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What is the reason behind humanity’s fascination with gold? That’s the question Joe Rogan attempted to answer in the recent episode no. 2160 of the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast. The UFC color commentator and podcast host is known by the fans for his interest in history, ancient civilizations, and other intriguing topics. During his recent conversation with guest, Billy Carson, Rogan wondered about, “…how bizzare it is that human beings have this incredible fascination for gold.”

He further went on to state, “Like why back when it was basically useless, you couldn’t make a knife out of it, you couldn’t… you know, it didn’t make sense that this would be so valuable just because it’s rare.” This appeal of the precious metal before its practical applications were figured out was noted by Rogan as he continued, “You’re barely alive, you know right, we’re going back to full-on hunter and gatherer, our ancestors with spears and stone chips and after that gold emerges and it stays, it stays forever.”

According to information available online, the oldest gold artifacts in the world were discovered in Bulgaria and have been dated back to around 4,600 BC to 4,200 BC. These ‘artifacts’ form the basis of the idea that gold emerged as a symbol of wealth in early human civilization and has remained so throughout history.

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Rogan further referenced Zechariah Sitchin’s literature from the 1970s as he stated, “Now when you read Zechariah Sitchin’s book, he talks about this in the 1970’s, his description of it was that they needed to suspend gold particles in the atmosphere because their atmosphere was being destroyed.”

via Imago

The podcast host connected this to modern climate science, where similar ideas about using reflective particles to combat climate change have been proposed. However, it’s important to note that Sitchin’s ideas have been definitively rejected by the scientific community at large and his work has been dismissed as ‘pseudoscience’ and ‘pseudohistory’.

He then continued his ‘rant’ by pointing out, “The reason why things are like coated in gold, gold-plated rather, you can take a tiny piece of gold and cover an enormous area with it. It’s a strange metal, like really weird.”

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Rogan isn’t wrong here as gold is considered to be the most malleable of all metals with its ability to be stretched into a wire that is just a single atom wide and it can be stretched even more before it snaps. However, despite all this, the podcast host isn’t really a ‘fan’ of it as in a previous episode of the show, he revealed why he prefers other options over gold when it comes to his choice of jewelry!

Joe Rogan reveals his jewelry preferences and questions gold’s value

During his conversation with journalist and National Geographic correspondent, Mariana Van Zeller, Joe Rogan revealed his dislike for gold. He stated, “I don’t get it [and] I don’t even like it. I don’t like gold jewelry. I like silver. Silver looks pretty good to me.”

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The podcast host also confessed that while he understands that, “people like it”, he still doesn’t get why the metal’s rarity makes humans “care about it so much”. In fact, he further questioned, “…how come rubies aren’t worth as much? There’s a lot of stuff that’s pretty.”

In conclusion, Joe Rogan’s claims spark a broader discussion about the symbols of wealth and beauty that captivate us and how their perceived value evolves over time. What are your thoughts on his claims? Share them with us in the comments below!