Kurzgesagt is very wholesome. You KZfaqrs are making this much easier. Thanks 😊.

Thank you John!

Hi... My dearest author, John ... I'm Saddam Khan from a small village of India. I found your KZfaq channel few days ago. I want you to know that the first novel I read is 'Looking for Alaska'.*I'm grateful that you wrote that book*. I bought & read it when I was 21 years old in 2015 & I re-read it few days ago. I didn't read it earlier because partly when I was a teenager I couldn't read English very well as it's my 3rd language and partly because at that time I didn't had the luxury of spending money on books except the ones which I needed for study. Coming to the point when I saw the film 'the fault in our stars' I wanted to buy that book but somehow I opted for Looking for Alaska perhaps partly because it's your debut novel and partly because it's title and daisy flower cover attracted me. When I read it, I felt poignant . Although I never been in love I felt I'm falling in love with Alaska Young and when I reached to the point of her death it seemed that my own heart was shattered into thousand pieces. I wished that you kept her alive in the book because I loved that character very much. It's absurd but my first and only love is a fictional character of your book.

Hmm. This link isn't working for me?

"I have a long history of buying journals and not writing in them because there's a difference between the person that I am and the person that I wish to be" I FELT THAT IN MY SOUUUL.

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I love your videos, keep up the awesome work!

+++ So glad both of your channels exist, they bring so much to so many people

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hahahaha I mean you try wrangling this hair in a pandemic! -John

puff levels have been higher!

@@vlogbrothers i love the hair and i always have.

If it helps, I'm grateful for my stringy, limp, plain blonde hair... It can go weeks without care other than a scunchi or a hat. ;o)

@Autistic Perspective Are clippers the electric hair scissors thing (that doesn't have your head, I mean)? How did he break it? 😁

I was thinking about putting it on a throw pillow. Maybe with outdoor fabric so I could put it on my back porch as a reminder of what to look for

Honestly, "Owls and Other Gifts in your pants" is hilarious so it would pass the "in your pants" test

"Owls and other gifts in your pants". Yes, excellent book title

@@melonlord1414 Is that an Nerdfighteria inside joke from back in the time when I hasn't been part of this awesome community, yet? Would you mind explaining the "'in your pants' test"?

Lone Starr hi 😊 yes it’s just where you take any book title and add “in your pants” at the end. I can’t actually remember where it came from though- I think maybe back when Paper Towns was coming out

This song says it all! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h5-Hjdept73NlYE.html

Well, as long as I keep moving to get closer to the person I wish to be I'm oke with it

Me too, but its nice to relate to someone I look up to, and understand that even those i regard as perfect don't see themselves that way, so perfection is not something I lack, its just un-attainable💜💜💜💜💜💜

Oh wretched man that I am! I do what I don't want to do, but what I hate, I do.

Yes, so much of both things! I still remember the first time I consciously realized this fact, and how huge the chasm was between my imagined self and who I really was. There is still a big gap, but I'm grateful for everything that has allowed me to close the gap and get closer to who I want to be

No idea what you're referring to. -John

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This is literally the exact thing I came here to say. Well, everything before the "and I", but I agree with the rest. :-)

The video made me thoughtful/contemplative, and this comment made me laugh. DFTBA

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Oof. "I'm sorry for snooping. The light was so bright," is a lovely line.

@@meredithl3319 It's true! "And I'm sorry for snooping. The light was so bright" is actually a great 2/3 of a haiku

That’s so lovely! Thank you for sharing - no pun intended.

Gratitudes all the way down. -John

@@carissa-7 Thank you for thanking her :)

Searching For Sunbeams Thank you for thanking her for thanking her :)

@@straykanade Thank you for thanking her for thanking her for thanking her!

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Seconded.

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Yes, please

It really is just much better than other gratitude journals I've tried. -John

Could I ask you two questions, just as someone who already owns this journal? 1) how much time does this actually take? John says "a few minutes a day" but he is a writer and also, he makes youtube videos and podcasts. So he's used to formulating his thoughts in way that is short and concise but still complete (I know writing takes time, but you know what I mean). And 2) is it necessary to do this at the end of the day? Like, does the journal heavily encourage you to do this right before you go to bed or something? I have severe chronic pain so sitting up straight would be a huge task for me at the end of the day, but a significantly less huge task at the start of the day. It's one of the main reasons I keep failing at making gratitude journaling a habit. I was actually about to throw in the towel (if quarantine can't make this habit stick nothing can). This video though makes me feel like maybe.... one final try... if this journal is really that good... maybe.. Sorry for rambling ;)

@@reneedesoet7309 if i may answer, without being as awesome or having said journal. I'm just interested in habits and did psychology courses a little bit. 😸 So, if you're still interested: 1) Taking two minutes ✌️ for that might be enough to scribble down your thanks for previous hours/day of your life, just to be able to remember what was that about and to trigger 🔔 that warm feeling 🥰 while writing and on rereads. If issue is remembering what happened - you can jot down smaller things 📝 as you go through the day, to remember them once per day at your journal time, and to maybe word them a little better. But point is not quite in telling the story of your gratitude beautifully. Point is to notice and remember stories of gratitude, which are already beautiful, which are already happening to you - no matter how exactly you'll word them. Being a wordsmith may help, but that is never necessary in order to notice and remember good things. 2) Journal! Journal whenever it is comfortable to do for you, consistently day after day. 🗓️ Take a look at what you wrote before sleep though. And whenever else you'd like to feel better emotionally 😁 Act and habit of feeling gratitude and thinking of things we are grateful for - that's more important then how or when. Associating gratitude journaling with pain 🤕 is probably counter to what this journal is for. You'll feel less good and habit will be harder to form as well. Writing it after sleep💤 may alter what you remember - both ways. You'll forget some things, but also some things will be clearer in your mind, after connecting some dots while asleep. 🧠 So I wouldn't worry too much about that. And if you wish, you can do take small notes 📝during the day, or write more often than daily, or try to find a few minutes in the middle of the day. Taking a look before bed 🤓 is helpful for when you might feel bad and stressed after a full day 😞, your sleep might also get better if you fall asleep after feeling gratitude. It improves your emotional state after all 🥳 , which is the whole deal with that Journal. 📘 Hey, thank you for reading this. I feel useful. 😊

@@reneedesoet7309, first of all, I'm sorry to hear you have chronic pain. :( Personally, I spend no more than 5 minutes doing this. I don't write paragraphs, mostly lists and shorter phrases. And no, it doesn't have to be at the end of the day, it can be whenever you want. I write in it sometimes at night, and sometimes in the morning. I think just the fact that it forces you in to a new mindset is the idea. Hope that helps! :)

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And listen to Smash Mouth

I have a few over a dozen and have been daily journaling for five years. Still gooooiiiiinnng

This was the message I came for!

this gives me validation

Scream as much as you need into the void, and even better, into this void here. It is a scary situation, and being alone makes it definitely harder... I can only try to imagine how it must be to you, I don't have a mental illness (and I'm male, so that is already two privileges), but I understand how it is to move to a new place and still not be "at home" there... I've been living in a different country for 3 years, luckily I have had the time to make friends and feel good and safe here, but it takes time and work. But one unexpected consequence from the current lock down is that I've been talking (video calling) more often and I'm feeling closer to with my friends from my hometown. Everyone is meeting online anyway, it doesn't matter so much anymore if you live 2km or 10000km away... And that has been helping me! I hope you can do the same with friends and family, that are physically far away :)

@@RafaelFaenir thank you for hearing my scream ❤

We hear you. Scream away, sometimes you just need to.

Yes, we definitely hear you: May you feel the blessings we are sending your way; may your heart feel the love and warmth we want to give you at this moment; may you be peaceful and relieved after screaming so loudly; may you always remember that you can be physically removed from people but never alone.

@@marianalj8128 thank you and Amen. P.S. I'm on day 2 of feeling positive ❤

Thanks, Gia! -John

Autistic Perspective Thats amazing haha. Would it be weird to mention that my family had two dogs named Ria and Zia?!

Can you explain that to me? It's really interesting. -I go to restaurants alone all the time.- Before the beer virus apocalypse, I went to restaurants alone all the time. It never seemed like a thing someone would have trouble with.

I love that idea! -John

I don’t think he would encourage anyone to try to be just like him, but being a bit more like the best parts of him is good.

Thanks, Paloma! -John

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I honestly find that, no matter the subject matter, the most soothing podcast on my playlist. Just the way John talks about the subjects, it's beautiful.

So it does help. I've been really REALLY off lately. I've used to anxiety attacks but not like lately. Maybe I'll try yoga again.

@@GrahamFraser It works for me! Helps me center my thoughts, focus on deep breathing, and often quells my anxious thoughts. I always say do whatever works best for you. But it's definitely worth a shot!

I feel the same way! Matt Haig novels helped me a lot as well :)

The line about 'and despite the evidence I believe that purchasing something can bridge that gap', really hit hard

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I would be okay with a smaller difference between the two!

Oooh. I like that.

aww that's so lovely!

I feel the same about gratitude - I prefer to count things that make me happy. It's less complicated, somehow, and leaves space for the bad stuff too. It doesn't mean that I'm happy all the time but a reminder that there's almost always something good in every day. And if there isn't, it's within my power to try to put something in, a favourite food or calling someone I love, or wearing my favourite skirt. It doesn't work all the time, but it does work.

I watched the video John referenced and they mentioned writing in a gratitude journal 1-3 times per week. Maybe if you knew you didn’t have to do it everyday, it wouldn’t feel so forced? I totally relate to struggling to feel grateful sometimes!

Andrew Soligo me too. And for kurzgesagt. And amazing group of people. And for Philipp who has written every video. And for the guy who has done the music for every video and for Steve who has narrated every video. It is an amazing achievement. But most grateful that he/they keep doing it.

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I have no idea what you're referring to. -John

Amen. When I describe Vlogbrothers and their projects I inevitably use the phrase "silliness and sincerity in equal measure" because I just haven't found anything more accurate than that!

Hoi Renate, another dutchie here. I have nothing to offer you really, but I was scrolling through the comments and thought, hey - she's Dutch and she likes Norway (same) and things suck for her right now, so I just wanted to reach out (don't know why I'm doing it in English, just in case anyone else wants to read it I guess) Anyway, it sucks that you can't do your exchange program right now! It's so cool that you had arranged to go there, Norway is amazing and beautiful and I hope you still get to go in your third year, or for your masters. I also feel that weird mix of "very grateful to live in the Netherlands where things are sorta okay - in comparison to other places" and "there's still stuff that bums me out". Kingsday for example is always so fun and suddenly it was just.. meh. I hope this helps a bit, even though I can't really do anything about anything.. Doei!

@@reneedesoet7309 Halllooo :) that's very sweet of you. Your comment is making me smile loads so thank you! Kingsday was hard indeed since we usually dress up in full body orange and party with each other. But we'll do it next year! I hope you get the chance to go to Norway someday (I hope I do as well hahaha). Anyway, thank you for your kind wordss. Veel plezier vandaag nog

we could get together some nerdfighters and create something? maybe not physically but digital so its more accessible?

Journals all the way down?

Yes, I’d love to help by creating prompts based on videos and nerdfighter things!(: they could be things like “write a review of something in the world as if you are writing for the Anthropocene Reviewed.” or “What is one songs music video that you would do a frame by frame break down for, and why?”

This sounds amazing, a free printable or writable questions we can all enjoy and be inspired by

@@GallifreyGirl170 yes!

Keep positive fellow internet-er!!

It's super powerful getting to choose what we remember. I look back for each date over the past five years and it fuels me so much. People would probably think different if they could see what they choose to focus on written down.

Here's a random stranger on the internet telling you that you can do it. I believe in you. Hope you feel better soon :)

This makes sense to me. I’ve experienced the same bittersweet feeling when moving to a new city. It’s painful but only because of the meaningful connections you’ve been lucky enough to make.

I'm embarrassed that I just realized today that this was even happening and it's absolutely the best.

hearts.

Congratulations on your sweet one! Hope all goes well for you! I have four and in my opinion, being a mother is the best thing I've ever done. It's all ends of the spectrum: it's incredibly hard, fulfilling, frustrating, euphoric, satisfying, exhausting...but mostly, it's just awesome. :-)

I think it'll be Hank. Even though Hank likes the song more I feel like Hank will suddenly get excited about something and NEEEEED it in the title at some point.

Idk if Hank will be able to find a fitting title in the lyrics for the next beast video.... so he might have no choice

Gale Prinster “the ice we skate is getting pretty thin, waters getting warm so you might as well swim” something in that bit feels like it’ll work for a beasts video also I don’t wanna see what shit show leads to the title of “my worlds on fire. How bout yours?”

I'm there with you!

I have this problem where my notebooks get designated uses, so it's like, "Well, I can't use this one or this one or this one because they're for different things." I have so many notebooks haha

Awesome book

@@alexanderlieberman2109 absolutely. Most emotional I've been while reading a book, ever.

@M J I'm planning read some of his other works. I'll do so soon.