[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 Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who stated, “He was sent to prison. But the observation ‘he has suffered evil,’ is an addition coming from you” (page 345). Here, Epictetus advocated

[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 Marcus Aurelius who stated, “Don’t allow yourself to be heard any longer griping about public life, not even with your own ears!” (page 344). When conte

[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 Marcus Aurelius, who stated, “If we judge as good and evil only the things in the power of our own choice, then there is no room left for blaming gods 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 and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who stated, “When you are distressed by an external thing, it’s not the thing itself that troubles you, but only your

[DISCLAIMER] Between my fifth and seventh grade years, my dad focused on teaching me tenets of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. Primarily, he taught lessons from a Bible textbook entitled The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, which is colloquially known as the “blue book.” As well, he offered his own perspective on verses from the King James Version of the Bible. For instance, I learned of Ecclesiastes 1:9, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that whic

[DISCLAIMER] When sorting through a box of photographs with my (then) wife, I came across a picture of her from a time before we were married. I didn’t recognize the woman in the image who had bleached hair (hair made blond through the use of chemicals). “Who is this?” I asked. My wife laughed and responded, “That’s me!” Apparently, it was a snapshot in a particular moment of time, prior to when we’d met, and it was at that instant that I contemplated how little I recogni

[DISCLAIMER] On the debut mixtape Indigoism (2013), by hip hop duo The Underachievers (rappers AK the Savior and Issa Gold), is the song “Play Your Part”. Also referred to as ‘play your role’ or ‘play your position,’ one source states that this phrase means to “check yourself’, or ‘act right.” As an example, the hook of “Play Your Part” states, “Better play your part, nigga, or you won’t get far. Started from the bottom, we was swimming with the fishes. Now, we the New Yo

[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. Before discovering Stoicism, I pondered the self-mastery (conscious control over one’s behavior) required (called for as suitable or appropriate) for real (having objective independent existence)

[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. With this in mind, I view many events through the proverbial lens of REBT. Herein, I’ll provide a psychoeducational lesson that involves thinking and believing which is rational (in accordance wit

[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. Using a Stoic perspective, I view many events through the proverbial lens of REBT. Thus, I’ll now provide a psychoeducational lesson that involves thinking and believing which is rational (in acco

[DISCLAIMER] Years ago, when I engaged in the act of amateur photography, I was assisted by my friend “Freckles”—someone who I met when I lived in a children’s home in 1991. Freckles was a professional photographer, as she mentored me by teaching techniques about my hobby. Thus, my friend helped me with change (to make different in some particular way or aspect). Specifically, although I’d been a photography hobbyist since elementary school, Freckles assisted me with chan

[DISCLAIMER] Blog Entries Dating Back Several Years Have Vindicated My Views The photo above was taken in June 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although I was highly skeptical of claims regarding the United States (U.S.) government’s response to COVID-19, masking procedures were required within my place of employment. I complied with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and Anthony Fa

[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. Because I maintain that bad ideas deserved to be mocked, the current blogpost is intended to serve as mockery of Stoic appeals to claims which are unfalsifiable (not capable of being proved false)

[DISCLAIMER] Logic and Reason I view many events through the proverbial lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Herein, I’ll provide a psychoeducational lesson that involves thinking and believing which is rational (in accordance with both logic and reason), or not (i.e., irrational), as it regards REBT. Here, “logic” is the interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, and “reason” is a statement offered in explanation 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 Roman Stoic philosopher Gaius Musonius Rufus, who stated, “The human being is born with an inclination toward virtue” (page 330). Regarding this point of view, authors of The Dai

[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, “Aren’t you ashamed to reserve for yourself only the remnants of your life and to dedicate to wisdom only that time can’t be directed

[DISCLAIMER] “Oooh,” my late stepmom said when describing the alleged behavior of her grandson, “he reminds me of you when you were his age!” Apparently, the boy who wasn’t biologically related to me used similar actions as my stepmom recalled me using when I was a child. For clarity, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines action as “a self-initiated sequence of movements, usually with respect to some goal. It may consist of an integrated set of component be

[DISCLAIMER] In my blog entry Philosophy Consists of Three Parts: The Moral, the Natural, and the Rational, I discussed the notion of philosophy being comprised of “the moral, the natural, and the rational” aspects of life. Regarding the current blogpost, I’ll focus on the component of nature. Because this term may be comprehended in various ways, it may be useful to define how it’s used in this post. For clarity, the American Psychological Association (APA) thusly define

[DISCLAIMER] It was my mother who taught me to steal. From an early age, I observed her taking small items from her employer. As she was a custodian to a church congregation, she had unlimited access to plastic cups and cutlery, paper plates and napkins, and an assortment of food items. “Shhh,” my mom said, “don’t tell anyone, because I’ll lose my job if people find out.” Not only did I learn to steal, I was taught that being deceitful about the act of stealing was accept

[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. In part, REBT serves as a philosophical approach to mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”). The ultimate aim (to direct toward a specified object or goal) of this