Joe Rogan is perhaps best known nowadays for his colourful and excitable commentary on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for the Fox Network, but his story spans a career of stand-up comedy, sell-out tours and a huge podcast show. He was also the host of the massive show “Fear Factor” in the US and his own show on the SyFy Channel named “Joe Rogan Questions Everything”.
Rogan is also very much open about his opinions on governments, drugs, psychedelics and both human and alien life, but predominantly, and in his own words: “The two things I understand best are stand-up comedy and martial arts. And those things require an ultimate grasp of the truth. You have to be objective about your skills and abilities to compete in both.”
And that’s the thing about Rogan: like him or loathe him, agree or disagree, he certainly is very much objective in his viewpoints, and keen to discover “the truth”. And while it seems clear that he does have certain agendas, his points relating to his expression of these are no less compelling.
Drugs
For example, it pretty much goes without saying that most drug users would fight the good fight for them to be legalised, but the standard arguments for legalisation relate to the quality improvement of the drugs if they were being centrally managed, the government missing out on the huge tax levies they would get in return for a positive amendment, the fact that the most poisonous drug of them all is consumed by everyone (alcohol obviously), and the associated health benefits (not of cocaine, heroin or crystal meth of course, we’re talking marijuana with the last point), however these arguments are slightly tired and will never have the desired effect.
Rogan is far more concise with his views: “It’s a very strange thing when you make nature illegal” he says, while also moving to placate those that claim marijuana is open to abuse by young or vulnerable people. “People say you can abuse marijuana. You can abuse cheeseburgers. Does that mean we should close Burger Kings?” he asks.
While also claiming that he most certainly isn’t much of a conspiracy theorist, and doesn’t really take many of them seriously, there is a hint of conspiring thought in his reasoning behind why marijuana remains illegal: “The number one reason why marijuana is illegal is because the Pharma Cartel does not want you to grow your own medicine. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper. The first car ever made ran on hemp oil. Hemp seeds are also the healthiest food on the planet with the highest protein content out of any plant.” The Pharma Cartel in fairness probably isn’t overly concerned with people growing their own medicine. Anybody can grow his or her own medicine quite legally; it just depends upon which medicine we are talking about.
DMT – The Spirit Molecule
One such medicine, and a medicine that Rogan certainly has no problem in encouraging the use of, is dimethyltryptamine, or DMT for short. DMT is a psychoactive compound that actually exists in humans, plants and animals, although nobody is exactly sure why. Rogan presented a documentary film named DMT – The Spirit Molecule, which recounts the famous human DMT chemical trials conducted under government instruction by Dr Rick Strassman.
The Spirit Molecule also examines the effects of DMT in terms of science and spirituality. The documentary explores the connection between quantum-physics, human spirituality and neuroscience, and also takes into account the experiences of the human guinea pigs to whom Dr Strassman administered DMT.
As Strassman’s theories are further discusses by a number of contributors and Rogan, many new ideas come to light, including the link between DMT and alien abduction stories, near-death experiences, the probable use of DMT throughout biblical times and its influence upon large portions of religious text.
The documentary puts forward many theories related to the universe, to human evolution and neuroscience that are extremely compelling, and with Rogan as the tour guide, the points, despite leaning toward pontificating at moments, certainly offer food for thought.
Religion
Rogan is a fan of science, and when it comes to religion, he’s not quite so sure.
“Faith itself is a horrible mechanism that stunts the growth of ideas. It also stunts the act of questioning, and it does this by pushing the idea that you have to have faith – and that nothing has to be proven,” he says when considering religion’s place in modern day society.
“Despite all the advancements in science, and all things about religion that are disproved, it still marches on. The bottom line is that the only real, absolutely provable answers about life and our place in the universe are provided by science, and religion has been holding down science since day one.”
Audience Participation
Rogan has never been shy and retiring in his views, and he is much adored by his audiences, the multi-millions that watch UFC, the million plus podcast listeners each week, and those that attend his sell-out stand-up tours.
What separates Rogan from many that embrace the same legalisation of drugs, theories upon aliens and the universe, as well as the enjoyment of watching grown men fighting against each other, is that Rogan is actually engaging, a fast-talker and thinker, quick-witted and intelligent. These are not necessarily qualities that go hand in hand when it comes to similar spokespeople for drug movements and alien abductees.
“Selling your life to sit in a box and work for a machine. An uncaring machine that demands productivity that doesn’t understand you and doesn’t want to understand you… There’s no natural behaviour. Everyone is wearing clothes they don’t want to wear. Everybody is showing up and doing something they don’t want to do. They have no connection to it. That’s the problem with our society…”