Wherever a Person Can Live, There One Can Also Live Well

[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, “Wherever a person can live, there one can also live well; life is also in the demands of court, there too one can live well” (page 242). Of this, I ask you to forgive me a personal anecdote.

Having lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (1999-2000), I recall being introduced to the existence of favelas (several types of impoverished neighborhoods in Brasil, as the term means slum or ghetto). Also having grown up impoverished, I wanted to visit as many favelas as possible.

However, members of the Marine Security Guard detachment Rio to which I was assigned were forbidden from entering the slums. If we were approved by proper Department of State personnel, who served as a front for the Central Intelligence Agency, then we were authorized.

Of course, as I stated in a blogpost entitled Smile, “I have an incredibly low amount of the personality trait related to agreeableness. Perhaps a surprise to no one who knows me, I’ve scored in the zero percentile for this trait.” Thus, I said fuck the Agency and went anyway!

In the above photo is Rochina (a favela located in Rios South Zone, between the districts of São Conrado and Gávea, as around 72,000 people live in Rocinha, making it the most populous favela in Rio). I went there a number of times, admittedly under escort of Brasilians.

Also, I was escorted through a favela outlying Jacarepaguá, known as Jacarezinho, Antares in Santa Cruz, and a couple others whose names currently escape me. When visiting these favelas, I learned an invaluable lesson that was iterated by Aurelius.

Specifically, “wherever a person can live, there one can also live well.” This relates to the concept of eudaimonia, about which one source states, “In his Nicomachean Ethics (1095a15–22) Aristotle says that eudaimonia means ‘doing and living well”.

As was the lesson I learned when growing up in poverty, many people in Rio’s favelas lived well regarding one’s healthy outlook on life which isn’t affected by irrational beliefs about one’s own living standards. Personally, it was a beautiful experience about which I’ve not yet forgotten.

Now, I invite you to consider a eudaimonic standard of rational living. Can you live well despite your circumstances? I argue in the affirmative. Would you like to know more about how this is accomplished? You don’t have to visit a favela to find out. I’m here to try to help!

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

Daily Stoic. (n.d.). Translating the Stoics: An interview with “The Daily Stoic” co-author Stephen Hanselman. Retrieved from https://dailystoic.com/stephen-hanselman-interview/

Dias, B. (2024, March 18). ‘Favela climate memory’ exhibition arrives in Santa Cruz taking the climate history of five Rio favelas to young audiences. RioOnWatch. Retrieved from https://rioonwatch.org/?p=77547#:~:text=The%20Favela%20Climate%20Memory%20Exhibition%20emerged%20as,and%20the%20Vidigal%20Memories%20Nucleus%20in%20Vidigal.

Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

Hollings, D. (2022, October 31). Demandingness. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/demandingness

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2024, April 26). Eudaimonia. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/eudaimonia

Hollings, D. (2024, May 17). Feeling better vs. getting better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/feeling-better-vs-getting-better-1

Hollings, D. (2026, February 13). Five, four, three… beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/five-four-three-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (2025, September 7). Have to. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/have-to

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2024, May 15). Rational living. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-living

Hollings, D. (2025, January 19). Smile. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/smile

Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Stoicism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/stoicism

Hollings, D. (2025, February 28). To try is my goal. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-try-is-my-goal

Hollings, D. (2024, September 29). Well, well, well. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/well-well-well

Hollings, D. (2026, February 12). When are beliefs rational or healthy? Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/when-are-beliefs-rational-or-healthy

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