Most of us trod this earth with barely a glimpse beyond our struggle, seeking pleasure after distraction after judgment, all the while hoping that the forever chased-after illusions will, in fact, bring relief.

They will not (or at least only temporarily).

Mike Florio (who I happen to like very much as a writer and personality), the founder and lead writer for PFT, or Pro Football Talk, is one such among billions, and, due to his seeming unwillingness to peek beyond the veil of the world construct that he adheres to (like most of us), spends a fair amount of time ridiculing that which he knows not of. He has simply swallowed a version of the corporate/government/cultural narrative that he jives with and therefore has no capacity to look objectively into the alternate interests of those with whom he has a beef.

Enter Aaron Rodgers.

Florio has held a longstanding grudge against Rodgers (or so it appears) ever since Rodgers pointed a ridiculing finger his way a few years back, suggesting that Florio is of the ignorant ilk (ain’t we all!). From what I can tell, Florio has taken umbrage ever since, and has aptly applied the old adage that “the pen is mightier than the sword” for years now, stabbing away whenever he feels that the opportunity avails itself.

Such as now.

Last year Rodgers went public with the fact that he had partaken of a plant medicine called Ayahuasca (somewhere deep within the bowels of South America), one of a few substances known to most as a psychedelic; and for which he was mocked. It powerfully impacted his life, he noted, for which he was extremely grateful. This year he is taking another type of ‘trip’ - one into total darkness and quiet and solitude (for three full days) - and admits that he hopes it might help him make an important decision or two.

To be honest, I really do not care what any of today’s power structures say about such things. They certainly have their own agendas, a verifiable fact for those willing to extract their lips off of the power structure’s teat for more than a half second.

As for myself, I lost my daughter to a brutal cancer over seven years ago and, desperate to find relief, delved into a thing or two that I had previously been told was taboo (by governments and churches and the like). In so doing I discovered that I had, in fact, been quite ignorant of many things. For example, I also did Ayahuasca, and can say unequivocally that the public’s perception of such and the actual experience itself simply are not, if you’ll excuse the pun - coherently understood.

I also have a very deep appreciation for solitude, quiet, and even darkness (as did folks like Jesus and Einstein, to name a couple). I applaud Rodgers for his willingness to escape the confines of societal norms and, erm, confine himself. Who are any of us to judge, anyway?

Look, Aaron Rodgers has certainly said and done more than enough to subject himself to public scrutiny. I, myself, believe he has perhaps opened his mouth a few too many times and let out some pretty cryptic, and unnecessary, utterances into the ether. But I at least appreciate his openness!

No, he did not have to let us know about his upcoming ‘retreat’, but so what! Perhaps he did more so due to courage than narcissism, as Florio suggests. Who knows?

My suggestion to Florio?

Take a risk instead of following the party line. Consider grabbing yourself a shaman and partaking, all the while on your own personal retreat of darkness and solitude and quiet.

I guarantee your next response to such ‘news’ will be different.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/02/12/aaron-rodgers-will-enter-voluntary-solitary-confinement-on-monday/

Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Atlanta Falcons, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons