[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, property of Roger Birnbaum Productions and New Line Cinema, fair use In the film Rush Hour (1998), Carter (played by Chris Tucker), whose native language is English, shouts when meeting his new partner Lee (played by Jackie Chan), whose native language is Cantonese, “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines understanding as “the process of gaining insight abou

[DISCLAIMER] When enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, while stationed aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (2001-2003), I fulfilled the role of a non-commissioned officer (NCO). For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) thusly defines the term role: [A] coherent set of behaviors expected of an individual in a specific position within a group or social setting. Since the term is derived from the dramaturgical concept of role (the dialogue and act

[DISCLAIMER] In elementary and junior high school, my dad taught me tenets of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. This included lessons about Jews, or the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah who traditionally adhere to Judaism. Teaching me to love all fallible human beings, as God so loved the world (John 3:16), I wasn’t taught antisemitism (hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jew

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. Now, consider that on his debut commercial mixtape Misunderstood (2019), the late rapper JayDaYoungan released the song “Survive”, in which he said, “We gon’ come bust your fuckin’ brain, so, puss

[DISCLAIMER] On the third studio album, Getback (2007), by hip hop group Little Brother (lyricists Phonte and Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder) is the song “Can’t Win for Losing” which was produced by !llmind. Before exploring a portion of the song’s content, I’ll address the track’s namesake. Per one source, the phrase “can’t win for losing” means that the “odds are stacked against me. (Or no matter how much I try, I never succeed.).” This is a matter of hopelessness (t

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who stated, “We are like many pellets of incense falling on the same altar. Some collapse sooner, others later, but i

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness. For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, n

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Sara Collado, I heard her spin the track “I am as I am (SHNNG Rework)” (2026) by Jonasclean. Lyrics include, “I don’t believe it if he says, ‘Neither pearl nor jewel.’ It is not even that, o brother. I am as I am.” For context, the tautological phrase “I am as I am” regards acceptance of oneself without use of inflexible conditions, reflecting self-acceptance, unyielding truth, and the fundamental st

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. For this post, I thank you for granting me a personal anecdote. During the challenging time of my divorce, I experienced significant symptoms of depression. From an REBT point of view, I self-dist

[DISCLAIMER] For whatever reason, as of late, the shuffle feature that selects music for my daily self-care in the form of physical training has continually featured lyricist R.A. the Rugged Man’s third studio album All My Heroes Are Dead (2020). I’m grateful for this experience, especially the music. This morning, I heard the lyricist’s song “Life of the Party”, featuring the talented singer Eamon, and which was produced by Prince Paul. A reflective track, R.A. the Rugge

[DISCLAIMER] The Difference Between a Singular Ho and Plural Hoes In 1989, along with my dad, I attended LL Cool J’s Nitro World Tour, which featured rapper Eazy-E, rap group N.W.A, rapper Slick Rick, rap group De La Soul, and though he was scheduled to perform, rapper Too $hort was unable to appear for the Denver, Colorado concert. My uncle by marriage worked for an events ticketing agency, as he received two free tickets to the popular concert. Addressing his hesitati

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness. For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, n

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who stated, “In short, you must remember this—that if you hold anything dear outside of your own reasoned choice, you will have destroyed you

[DISCLAIMER] During the time that I lived with my dad and late stepmom (pictured above), from half of my fifth to half of my seventh grade years, my dad taught me the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Meanwhile, my stepmom regularly attended an Apostolic church congregation. Thereafter, as a resident of a children’s home which was sponsored by the Churches of Christ, I learned similarly conservative faith-based dogma. At that time, I maintained strong beliefs (states o

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca, who stated, “Fortune falls heavily on those for whom she’s unexpected. The one always on the lookout easily endures” (page 353). I disagree with

[DISCLAIMER] I looked for my United States (U.S.) Marine Corps recruiter at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Bomb City on the day that I flew to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego for U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training (i.e., boot camp) in 1996. However, among the many other lies I was told about military service by my recruiter, he was dishonest about his pledge to see me off to boot camp. Apparently, once he had an enlistment signature and

[DISCLAIMER] When attending graduate school for counseling, I was taught various tools for care regarding mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”). As an example, I learned of the mirror technique, which the American Psychological Association (APA) thusly defines: [T]he conscious use of active listening by the therapist in psychotherapy, accompanied by reflection of the client’s affect and body language in order to stimulate a sense of empat

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness. For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, n