Joe Rogan’s latest episode with actor Jeremy Renner was largely apolitical, with the only real moment of controversy being a swipe at the makers of OxyContin. But what made the conversation truly stand out was something deeper—a raw, honest look at the simple, brutal rules for living a real life. Rogan explained that even though we live in the safest and easiest time in human history, we’re drowning in depression, anxiety, and unhappiness. “If you look at society today, we have unprecedented levels of depression and unprecedented levels of anxiety and unhappiness. Yet it’s probably the safest time ever. And it’s probably the easiest time ever,” Rogan said. Rogan pointed out how absurd life has gotten when you step back and really look at it. “It’s so easy that poor people are fat. That’s how easy it is. Like, that’s never been the case. All throughout history, poor people were starving, and poor people are fat now. Like, that’s how easy it is to live just to exist,” he said. He made it clear he wasn’t saying poverty is easy, but compared to what humans once faced, life today is almost unrecognizably soft. “[I’m] not saying that being poor is easy—it’s certainly not. This is certainly a struggle, but it’s way easier than starving to death. Like, this is like an unprecedented easy time,” he said. Rogan explained that modern life has brainwashed people into chasing comfort, such as vacations, relaxation, and retirement, to the point that they’ve become soft, and now even small challenges feel overwhelming.

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Rogan then offered another hard truth about why small problems can feel like massive setbacks in a world that’s forgotten how to suffer. He shared a quote that stuck with him: “Somebody said this once, and it’s like a great quote that I remember. ‘The worst thing that’s ever happened to you is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you, regardless of how small that is,’” Rogan said. He reflected on how, when he was 18, a breakup felt like the end of the world. “I thought I was gonna be with her forever. I was so sad. And then I think back, like, ‘Oh, my God, that was the best thing that ever happened. She was a nightmare.’ But back then, I thought I was probably a nightmare, too. But back then I thought, like, life was over,” Rogan explained. “You have to get through that [hard times] in order to appreciate life,” he added.

Then came the truth bomb that could easily become a new slogan for life: “You gotta conquer your inner b*tch,” Rogan said. He hammered home that the most miserable, anxiety-ridden people he knows are the ones who never take risks and cling to comfort. “Comfort is easy. It’s relaxing, it’s nice. But it’s only relaxing if you’ve earned it,” Rogan stressed. “You gotta conquer your inner b*tch,” he emphasized. “There’s an inner b*tch inside of everyone that’s like, ‘Oh, let’s just do nothing.’ You gotta go, ‘shut the f*ck up,’” Rogan said. And in order to do that, “You have to have like two minds” to overcome the “inner b*tch” that’s holding you back, Rogan added.

Watch the full conversation below. Lots of real talk in this episode with actor Jeremy Renner. @joerogan | @JeremyRenner https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

@joerogan @JeremyRenner Thanks for reading. If you appreciate this kind of reporting, follow me for more daily threads. —> @VigilantFox Shifting gears, Karoline Leavitt and Scott Bessent just revealed what Trump’s already accomplished in his first 100 days. Read more below: https://x.com/VigilantFox/stat...