He’s the uncle of all agony uncles — a world renowned speaker, author, physician, philosopher and Hollywood’s favourite go-to person for all things wise and wonderful.
From the late great Michael Jackson to Oprah Winfrey, he’s been everyone’s best friend, offering advise and healing to some of our planet’s most trying problems. So much so that Time magazine named him one of the 100 heroes and icons of the century. And oh, even Kanye West felt compelled to give him a shout out in one of his songs from his latest album, Yeezus.
No small feat for someone who just wants to be known as a doctor and writer.
Before Deepak Chopra comes to inspire the UAE for two events — on September 17 in Dubai and September 18 in Abu Dhabi — Sparky from Gulf News Broadcasting’s Radio 2 recently spoke with him to talk life, celebrities, Hollywood, healing and what he wants to be best known for. Just don’t call him a new age guru.
The first lecture or show in the UAE is in Dubai on the September 17 at the Madinat Jumeirah, named ‘the Future of Wellbeing’ and will apparently leave everyone in a state of peace, happiness, heightened awareness and true wellbeing. Now that’s a big ask for one evening?
Well I can certainly promise heightened awareness and offer anyone who attends the tools for transformation if they want to use them. But there is an expression — ‘A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still’.
How much can you actually fit into one of these evenings as I’m sure you’ve a lot to impart and instil in people?
I get through a lot even in a short period of time. I’m in Toronto now and will speak to 3,000 people tonight at a sold out event and we’ll have fun and cover a lot in just three hours. I’ll touch on social wellbeing, personal wellbeing, career wellbeing, financial wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and ultimately community wellbeing and spiritual wellbeing.
I want to do the same in Dubai. Interestingly the UAE scores higher than the US when it comes to wellbeing at the moment.
Now that is interesting. According to what criteria or to who?
I am a senior scientist at Gallup and we have very specific research that measures social, personal, career, financial and physical wellbeing. And for now the UAE is ahead of the US. I’ll be going over this material when I speak in Dubai as well as sharing the latest research in neuroplasticity, which is shows how your mind affects your brain. As well as genetic indeterminism, how 95 per cent of your genres respond to your lifestyle and are not deterministic.
You’re also giving a corporate workshop in Abu Dhabi on the 18th September called the Soul of Leadership, when you’re going to give business leaders and bosses practical tips on how to manage better?
Yes, the Soul of leadership shows people how to listen deeply, how to be present in all situations, how to understand the hierarchy of needs and responses, how to build teams of people with shared passions that complement their strengths and are emotionally bonded, how to be action oriented, how to take responsibility for health and welling, not only yours but for those you lead.
For anyone not able to make that special business workshop, any free advice for working better with your boss?
Be a good example and notice the strengths that your boss has, then compliment them on their strengthens. Note your own weaknesses and acknowledge them. If you notice someone’s strengths their performances improve. If you ignore them they get disengaged. Criticising them is actually better than ignoring them as at least you acknowledge their presence.
You’re described by Time Magazine as one of the top 100 heroes of the century, how does that feel?
To be honest I don’t really take things like that too seriously. No one should. It did make me say to my kids, ‘See I told you so’, as my kids don’t take me too seriously. No one’s families take them too seriously so I guess at least for impressing my kids it’s nice.
You’re obviously hugely famous yourself and you tend to work with hugely famous people, people like the big O, Oprah Winfrey, tell me some details about working with her?
When I first started working with Oprah I told her if she married me she would be called Oprah Chopra, but she didn’t take me seriously! No, she’s actually great fun to work with and we have a great partnership. I do a lot of programmes together and I’ve even taken her to India with me. She’ a real trooper, very charming, genuinely warm and has a real presence but she’s very authentic and that’s what counts. Ultimately that’s what people what to see, authenticity. She has true self-esteem and she inspires it in others.
It’s not just the likes of Oprah you’ve worked with, even the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. What type of experience was that?
Unfortunately in Hollywood there are a lot of people like Michael that surround themselves with what I can only describe themselves as legalised drug pushers. So I felt very sorry for what happened to Michael as he was truly a genius, great artist and a wonderful person. But Hollywood has a cabal of very unethical doctors who perpetuate and initiate their patients into addictive behaviour. I spoke out against it at the time and at least there is a lot more awareness that it is a huge problem in Hollywood that needs to be tackled.
You’re obviously very spiritual as a person. And then you have Hollywood which is filled with egos and celebrities. It’s a very clear juxtaposition. How do you balance to the two?
Well it depends how you define spirituality. Spirituality is self-awareness. That’s all I see it as and I don’t confuse it with anything else. The more self-aware you are, which means the more you are aware of your reactions, aware of your own mind, body, personal relationships, social interactions, and environment, that all affects your identity. You don’t think of your identity in a narrow way or the limits of a skin encapsulated ego. That’s what I taught people who interact with me. Hollywood has some amazingly talented and spiritual people.
Beyond one of the heroes of the century, you’re also described as a new age guru, is that how you’d describe yourself?
No, not at all. People like to give me a label. But I don’t. I’m a mind and body Doctor and my specialties are internal medicine and neuroscience. That’s what I studied and trained for as a physician. I specialised in endocrinology, which is the study of hormones and ultimately neuroendocrinology, which is brain chemistry and the relationship between body, mind and spirit from a purely scientific point of view.
So do you consider yourself first and foremost a Doctor?
Yes, a doctor and a writer. I collaborate with a lot of Doctors, so principally a doctor and an author.
So that moment in a theatre when the shout comes out ‘is there a doctor in the house’, you’d be first on your feet?
Yes, actually and that’s happened! I’ve had a few emergency situations on airplanes and I’ve always immediately responded and helped manage a crisis.
One of your many quotes you’re known for is — “Humour is humanity’s devise to escape suffering. So do you actually think funny people have it a bit better off?
Funny people are more in touch with their existential dilemmas and what we call human suffering. Funny people are more aware of the paradox of life and the contradictions of life. After all a joke is a paradox. If I need to explain it, it’s not a joke…
You’re not only a doctor and writer but also an actor appearing in your friend, Mike Myer’s movie, The Love Guru. What was that like?
Well I did it for him as a friend, we have a personal friendship that’s all and to be honest I didn’t think much of the movie. And yes he knows I think that but we are good friends.
You say there is a spiritual solution to every problem, is that true?
When I say that I feel there is a creative solution to every problem. But you have to expand your awareness. You have to be a good observer. You to say what am I observing, what am I feeling, what’s needed here and what’s the best way to deal with this situation.
Once you start that process and looking at every problem as a creative opportunity, So when I say spiritual solution the principles are very simple. When your awareness is contracted, when you’re stressed, problems appear. When your awareness is expanded, you start to see solutions. And when your awareness is unbounded and free, totally without the burden of the past or the suspicions of the future, there are no problems or any need for any solutions either. There is a creative solution to everything. And we need to start harnessing this creativity otherwise we keep doing the same thing over and over again.
How many times have we gone to war to eliminate war. It’s an oxymoron. The phrase war or terror is an oxymoron. There are creative solutions to these things. These solutions are to do with economics, social justice, and going over things like racism, bigotry, hatred, intolerance. Once you see you are part of the problem you can start to create the solution.
Can you give me one example of fantastic problem that was solved with a creative solution?
I deal with problems every day. Simple but important problems that people face in their everyday lives such as issues between children and their parents or teachers. I start by sitting down and asking both sides what they want. And in most cases both sides want respect, a sense of belonging, they want to feel safe and secure, they want to achieve success, they want creative expression, they want to be part of a team. And once you find that you come up with an action plan for both sides. It’s these action plans that can solve any problem. I do that every day, especially with kids who are willing to listen.
I think it’s the first time the UAE has brought such an acclaimed thinker to conduct public lectures in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, are you looking forward to it?
Absolutely, I feel privileged to share my thoughts with the people of the UAE, those who seek to improve their own wellbeing. People can grow and develop by embracing some fundamental rules and I hope my seminars can help equip people to succeed in the future regardless of their role in life.
*As told to Sparky, Radio 2. Go to gulfnews.com/radio2
