There’s something about Joe Rogan that makes you lean in when he speaks—not because he’s trying to be knowledgeable, but because you know he’s lived what he says. On episode #2326 of The Joe Rogan Experience, British comedian Jimmy Carr prompted the JRE host to discuss something more serious than kettlebells and icy plunges. What emerged was not motivational fluff but a real, honest look at the one thing that distinguishes those who grow from those who remain stuck.
It began with Carr thinking about icy plunges—how he got into them after listening to Joe Rogan, how difficult they are, and how strange it is that we, as humans, sometimes choose discomfort when we don’t have to. Why would somebody do something so unpleasant on purpose? Why suffer now for a vague benefit later? The UFC commentator leaned closer and responded with what seemed like a quiet truth rather than a punchline.
He dubbed it “the process.” Not a fancy system. Not a hack. Just showing up. Doing the difficult thing. Then do it again the next day. Not because you’re assured anything, but because small moments add up over time. Rogan cited running as an example. If you can’t sprint around the block today, but you try tomorrow—and the next day—something changes. First, you’re going around the block.
Then you’re running miles. Then you register for a 5K or a half-marathon. Suddenly, the person who previously said, “I can’t,” has vanished. And that shift occurred only because you were willing to be uncomfortable. And this is exactly what makes many people reach what others believe to be peak perfection: the will to get uncomfortable.
Joe Rogan said on the podcast, “So there’s a process. And there’s a process of improvement. But that process requires you to be uncomfortable. And most people are unwilling to be uncomfortable. So if you are willing to be uncomfortable, you will bypass most human beings in everything you do.” That is more than just a theory for Joe Rogan; it is his way of life. This is a man who sits in a bathtub of 33-degree water on purpose, sometimes twice a day.
MMA: UFC 264-Weigh Ins, Jul 9, 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Joe Rogan hosts weigh ins for UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports, 09.07.2021 16:47:51, 16389700, NPStrans, T-Mobile Arena, Joe Rogan, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 16389700
He combines it with Wim Hof’s breathwork, pushing his mind to remain calm amid what most of us would consider pain. He conducts 90-minute hot yoga classes in settings that feel like furnaces. He hikes with weight vests, trains like a savage, hunts for elk meat, and yet has time to spar in martial arts or push sleds across gym floors like he’s preparing for war.
And here’s the thing: he’s not doing it for looks or attention. He does it to develop his skills. This is not about fitness. It’s about making a quiet decision when no one is watching. Choose to brave the cold, go to the gym, or do the thing you despise—because that is where real growth lives. Not on huge occasions, but on minor ones where you could take the easy route but don’t. And the lack of it is what scares Joe Rogan. In fact, with the development of AI tech, the JRE host believes the majority of modern society will soon get completely dependent on government aid to survive.
Joe Rogan warns humans against complacency
Joe Rogan’s description of pushing through discomfort resonates deeply with his larger concern about where society is headed, particularly as AI and automation transform everything around us. Because when you live by the daily grind, accepting struggle as fuel for progress, the idea of a future in which people no longer need to strive seems like a nightmare.
He is no longer only talking about the physical grind; he is also concerned about the possibility of losing our sense of purpose. On JRE #2325 with Aaron Rodgers, the UFC commentator laid it out bluntly: AI is about more than just machines doing our work; it is also about what happens when we no longer need to perform anything meaningful. The concern isn’t of machines taking over; it’s of humans slipping into a type of quiet irrelevance in which a government check replaces the need to improve, create, struggle, and overcome.
He said, “When you’re totally dependent on the state, totally dependent, and you don’t have any meaning anymore—because, like, what are you doing? You’re just waiting for your check all day.” Joe Rogan’s statements get right to the heart of existential dread: if you don’t have to face discomfort, what keeps you going? What makes you feel alive?
The numbers back him up. With hundreds of millions of jobs at risk and universal basic income becoming a reality, the JRE host’s warning becomes even more relevant. Comfort without challenge may sound appealing—until it becomes a cage. A world in which people wait for paychecks rather than pursuing their aspirations, and entitlement replaces growth.
For Joe Rogan, the real war is not against technology but against complacency, a creeping death of the human spirit in which the only option is to wait—and lose. What do you think? Do you agree with Rogan? Let us know in the comments.
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