The Necessity to Struggle / The Futility of Effort

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  • Опубліковано 25 лют 2019
  • In which John recalls an afternoon at the airport.
    ----
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,6 тис.

  • @joellebrooke42
    @joellebrooke42 5 років тому +2045

    John, your John Green is showing. Don't stop

  • @peterlopinto
    @peterlopinto 5 років тому +1296

    "...but we don't live in the grand scheme of things" is inspiring. I think I'll adopt it as a mantra the next time I'm experiencing this thought spiral. Thanks John

    • @1234kalmar
      @1234kalmar 5 років тому +42

      I made that realization a few years ago, and it helped so much. The universe is big and indifferent towards us! Well, then why should *I* care about *It*. Its sun's might burn for a billion years. Cool. I made a friend laugh yesterday. That's what I care about.

    • @peterlopinto
      @peterlopinto 5 років тому +26

      @@1234kalmar +1 I love that. I think for me the popularized "live in the moment" idea can feel like an overwhelming mission whereas the reassurance that we are creatures of this moment is a truth that keeps me grounded

    • @AshKetchum442
      @AshKetchum442 5 років тому +13

      Something that really helped me out of my existential depression is that if nothing really matters why should i waste my time thinking about how pointless it all is? Who decided it was pointless? Im here for only so long, why shouldnt i enjoy it!

    • @ellw7830
      @ellw7830 5 років тому +11

      I feel constantly caught between wanting to do something big enough to alter the grand scheme of things and the crushing realization that I cannot possibly do anything big enough to alter the grand scheme of things... at least not yet. This quote is definetely something that might help me, and it's similar to one I need to remember more often;
      "When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser and realized the world would not change, I shortened my sights somewhat, and decided to change only my country; but it too seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, I settled on changing only my family and those closest to me--but alas they would have none of it. Now I lay on my deathbed and I suddenly realize that if I had only changed myself first, then by example I could perhaps have changed my family, and from their inspiration and encouragement to me I would have been better able to help my country and from there I may even have been able to change the world." (Taken from the tomb of a Bishop in Westminster Abbey 1100 A.D

    • @peterlopinto
      @peterlopinto 5 років тому +5

      @@ellw7830 Wow that's a lovely quote. It reminds me of the Michael Jackson song Man in the Mirror, where he also comments on improving the world by improving himself.

  • @justina7639
    @justina7639 5 років тому +1248

    John, this reminded me of something else you once said: I mean, sure, the world is going to end and Venice will sink under the sea, but not yet.

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +332

      Once I was in an art gallery and I saw a young woman who had the words "Not Today" written on the inside of her wrists, and I have often thought that if I ever got a real tattoo, that'd be it. Not today. Not yet. -John

    • @emilymartin5418
      @emilymartin5418 5 років тому +9

      @@vlogbrothers I'm thinking of getting a tattoo of a phrase I try to keep in mind: "This doesn't define me." In my own handwriting, on the inside of my arm, with real ink. I've wanted it for a couple of years now, so I feel like I wouldn't regret it. Thank you for making and sharing this video, and so many others. I hope you have a wonderful day today.

    • @yankonapc
      @yankonapc 5 років тому +16

      @@vlogbrothers Hey mate, I don't want to rain on you but I think that phrase in that location is a bit heavier than you present it to be, and flags up a bit more than a philosophical existential crisis. You be careful out there. This sort of spiral thinking can be dangerous and difficult to pull out of. Beyond not yet, how about not ever?

    • @Daniel.Walker
      @Daniel.Walker 5 років тому +5

      @@yankonapc Peter Rollins has some interesting writing and recordings on dialectical logic and it's connection to grace narratives! For some there are healthy ways to look into that spiral, and through that painful experience find some solace. Rather than avoidance for survival (an experience that is valid as heck), there's a planned exposure, a diving deep, a recognition of the pain that is at the crux of those individuals' survival and experience of life.
      Not speaking for John, or anyone else, but there's a bit of truth for me right now in my life that resonates with the idea behind these tattoo ideas!
      (He has a podcast with Eliott Morgan called the Fundamentalists and you should check it out if you like internet things and also discussions of existential dread, psychology, and societal/non-theistic theology!)

    • @travisscavoni369
      @travisscavoni369 5 років тому +6

      @@vlogbrothers kinda like Project Semicolon

  • @Jrv1s
    @Jrv1s 5 років тому +576

    Friends and soft pretzels are the meaning of life.

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +91

      I think there's a good case to be made for this. -John

    • @MsFredWeasley
      @MsFredWeasley 5 років тому +6

      Especially if you are from Philadelphia.

    • @mvwinf
      @mvwinf 5 років тому +3

      Rebecca Bunch?

    • @hardboard82
      @hardboard82 5 років тому +2

      Both are great aspects of life that bring us happiness. But if everything is meaningless, should happiness be our top priority?

    • @elderlyoogway
      @elderlyoogway 5 років тому +2

      Laurin Schmidt that depends, you decide. There’s countless cases to be made for happiness, but it doesn’t mean it is the right one. It’s just that humans like to self-justify their natural inclinations.

  • @cheyennemarie7075
    @cheyennemarie7075 5 років тому +472

    Gee thanks, John. I was about due for an existential crisis👍🏾

    • @intheclouds4453
      @intheclouds4453 5 років тому +11

      I have existential thoughts all the time it's getting ridiculous and scary

    • @emilymartin5418
      @emilymartin5418 5 років тому +10

      @@intheclouds4453 I hope you have or find someone you can talk to when it gets scary, because sharing helps so much. If nothing else, or if you prefer, there are plenty of Nerdfighters and beautiful Internet strangers ready to listen.

    • @fraidarahbaran6076
      @fraidarahbaran6076 5 років тому +2

      +

    • @ToyKeeper
      @ToyKeeper 5 років тому +2

      Yeah... I came here hoping John had motivational insights into why I should do that thing on my todo list instead of mindlessly clicking through videos while time burns away one more page in the short book of my life. But this video didn't really help. Maybe instead I can extract an answer from 8 hours of osmosis with my pillow.

    • @nickiaconis
      @nickiaconis 5 років тому +3

      @@ToyKeeper if nothing else, hopefully you'll feel rested after that

  • @moiradarling97
    @moiradarling97 5 років тому +521

    This video is exactly how I think. I go from “God I love sitting at the beach and watching the waves.” To “Its sad that I have no idea how much longer I have to enjoy this world.”

    • @pumpkinomom4446
      @pumpkinomom4446 5 років тому +3

      Moira H Hi fellow Moira! We have the same Name! ❤

    • @moiradarling97
      @moiradarling97 5 років тому +1

      Pumpkinomo M yesss, it’s very rare!

    • @mandoman69
      @mandoman69 5 років тому +4

      Then back to "i really love starring at those waves"

    • @smhill818
      @smhill818 5 років тому +5

      It's strange to think of, but that future version of you that can no longer enjoy this world will actually not be you at all, because you will no longer exist-and therefore, being nonexistent, you won't be able to feel sad about being unable to enjoy the world. From your own perspective, you can enjoy the world right up until the end of time, because your perception of time (among other things) will end once your life ends. I dunno, I find some odd solace in that. It kind of helps me stop feeling sad and get back to enjoying.

  • @pandapan8281
    @pandapan8281 5 років тому +346

    It’s like the starfish story. A beach is full of starfish and a boy is throwing them back in the ocean. A guy tells him it is useless that there is too many starfish. The boy throws another and says it matters to that one. It really doesn’t matter how many people you knew or helped. It just matters that you helped one person and their life was better because of you. Cause in the grand scheme of things no one is more important than anyone else. We just have to try and make a difference for who is around now.

    • @MattPalka
      @MattPalka 5 років тому +9

      I love that story SO MUCH

    • @amyblueskyirl16
      @amyblueskyirl16 5 років тому +9

      Ha that's almost exactly what I said! lol Love is the best remedy for existential angst imo :D

    • @MattPalka
      @MattPalka 5 років тому +5

      @@amyblueskyirl16 Agreed. While one person is criticizing whether or not something is working, there are real people doing the actual work that matters. We can each help so much in even the smallest of ways

  • @thejesuschrist
    @thejesuschrist 5 років тому +636

    Amazing!

  • @thedavescloop
    @thedavescloop 5 років тому +539

    This is me when I fold laundry.

    • @courtneymarcon349
      @courtneymarcon349 5 років тому +3

      Dorvid for me it’s ironing

    • @annariordan2801
      @annariordan2801 5 років тому +2

      Yes!!

    • @ahmedelmogi5113
      @ahmedelmogi5113 5 років тому +1

      Exactly

    • @ampz1466
      @ampz1466 5 років тому +14

      This is why my laundry takes weeks to get folded.

    • @courtneymarcon349
      @courtneymarcon349 5 років тому +23

      Ampz14 From now on my excuse for not folding and ironing laundry will be that if I do it, I might have an existential crisis.

  • @mossboy2564
    @mossboy2564 5 років тому +236

    “Brains are so weird” God, I *felt* that

  • @OliverHatched
    @OliverHatched 5 років тому +289

    I'm disabled by mental illness, and one of the most useful things I learned in therapy is something you mentioned in this video: thought patterns that make you feel worse are useless, no matter how true they are. I've learned to redirect my thoughts away from the despair and nihilism, and toward the present moment. Doing this has provided me with more relief from my depression than anything else has.

    • @airwolfguy
      @airwolfguy 5 років тому

      The previous comment was one of three that I made in rapid succession before getting to know your channel better. I think I get it now. I'm sorry about what happened to you. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help.

    • @aleksandraa5146
      @aleksandraa5146 5 років тому +8

      I can relate to this but wonder how do you manage to redirect those thoughts? If you wouldn't mind sharing that is. I also struggle with derealisation, however, so it is harder to focus on the present too... I am really glad that it has helped you though!

    • @nidhiphal2867
      @nidhiphal2867 3 роки тому +4

      @@aleksandraa5146 Try to practise noting. It's a mindfulness technique that allows you to step out of the thought spiral and just stay. Also you can try nothing 3 sounds, 3 objects and 3 odors in the present moment, so you step out of your busy mind

  • @eli88958
    @eli88958 5 років тому +74

    Stop John, I can't got into an existential crisis right before midterms

    • @squeeerle
      @squeeerle 5 років тому +1

      It will be ok, you've got this.

    • @ellw7830
      @ellw7830 5 років тому +1

      your profile picture looks like it's verbalizing your comment

    • @squeeerle
      @squeeerle 5 років тому

      So how did exams go?

    • @benas_st
      @benas_st 2 роки тому

      @@squeeerle
      it's been 2 years, I think it wasn't good

    • @squeeerle
      @squeeerle 2 роки тому

      @@benas_st bummer! Well, at least that class is long over.

  • @beccabonham8137
    @beccabonham8137 5 років тому +413

    “we don’t live in the grand scheme of things, we live here, in the day to day” i really needed to hear that. (and this whole video in general) thanks john!

  • @killerwolfxx7
    @killerwolfxx7 5 років тому +399

    For like 9 years John has been laying down the philosophical knowledge on me, That or giraffe sex

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +80

      My two great areas of interest. -John

    • @mariewikiwaka3851
      @mariewikiwaka3851 5 років тому +9

      vlogbrothers Don’t forget presidents and last words. Sometimes both simultaneously.

    • @clairehirano5889
      @clairehirano5889 5 років тому +9

      @@vlogbrothers I think you meant fields of expertise *insert collage of grassy fields here*

    • @MichaelTavares
      @MichaelTavares 5 років тому

      People who love giraffes who love giraffes

  • @emmachambers4037
    @emmachambers4037 3 роки тому +35

    If you could describe John Green in one phrase: 'AND THEN, I started to think some more'. I love it

  • @TheOtherDibbler
    @TheOtherDibbler 5 років тому +195

    The comment about everything we own and love eventually becoming landfill and ceasing to matter made me think of an experience I had a couple of years ago. At a medieval recreation event I got to hold a genuine medieval pot that had been discovered in an archaeological excavation. It wasn't a beautiful fabulous thing, it was roughly made, created to be used and discarded, yet it had survived hundreds of years. Preserved in the clay was a fingerprint. A person whose name and face have long been forgotten once made an unimportant thing, and left the most personal and unique of all marks on it, and hundreds of years later I held it in my hand and placed my finger where theirs had been. And maybe that's nothing much, when considered on a universal time-scale, but it FEELS pretty big, and it makes me wonder what 'meaningless' everyday items from our own lives will be someone's treasure one day.

    • @lillyhill6093
      @lillyhill6093 3 роки тому +2

      +

    • @rush8280
      @rush8280 3 роки тому +6

      This is one of the coolest UA-cam comments I've ever read

    • @WouldntULikeToKnow.
      @WouldntULikeToKnow. 3 роки тому +5

      As someone who studied art history: YES, YOU GET IT

    • @saniyapaliwal1454
      @saniyapaliwal1454 3 роки тому +1

      +

    • @UnwarrenD
      @UnwarrenD Рік тому

      This is a genuinely beautiful comment that stood out to me out a bleak and cloudy Sunday afternoon.

  • @Mehrnooshb
    @Mehrnooshb 5 років тому +129

    Added to my “Favorite Vlogbrothers” playlist.

  • @KarolaTea
    @KarolaTea 5 років тому +278

    now I want a soft pretzel...

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +33

      Same. -John

    • @flashsurfing
      @flashsurfing 5 років тому +3

      The most Midwest of comments indeed

    • @KarolaTea
      @KarolaTea 5 років тому

      I'll... take that as a compliment ^^

    • @brucefrizzell4221
      @brucefrizzell4221 5 років тому +2

      Double Bourbon , please .
      Great video .

    • @niffler09
      @niffler09 5 років тому +1

      with butter on it nomm

  • @bicooo1
    @bicooo1 5 років тому +77

    This video really spoke to me. I love that you said 'this is the Hunger Games and I am a resident of the Capitol' because I have that thought at times. People in third world countries that are dying of famine would be disgusted by the way we use food, and the way we use so many things in ways that aren't right. When I read the Hunger Games I thought that surely if I lived in the Capitol I would do everything to help the other districts, yet in real life I'm mostly worrying about my own struggles.

  • @imsocorkyy
    @imsocorkyy 5 років тому +11

    “Isn’t it absurd how temporary we are despite all our efforts to feel permanent?”
    The kind of questions that keep me up at night. It gives me way too much anxiety to think of how fragile our lives really are.

  • @meirihareven5092
    @meirihareven5092 5 років тому +120

    Or as Camus put it: "One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +58

      Or at the least one must imagine Sisyphus productive. -John

    • @insu_na
      @insu_na 5 років тому +6

      And one must imagine Sisyphus immortal. That's my key takeaway from this

    • @SacchieILU
      @SacchieILU 5 років тому +1

      I came hear to read or post this exact comment.
      Effort is, in itself, rewarding. It is not my successes that give me meaning, but my trials and attempts to overcome.

    • @Richard_Jones
      @Richard_Jones 5 років тому +1

      Ah Camus, fine philosopher and halfway decent goalkeeper. If he weren't dead he could play for AFC Wimbledon.

  • @Carina5707
    @Carina5707 5 років тому +725

    In the grand scheme of things
    Even the greatest of kings
    Are just little hands
    Building castles out of sand.
    Edit: Wow thanks for the love, guys. I make poetry videos in case you care. And if you want to quote me somewhere, my name is Julie Merson. Thank you ^^

    • @Carina5707
      @Carina5707 5 років тому +17

      redmeetingwhite my brain lol

    • @Carina5707
      @Carina5707 5 років тому +23

      redmeetingwhite it IS finished lol. I think it says all it needs to say in a single verse tbh

    • @fraidarahbaran6076
      @fraidarahbaran6076 5 років тому

      +

    • @tsumni3421
      @tsumni3421 5 років тому

      That is beautiful in ways that I can't put to words

    • @cynthialivingston4849
      @cynthialivingston4849 5 років тому

      Beautiful words, @Juice.

  • @kieran163
    @kieran163 3 роки тому +3

    “maybe nothing matters in the grand scheme of things, but we don’t live in the grand scheme of things, we live here.” damn, john.

  • @ConBadger
    @ConBadger 5 років тому +11

    "...but we don't *live in* the grand scheme of things, we live *here*, in the day to day, at gate A7 on an early Wednesday afternoon."
    I have a lot of those same thoughts of, nothing really matters. But that brought me back to the here and now. Helped to make things a bit clearer. Really good line, thank you.

  • @vickylikesthis
    @vickylikesthis 5 років тому +58

    "It's not so much which of these ways of looking at the world is true. It's which of these ways of looking at the world is productive". This is so important, and yet I always forgot this.

    • @vickylikesthis
      @vickylikesthis 5 років тому +1

      I'm an academic and a Hufflepuff. True vs Helpful is a constant tension!

  • @Amy-nz6sm
    @Amy-nz6sm 5 років тому +134

    Thanks for putting my thoughts into a more manageable idea this actually just helped me in my current situation 🤔👍🏼

    • @saritacheeks
      @saritacheeks 5 років тому +3

      Alice Samesies!! John is so good at doing this! :D

    • @albinsandin7835
      @albinsandin7835 5 років тому +1

      The number one guy for the job

    • @nicolem8754
      @nicolem8754 5 років тому +1

      me too!!

  • @blarblablarblar
    @blarblablarblar 5 років тому +78

    I see it's time for our semiannual existential crisis

    • @luddity
      @luddity 3 роки тому

      carb withdrawal is pitiful

  • @pamelarojas7754
    @pamelarojas7754 5 років тому +117

    I feel very identified with your way of thinking. Thank you for always making the best content, making me think and laugh, always improving my mood as I gain more knowledge and perspectives. As an aspiring writer, you truly are an inspiration to me ❤ Thanks all the way from Costa Rica

  • @zoozoozee
    @zoozoozee 5 років тому +143

    Unrelated but my AP world history teacher assigns us your crash course world history videos! You're the only one that makes it interesting for me

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +41

      That's great to hear. Please thank your teacher for me. (Also, we've got new crash course history vids coming soon.) -John

    • @swampfox1007
      @swampfox1007 5 років тому +6

      My humanities college course does the same. Just watched the video covering the Greeks.

    • @amberbydreamsart5467
      @amberbydreamsart5467 5 років тому +6

      @@vlogbrothers I remember when crash course world history first came out, it was not long after I'd taken my AP World History test and I was absolutely struck by how similar the curriculum was. I'm so glad teachers and students are using it as a tool now! I was definitely a bit jealous I didn't have the videos to help me study back in the day

    • @seanplayscl
      @seanplayscl 5 років тому

      Same! I'm always surprised at how fast john is talking about history stuff compared to the speed of stuff such as this video

  • @Edwahlq
    @Edwahlq 5 років тому +56

    I love that thought... we don't live in the grand scheme of things. It's a good check on perspective.

  • @katherinesebeck3787
    @katherinesebeck3787 3 роки тому +6

    The moment of waiting at an airport gate is bizarrely distant only 2 years later.

  • @CodyRushDriving
    @CodyRushDriving 5 років тому +24

    A thing is not beautiful because it lasts. We are a means by which the universe can experience and know itself.

    • @NinuRenee
      @NinuRenee 5 років тому +3

      The latter is incorrect, we are merely means to an end for the universe and mother natures game of evolution. We are only reciting what the universe has already achieved.

  • @amaliawilde8978
    @amaliawilde8978 5 років тому +57

    Thank you, John. I needed this today.

  • @decaf4me2
    @decaf4me2 5 років тому +111

    Superb, John. I loved every word. As always, thx for sharing. No matter how futile it may seem, your words make a difference now...and probably for some time to come. Cheers!

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +14

      Thanks, Brent. Really appreciate the kind words. -John

  • @tausiatahsin3240
    @tausiatahsin3240 5 років тому +51

    I'd know you wrote TFIOS even if I didn't know it

  • @catalyst1738
    @catalyst1738 5 років тому +13

    THE ART TO STOP AND SEE THE WORLD FOR A WHILE

  • @JenHurler
    @JenHurler 5 років тому +19

    So freaking good. Thanks, John. You always articulate the feelings. You should be a writer.

    • @alishak6073
      @alishak6073 5 років тому +1

      He is a writer.
      ??

    • @saimalishahid1406
      @saimalishahid1406 5 років тому

      @@alishak6073 he is, an amazing one at that. He wrote the fault in our stars.

  • @c.omalley
    @c.omalley 5 років тому +12

    i’m just after getting rejected from one of my first choices of uni and i must say, this video is strangely comforting. thanks, john ❤️

    • @6023barath
      @6023barath 5 років тому

      Sorry to hear that, best of luck!! :)

  • @thelastcube.
    @thelastcube. 5 років тому +20

    Another way of your "which way is productive" would be what's the alternative. Like, you can either sit like a rut in despair and do nothing or you could try to fix the problem to as much as you can

  • @StridentEclipse
    @StridentEclipse 5 років тому +38

    Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

  • @courtneymarcon349
    @courtneymarcon349 5 років тому +24

    For some reason these thoughts you shared particularly towards the end, immediately made me think of the poem “A Brave and Startling Truth” by Maya Angelou. One of my favourites.

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +7

      Great poem! -John

    • @helengreatrex242
      @helengreatrex242 5 років тому +5

      Thanks! Your comment led me to hear this poem for the first time. It's fantastic :)

    • @yellowstone3587
      @yellowstone3587 5 років тому

      Indeed.

    • @laurak8240
      @laurak8240 5 років тому

      Thank you, a really meaningful poem.

  • @matttucker3
    @matttucker3 5 років тому +36

    Good morning John it’s Tuesday I really enjoyed the video and found it incredibly insightful and inspiring thanks. John, I’ll see you on next Tuesday

  • @brianmorton9419
    @brianmorton9419 3 роки тому +11

    We DO find it odd that in 2019 we went to crowded airports

  • @Cynita
    @Cynita Місяць тому +1

    This man is a walking poem and it's absolutely beautiful

  • @1Deejay7
    @1Deejay7 5 років тому +47

    I feel the pointless and mundane effort to make my bed in the morning.

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +60

      Making the bed is such an interesting activity to me. I might write an episode of the anthropocene reviewed about it. -John

    • @Halosty45
      @Halosty45 5 років тому +3

      My parents didn't bother making my sister and I keep our rooms spotless or our beds made. All they required was we have clear, clutter-free paths to the bed/closet/etc.
      I never make the bed... because then I would have to specifically un-make it to go to sleep. I pull out the covers and wrap them around me like a sleeping bag.

    • @ladyalfhildrforestofvioletmist
      @ladyalfhildrforestofvioletmist 5 років тому

      Yeah, I sort of reverse make the bed when I'm going to bed at night. In the morning I generally leave a blanket tangle behind me, and then at night I straighten it out so that it all lays nicely on top of me. If I have people coming over, I throw the blankets over the pile of clothes on the side of my bed and try to make everything as level as possible, but otherwise I agree there's no real reason to make the bed.

  • @karissalago4451
    @karissalago4451 5 років тому +6

    "I'm never more than a couple minutes of thinking away from abject nihilistic despair" OMG I've never related to anything more than this

  • @gabrielaramos3975
    @gabrielaramos3975 4 роки тому +6

    I remembered feeling seen by your words when this video came out about a year ago. It's funny how we are living the tomorrow that rendered that yesterday meaningless so soon.
    I might find this video even more important today.

  • @tiffanyhoffman4830
    @tiffanyhoffman4830 5 років тому +14

    Relating so much to your thought patterns and I can't even tell you how much I needed this reminder right now. Blind optimism spouted out by well-meaning loved ones honestly just leaves me with an increased sense of frustration and panic and anxiety, pushing me deeper into depression and nihilism. What I need is that reminder that there is a much finer line than we think between that darkness and a strange sense of hope and freedom and joy - the honest kind that can see the world as it is, both eyes open, and embrace it. For me the way out of that dark mental space isn't up from it but out through it - to the other side. Thanks, John.

  • @alaska7766
    @alaska7766 5 років тому +10

    John I would highly recommend you read/reread Ecclesiastes. It is entirely about striking the balance between everything under the sun being meaningless in the grand scheme of things but also finding meaning in the day to day. I think it would really encourage you.

    • @kaiyakershaw1028
      @kaiyakershaw1028 5 років тому +3

      Ecclesiastes is exactly where my brain went! In a newer translation, the Common English Bible, "all is pointlessness under the sun" is a thematic refrain. Sometimes I'm in an "all is pointlessness" mood, but then I remember that God also made everything good in it's time (chapter 3) and intended us to enjoy our lives.

  • @Carina5707
    @Carina5707 5 років тому +330

    Nerdfighters are a lovely bunch, so here’s a poem I wrote once. Cheers.
    Infinity
    We’re here to live
    We’re here to die
    So who do you want
    By your side
    Is it him
    Is it her
    Or just the company
    Of a written word
    Why do we love
    Why are we here
    Why do I panic
    In the shadow
    Of such insignificant fears?
    It’s been six months
    How strange
    It’s been ten years
    What even is change
    At least none that I can feel
    Is any of this
    Even real
    Look in the mirror
    Look into your eyes
    Is it you
    Or a haphazard disguise
    Do these tears taste of salt
    Or is it the flavor
    Of all your faults
    Blotched cheekbones
    Bobby pins
    Sunrise whispers
    And burnt skin
    Mugs and spoons
    A little paint
    Is my life unremarkable
    Or just quaint
    Is there a difference
    Who even cares
    When feelings aren’t much more
    Than uninvited exhales?
    Edit: Wow thanks for the love, guys. I make poetry videos in case you care. And if you want to quote me somewhere, my name is Julie Merson. Thank you ^^

    • @mini1834
      @mini1834 5 років тому +4

      Juce wow remarkable poem! :)

    • @literatouristin
      @literatouristin 5 років тому +4

      I screenshotted this to read it over and over again.

    • @Jemini4228
      @Jemini4228 5 років тому +1

      Amazing work. Well done :)

    • @geovanniangelica8532
      @geovanniangelica8532 5 років тому +1

      Absolutely fantastic!!

    • @naomilamont3277
      @naomilamont3277 5 років тому +1

      I loved the last six lines especially. Keep up the good work ☺

  • @cjspurg
    @cjspurg 5 років тому +10

    This was wonderful, like a weight was lifted and I felt more heard just by hearing someone else say this aloud. Thank you, John.

  • @besma2627
    @besma2627 5 років тому +8

    "The absurd arises from the confrontation between the human call and the unreasonable silence of the world"
    -Albert Camus

  • @pumpkinomom4446
    @pumpkinomom4446 5 років тому +11

    Me: This video is more a piece of poetry that "just a youtube video"...
    Also Me: This is why John Green is a writer!
    *mindblown*

  • @viviantompkins7925
    @viviantompkins7925 5 років тому +29

    "We struggle on in the hopes of the lives to come and of the worlds to come" Nicene creed reference? (I look forward to the life of the world to come). Beautiful regardless! :)

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +17

      Yes, Nicene Creed reference. -John

    • @viviantompkins7925
      @viviantompkins7925 5 років тому +3

      Yay! :) I feel like a good Episcopalian for catching that, lol. And thanks for the reply, it made my day! :D

  • @noas3949
    @noas3949 5 років тому +4

    I've struggled with depression and mild suicidal ideation since I was 12 and goddamn. this spoke to me. I literally burst into tears after the video ended I can't even put into words what this meant to me, hearing someone I look up to so much putting into words thoughts I can barely have the mental capacity comprehend much less analyze. And to hear you think the same thoughts, and with the same logic turn it into something hopeful...I don't even know what to say. The tears speak for themselves.

  • @japita1578
    @japita1578 5 років тому +6

    It reminded me of the quote "If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do."

  • @xxkhaliyxxxox3553
    @xxkhaliyxxxox3553 5 років тому +42

    Love your video, always gives me something to think about.

  • @kalikevin432
    @kalikevin432 5 років тому +6

    Videos like this remind me I'm not the only one to think about how futile our brief existence is. Yet recently I've started to be more present in the now,which is making my futile existence more enjoyable

    • @hardboard82
      @hardboard82 5 років тому

      KaliKevin I’d love to discuss this. What is the point of making a futile existence more enjoyable? In a meaningless world, do you think joy/happiness should be each person’s top priority?

    • @kalikevin432
      @kalikevin432 5 років тому

      @@hardboard82 I think everyone has a different top priority. Mine is not happiness but I will find it when I can through activities that bring it out. I feel like if you don't try to have some fun along the way, your life might turn out boring and feel meaningless from your lack of effort to do anything.

  • @turtleking7772
    @turtleking7772 5 років тому +15

    I may have downloaded the audio from this

  • @d0fabur5st82
    @d0fabur5st82 11 місяців тому +1

    This video has seared itself into my very core. 4 years later I come back and it still resonates with me

  • @edixon2225
    @edixon2225 5 років тому +3

    I love listening to your ideas and thoughts. You always put things in perspective. Right now sucks for me because of an idiotic college professor, but even in the grand scheme of my lifetime, it is a minor speed bump on a long road of adventures.

  • @trinkab
    @trinkab 5 років тому +4

    John, once again you have turned a fleeting thought into a 4 minute "GAAAAAAAHHHH!"

  • @lamiasfaust6867
    @lamiasfaust6867 5 років тому

    This has been one of my favs of ur videos in a good while. Thank you John

  • @ronpeck63
    @ronpeck63 5 років тому

    John, I just enjoy the journey and you help so much in that endeavor. Much appreciation.

  • @LivinOnBorrowedAngst
    @LivinOnBorrowedAngst 5 років тому +3

    similar thoughts of stagnation and futility have been circling me like vultures lately. this is a timely reminder that i'm not alone in these thoughts and they don't need to overshadow my view of positivity and progress.
    it's so weird that, like the polarity you mentioned, one moment i'll be thinking about charity organizations or newly discovered species of frogs or the themes of star trek, feeling optimistic, and the next i'm overwhelmed by the abundance of low-quality products and corruption, entropy...
    this all has been on my mind a lot lately, and it was good to hear from you about it. i think i'll take "the necessity to struggle" as a bolster going forward.

  • @nebulouskoala9058
    @nebulouskoala9058 5 років тому +34

    This is a good video :) let's put in some work, people!

  • @bunsprout
    @bunsprout 5 років тому +1

    you're always so good at expressing things i already feel but can't put into words. hearing someone else talk about it is also comforting and makes me feel not quite as alone

  • @alanisfont
    @alanisfont 5 років тому

    You have no idea how much I needed this today, thank you John.

  • @MrFindX
    @MrFindX 5 років тому +6

    Ah yes, this is the John Green we've come to love over the years.

  • @vitormelomedeiros
    @vitormelomedeiros 5 років тому +30

    But yeah, our clothing will look SUPER weird in 50 years, I mean, LOOK AT IT!

    • @portentouslad5051
      @portentouslad5051 5 років тому +7

      They already look pretty weird to me. Does that mean I'm getting old?

    • @SrValeriolete
      @SrValeriolete 5 років тому +1

      I don't really care about my clothes

    • @hanabarrett6046
      @hanabarrett6046 5 років тому +1

      The interesting thing to me is that people who just wear whatever still wear way different things in different times. Like the time we live changes how we do everything.

  • @TheStarToTheRight
    @TheStarToTheRight 5 років тому

    My mom started watching over my shoulder halfway through, and was crying by the end. Thank you for such a wonderful video!

  • @stephanie93gomez
    @stephanie93gomez 5 років тому

    I love that your optimism takes work and that you are willing to do that work.

  • @gabby4558
    @gabby4558 5 років тому +14

    At least I'm not the only one who thinks "okay everybody in this room will be dead at one point". Oh, and "at one point, no one in this room existed".
    We exist for such a short time. It really puts things into perspective

  • @catarinaldi
    @catarinaldi 5 років тому +2

    It's actually nice to hear that we don't live on the grand scheme of things and that humans are weak and need other people. I always think about how meaningless life is and end up being more depressed and suicidal, so to hear other people saying that yes we are meaningless but just in the great scheme of things and we don't live there, it's a little relief.
    Thank you Jonh. Thank you all for vlogbrothers and nerdfighters.

  • @giupontu1
    @giupontu1 5 років тому

    that was weridly comforting john, words i didnt think i needed, thank you so much :)

  • @hope757
    @hope757 5 років тому

    Never stop making videos, I needed this.

  • @FutureNow
    @FutureNow 5 років тому +3

    Several times per day I wonder why I'm so concerned about my life goals if I'm going to die in the not-so-distant future anyway. So can definitely relate to this. It's impressive any of us continue to just live despite this knowledge and do cool things and make new relationships. Thankfully these thoughts tend to be, like our mortality, fleeting.

  • @whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatw
    @whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatw 3 роки тому +3

    hits so different after 2020

  • @allieconzola
    @allieconzola 5 років тому +2

    Thank you for this John. I've been feeling a ton of existential dread lately. It's strangely comforting to watch someone I admire struggle with the same dread and come to the conclusion that everything is still worth it. Also, I find it comforting when I'm feeling nihilistic to remind myself that even if we're all meaningless, we're meaningless together? We all have this fear that we don't matter and experiencing that collectively we kind of give each other meaning.

    • @Cobalt985
      @Cobalt985 4 місяці тому

      That's very pretty, I haven't thought of it like that before.

  • @Cameron-hz9wc
    @Cameron-hz9wc 5 років тому

    I needed this so much. Thank you, John.

  • @linak.6041
    @linak.6041 5 років тому +13

    Such a nice surprise getting this notification! Even though I had to take a break from my Swindon Town Swoodilypoopers Marathon in order to watch it. But hey, season three of FIFA 11 is looking good so far and I only slightly injured my hand while celebrating the winning of the premier league ...

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +6

      Those were the days . . . :) -John

    • @linak.6041
      @linak.6041 5 років тому

      Yeah, I'm really into it at the moment. Such a great team!

  • @kezla
    @kezla 5 років тому +5

    Loved this. I often see the moon in the daytime and think about how pretty it is... which leads to how vast space is... and also how insignificant we are and OMG. But then I take a breath and remind myself that even though we may eventually be insignificant, this moment right now isn't, in the now... And the mood is still pretty 🤓

  • @smhill818
    @smhill818 5 років тому

    Thank you, John! This hit the spot, as I've been working through a bit of an existential crisis myself these past few weeks. Your words and the discussions they've kicked off in the comments are a good source of positivity, rationality, and solidarity to draw on when the fear, uncertainty, and doubt return.

  • @MrFlyingpurplemonkey
    @MrFlyingpurplemonkey 5 років тому

    its been a rough week and I oddly needed this. Thank you.

  • @dotexemachina
    @dotexemachina 5 років тому +9

    When I started to grasp the concept of death I started staying that I don't care about life and that nothing really mattered, but if nothing really mattered I wouldn't be thinking this much about it

  • @whyshouldicarehistory5038
    @whyshouldicarehistory5038 5 років тому +11

    If you wanted a vlogbrothers version of Charlie’s letter at the end of perks.

    • @dixar8589
      @dixar8589 5 років тому

      chris cucinotta omg gg

  • @faithmartinez9376
    @faithmartinez9376 5 років тому

    even just leaving in the end clip of john turning off record showcases the emotional factor highlighted in this video. thanks for sharing this, really put out some good thoughts...definitely going to be depressingly thinking about this the rest of the school week!

  • @tesss198
    @tesss198 5 років тому

    My favorite video in a while, thank you John!

  • @juno9023
    @juno9023 5 років тому +9

    why is john telling everyone what i think about at 2am????

    • @alishak6073
      @alishak6073 5 років тому

      It wasn't 2am in Indianapolis

    • @juno9023
      @juno9023 5 років тому

      @@alishak6073 huh?

    • @alishak6073
      @alishak6073 5 років тому

      @@juno9023 nevermind

  • @feliciya7152
    @feliciya7152 5 років тому +3

    "Brains are so weird" is the truest thing I heard today.

  • @candycoatedcactus
    @candycoatedcactus 5 років тому

    This is the John Greeniest video I've seen yet. Thank you for inviting us into your personal life and discussing these things publicly. Your fierce and sometimes quiet hope for humanity in spite of the negativity you are drawn down into is inspiring. May your future be filled with more pretzels and fewer friendless flights

  • @ettiw1233
    @ettiw1233 5 років тому

    Thanks for sharing these thoughts. It feels good to know and hear that people seem to feel the same way as I sometimes do and that they find a way to stop that train of thought. I needed to hear this. 🙌

  • @Emily-ss7zv
    @Emily-ss7zv 5 років тому +4

    John, it's funny how similar our thought processes are. I worry about these same issues. Pretty much whenever I contemplate outer space I start out in awe of how big the universe is and how beautiful the images we have of space are. But then I start thinking about how small Earth is and that the sun will eventually kill us. I really like how you pointed out that we don't live in the grand scheme of things. It is difficult but I'd like to be able to focus more on the present moment than on these bigger issues that I have no control over

    • @mlemleh
      @mlemleh 5 років тому +1

      Great name, Emily. Have you read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? Or, better yet, listened to the radio series by the same name (which predates the books)? It’s great. Your description of space reminded me of it.

    • @Emily-ss7zv
      @Emily-ss7zv 5 років тому

      Haha thanks! I like your name too. I have read part of that book but didn’t finish. I’ll have to check out the podcast, thanks for the recommendation!

  • @MCRogueHaven
    @MCRogueHaven 5 років тому +76

    Have you seen Kurzgesagt's video on Optimistic Nihilism?

    • @vlogbrothers
      @vlogbrothers  5 років тому +62

      Yes, I love it very much! I don't *agree* with all of it, but it is so well-articulated and carefully argued. I think Philipp from Kurzgesagt and I look at the world with very similar values, but from slightly different perspectives. I am such a huge admirer of the work they do, and I am a big fan of the sturdy hope that optimistic nihilism can provide. -John

    • @MCRogueHaven
      @MCRogueHaven 5 років тому +13

      @@vlogbrothers Where do you disagree?

    • @MethosOhio
      @MethosOhio 5 років тому +21

      That question sounds like a topic for another video I'd like to watch.

    • @dannybou-maroun8028
      @dannybou-maroun8028 4 роки тому +2

      @@vlogbrothers Hey look at that, you guys did a video together!

  • @EmethMatthew
    @EmethMatthew 5 років тому

    Holy crap, John! This was profound and captured stuff I think about all the time... Thank you for this!

  • @mariama.1538
    @mariama.1538 5 років тому

    The relatability of this video is comforting. Was in a rut like that last week and thought there must be someone else who felt the same and I feel like this video is a transcription of my thoughts and feelings.

  • @meganbockelman9050
    @meganbockelman9050 5 років тому +23

    "But then I started to think some more" perfect description of my brain most of the time 😅 Edit: Also "brains are so weird" Yes like what the heck? Lol

    • @camelopardalis84
      @camelopardalis84 5 років тому +2

      Everybody's brain is weird. So dumb and malfunctioning while at the same time so freakishly versatile and full of potential.

    • @afreennaaz7626
      @afreennaaz7626 5 років тому +1

      Hi fren ||-//

    • @meganbockelman9050
      @meganbockelman9050 5 років тому +1

      Afreen Naaz Hello fren!! 😊 ||-//

    • @afreennaaz7626
      @afreennaaz7626 5 років тому +2

      @@meganbockelman9050 cool to find a Nerdfighter clique member, maybe we can find eachother on twitter

    • @meganbockelman9050
      @meganbockelman9050 5 років тому +1

      Afreen Naaz absolutely! I actually have two twitter accounts... 😂 @dmajumpsuit is my tøp stan account and @meganbockelman is my personal account (where I occasionally RT vlogbrothers stuff too!) 😄

  • @CinnamonToast
    @CinnamonToast 5 років тому +3

    a quote i try to live by: "be where your feet are"

  • @tiffanytham710
    @tiffanytham710 5 років тому

    Just the most beautiful video ever made. I shed tears.

  • @jnbaun485
    @jnbaun485 5 років тому

    This is one of your best!! Thank you john! “We don’t live in the the grand scheme of things, we live here the day to day”