Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode: "Nothing Matters and What If It Did???"
Date: August 19, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, Armstrong & Getty dive into existential themes and personal well-being, using the phrase "Nothing Matters and What If It Did???"—itself a nod to a John Cougar Mellencamp album—as a springboard for a wide-ranging conversation. The hosts explore topics spanning presidential fitness, the pursuit of excellence, philosophies like stoicism and Buddhism, mental health, psychedelics, and the art of living in the moment. The show maintains its characteristic blend of humor, cultural references, and candid introspection.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Presidential Fitness Goals and Realistic Expectations
Timestamps: 03:32 – 05:47
- The conversation begins with a discussion about RFK Jr. and Pete Hegseth's recent fitness challenge: 50 pull-ups and 100 push-ups in under 5 minutes.
- Hosts marvel at RFK Jr.'s fitness at age 71, noting, “I was watching him crank out those pull ups. Oh my God.” (Joe Rogan, 04:55)
- They critique the idea of setting unattainable standards, relating it to presidential fitness tests from their youth:
- “If you can't reach the goal, it's meaningless. You don't motivate anybody to do anything.” (Joe Rogan, 05:24)
2. The Pursuit of Perfection vs. Attainable Goals
Timestamps: 05:47 – 07:36
- Michael brings up the NFL documentary “Quarterback” and how athletes like Kirk Cousins chase perfection.
- “I pursue perfection because pursuing perfection is the only way you get to excellence.” (Michael quoting the docuseries, 07:28)
- The hosts contrast this with the need for realistic, incremental goals (“sub-goals”) that build confidence and achievement.
- Candid admission: “I'd rather not say this out loud…but obviously, if you're doing a podcast, a radio show, you're trying to make it perfect so that it's excellent. It will never be perfect.” (Michael, 07:37–07:56)
3. Extracting Value and Letting Go—Stoicism, Buddhism, and Nihilism
Timestamps: 08:44 – 13:46
- Joe introduces a Jerry Seinfeld interview referencing Marcus Aurelius and the principles of stoicism (09:08):
- “Marcus Aurelius says your only focus should be on getting better at what you're doing. Focus on what you're doing, get better at what you're doing. Everything else is a complete waste of time.” (Guest, 09:38)
- Michael and Joe discuss similarities between stoicism, Buddhism, and even nihilism—the idea that so much of what we stress over “doesn’t matter.”
- Joe reflects on young children’s ability to be fully present and wonders why adults lose this connection:
- "Nobody lives in the moment like a 4-year-old or a 2-year-old. I mean they are 1000% invested in what they're doing at that moment." (Joe Rogan, 10:46)
- They explore why it’s so hard to return to that “in-the-moment” mind as adults.
- Michael summarizes the three stages of life:
- “You worry about what other people think of you, then you don't worry what other people are thinking of you, then you realize they weren't thinking of you.” (Michael, 12:09)
4. The Meaning of Achievement & Time’s Shortness
Timestamps: 13:02 – 13:46
- A philosophical volley emerges: Is even “getting better at what you’re doing” meaningful if all is ultimately impermanent?
- “The obvious retort...is all that'll be gone too. So that's a waste of time and meaningless too. I think the answer to that is no. That's really the only true joy and satisfaction you can have.” (Michael, 13:02)
- Joe wisely replies, “It's not a waste of time to pursue something and get better at it. It's meaningless...over in the long run of history of time.” (13:29)
Michael closes: “But we don’t get a long run. We get a short run. So talk to me about the short run.” (13:39)
5. Achieving “Living in the Moment”—Barriers, Meditation, and Psychedelics
Timestamps: 17:23 – 20:31
- Joe asks listeners for tips on “living in the moment,” noting that while meditation helps his mood, it doesn’t always bring true presence:
- “If you've had any luck with getting better at living in the moment, please text or email…I would like to get better at that.” (Joe Rogan, 17:31)
- Michael jokingly suggests: “Take mushrooms.” (18:03)
- They discuss Rick Perry’s (former Texas Governor) advocacy for the psychedelic ibogaine in treating PTSD and the power of psychedelics to disrupt automatic thinking patterns:
- “You can step outside of your own experience and think, huh, that's not a good way to think about that. And it's up to me to think about it differently.” (Michael, 19:10)
- Insights are offered on how ingrained mental habits can be gently disrupted to benefit mental health.
6. The Noise of Modern Minds
Timestamps: 20:31 – 21:31
- Joe references research suggesting that “98% of the thoughts you have are completely waste. Like, not needed at all. They're just random crap.” (Joe Rogan, 20:35)
- Humorous speculation: Were people 200 years ago (like oxen-plowing farmers) troubled by useless thoughts or simply too busy with physical labor?
- Michael quips: “Well, you both. I think you would focus on what you were doing, but as long as the ox was going straight, you would daydream a lot.” (Michael, 21:02)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Unattainable Goals:
“If you can't reach the goal, it's meaningless. You don't motivate anybody…”
— Joe Rogan, 05:24 -
On Perfection:
“I pursue perfection because pursuing perfection is the only way you get to excellence.”
— (Quoted from NFL doc, 07:28) -
On Stoicism:
“Your only focus should be on getting better at what you're doing. Everything else is a complete waste of time.”
— Guest, 09:38 -
On Living in the Moment:
“Nobody lives in the moment like a 4-year-old...they are 1000% invested in what they're doing at that moment.”
— Joe Rogan, 10:46 -
On How Little Others Care:
“You worry about what other people think of you, then you don't worry...then you realize they weren't thinking of you.”
— Michael, 12:09 -
On Meaning in the Short Run:
“We don’t get a long run. We get a short run. So talk to me about the short run.”
— Michael, 13:39 -
On Disrupting Mental Habits:
“Psychedelics can have a way of separating you from all of those assumptions that you make every day.”
— Michael, 19:01 -
On Mind Clutter:
“98% of the thoughts you have are completely waste…just random crap.”
— Joe Rogan, 20:35
Flow & Tone
The conversational flow is fast, playful, and self-deprecating, moving quickly from politics to philosophy to personal anecdotes. Humor abounds, particularly as the hosts poke fun at their own foibles and aging bodies. Underneath the banter, there’s earnest curiosity about living better lives—both for themselves and for listeners.
Key Timestamps
- 03:32 – RFK Jr. fitness challenge, presidential goals
- 05:24 – The pitfalls of unreachable objectives
- 07:28 – Insights from NFL docuseries on perfection
- 09:08 – Jerry Seinfeld, Marcus Aurelius, and stoicism
- 10:46 – Children as role models for living in the moment
- 12:09 – Three stages of worrying about others’ opinions
- 13:02 – Existential musings on meaning and satisfaction
- 17:31 – Struggles (and attempts) to live in the moment; meditation
- 18:03 – Role of psychedelics, Rick Perry’s advocacy
- 20:35 – The noise of unnecessary thoughts
- 21:02 – The daydreaming farmer and the modern mind
This episode invites listeners to laugh, question their anxieties, and perhaps take one step closer to living meaningfully in the fleeting present.