Toronto. Dr. Pattakos is also a past president of Renaissance Business Associates, an international, nonprofit association of people committed to promoting sound business ethics and elevating the human spirit in the workplace. During his term as president, RBA was active in Australia, Canada, Europe, Nigeria, South Africa, and the USA.

Additional information about Dr. Pattakos (affectionately nicknamed “Dr. Meaning!”) and his work is available on www.prisonersofourthoughts.com and www.seedsofinnovation.com.

Speaking about the monument project, Pattakos said, “I have always been intrigued by Dr. Frankl’s idea for a Statue of Responsibility. Indeed, it made common sense to me for, as a political scientist (and of Greek heritage), I couldn’t imagine a true democratic system founded on liberty alone. On the contrary, without personal and collective responsibility, there can be no democracy, no real freedom, and, as Dr. Frankl would say, no authentic will to meaning. I submit that the time has come for us to acknowledge this part of our human-ness for all the world to see. True freedom, however, is more than just another word–it is a fundamental value that must be cherished and protected by each and every one of us. And this can only be accomplished if we hold ourselves, and our fellow human beings, responsible. It is against this backdrop that I accept the Foundation’s invitation to be a member of the Honorary Advisory Council for such a meaning-full monument project. Besides my obvious passion for advancing Dr. Frankl’s legacy, I feel privileged to have an opportunity to help make the Statue of Responsibility more than an idea. It is an idea whose time has come!”

MORE ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

The Statue of Responsibility Foundation, a 501-c-3, non-profit corporation, has a two-fold mission: First, to raise the funding necessary to construct the monument. Second, and more long-term in nature, is to establish an educational scholarship fund. Scholarships will be given to applicants who have financial need and who can demonstrate how they have applied the principle of responsibility in their life – and how they plan to carry out responsibility following their university graduation.

Readers may find out more about the Statue of Responsibility Foundation, and see the design of the monument, by viewing their web site at www.sorfoundation.org.

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