[ DISCLAIMER ]   Regarding this blogpost, a number of terms warrant definition. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), psychopathy is defined  as “a synonym for antisocial personality disorder [ASPD]” and “formerly, any psychological disorder  or mental disease .”   Similarly, the APA defines  a psychopath as “a former name for an individual with antisocial personality disorder.” As ASPD is referenced in both of those definitions, it’s worth noting that t

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , property of Animate Film and Tokyo Theatres Company, fair use   When stationed in Okinawa, Japan (1997-1999), I enjoyed a number of Japanese animated films. My favorite was Ninja Scroll  (1993) that takes place in feudal Japan and follows Jūbei Kibagami , a mercenary swordsman who battles the Eight Devils of Kimon .   The Devils are a team of ninjas with supernatural powers who are intent on overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate . In one memorable

[ DISCLAIMER ]   My primary billet when serving in the United States Marine Corps (USMC; 1996-2007) was military police  (MP). Although the “protect and serve” motto adopted by many law enforcement entities isn’t legally or constitutionally binding, MPs were taught to uphold this standard.   The slogan meshed well with a conservative principle up with which I was raised in regard to “providing and protecting” members of one’s own family, community, and so forth. However, it

[ 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 .   Marcus Aurelius stated, “The unjust person acts against the gods. For insofar as the nature of the universe made rational creatures for the sake of each other, with an eye toward mutua

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   There’s a quote unproved to have been stated by Mahatma Gandhi , “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ .” For context, “Christ: is used by Christians—followers of Christ—as both a name and a title, unambiguously referring to Jesus .   Jesus is believed to be the son of Jehovah , a Latinization of the Hebrew יְהֹוָה‎ Yəhōwā, one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה‎ (YHWH), the

[ 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, “For I believe a good king is from the outset and by necessity a philosopher, and the philosopher is from the ou

[ DISCLAIMER ]   * The Rip  (2026) spoilers contained herein. Edited screengrab from The Rip , property of Netflix, fair use   If memory serves, I began listening to The Joe Rogan Experience  (JRE) in 2015, yet took time away from the podcast when Joe Rogan  developed an exclusive deal with Spotify, and then refocused my attention to JRE when Rogan distributed content back to YouTube and Rumble.   While I don’t agree with everything that anyone says , I do appreciate the ecle

[ DISCLAIMER ]   I recently spoke with client X who, when initially seeking care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health  (collectively “ mental health ”), used self-disturbing forms of global evaluation  (a complete appraisal of people, places, and things without considering other potential value ).   For instance, client X maintained, “I’m a bad person, because my family wants little to do with me.” Rather than considering that client X’s immediate family members app

[ 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 Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius  who stated, “What is your vocation? To be a good person” (page 171). Regarding this perspective, I stated in

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Do you remember fearing  monsters as a child? Addressing this concern, one hip hop song comes to mind. Featured on the...