Against Nihilism

In which John tries to think about whether anything matters in the grand scheme of things, and whether anything matters.

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[AgentMaayan]

"We don't live in the grand scheme of things" is such an important reminder.

[XANDRE.]

My husband passed away unexpectedly four weeks ago today. I had been getting him into your videos. This one feels placed here for me.

[davidsimpson]

John rejects nihilism with his words, but embraces it with his beard.

[KingLimeIX]

"We don't live in the grand scheme of things"
9 simple words. 1 huge step back from the edge of the cliff. Thank you John.

[lilham]

“No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious & charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful.” -Kurt Vonnegut

[SaganHawkes]

This also reminds me of something Norm MacDonald said, along the lines of: The universe isn't "cold and uncaring", because people are not separate from the universe; we are part of the universe. Therefore, if people care, if people find meaning, then the universe does care, there is meaning to be found in the universe. I'm paraphrasing my interpretation of what he said of course, but that idea is very comforting.

[d]

I love the way you hurl your words into the darkness, John, it's encouraging.

[katieh]

I'm in tears right now. I'm dealing with some health issues, and my mother drove to my apartment today to walk my dog. She also surprised me with freshly baked cookies. I felt so loved and heard and connected. Helping and loving and listening are so meaningful.

[DanielB]

“Now, there's this about cynicism, Sergeant. It's the universe's most supine moral position. Real comfortable. If nothing can be done, then you're not some kind of shit for not doing it, and you can lie there and stink to yourself in perfect peace.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, The Borders of Infinity

[Houkuko]

My younger sister (she's 26, I'm 36) was stuck in this rut for a while, and we were talking and she mentioned that there's no point trying to be happy because happiness doesn't matter. And I wish I remembered what I said exactly but it basically boiled down to mentioning that sadness and hopeless don't matter so there's no point to those feelings either, and if you only have a little time to experience anything then trying happiness seems at least like the more comfortable option. She seems to be doing a little better lately.

[rsklinge]

A group of almost 9, 000 people in Rochester, NY, attended a baseball game this past weekend. The crowd cheered when their hometown team scored the first run, but interrupted that cheer to cheer even louder for the dog sent out to pick up the bat used by the teammate that drove the runner home. Humans as individuals are amazing, and humans as a society can be problematic, but humans in a medium-ish size group can sometimes be incredible.

[samanthamiller]

This is exactly what I needed today.

I had a tough therapy appointment today for a flair up of existential OCD/intellectualistic coping mechanisms, and this is precisely what we talked about.

[basilharrison]

I am chronically depressed and the depression manifests as existentialism and especially nihilism. Few things have or will ever help it and “We don’t live in the grand scheme of things” will be a helping maxim to carry with me FOREVER after this. Thank you for being who you are John

[jessieharrington]

“Yeah, maybe nothing matters but only until we make things matter” hit me like a ton of bricks. You always find a way to speak in a way that soothes fears I didn’t even know I had. Thank you John

[okaykatieokay]

I've been watching vlogbrothers since 2012 when I was 13 years old, and I am unbelievably grateful for that, because you and your brother have taught me to believe that people are fundamentally good - and this is one of my foundational beliefs. Thank you for reminding me of this.

[ourphilosophyis]

"We don't LIVE in the grand scheme of things." THANK YOU! I've been trying to find a way to express this for YEARS.

[louismyers]

"Our responsibility is to make meaning and acknowledging the meaning in other people's lives"
I love this ideology and am also "broadly in favor of humans"

[flazzorb]

I am a nihilist, but not a normal one. I have the view that when there is nothing to tell you what's worth living for, suddenly there's nothing telling you what not to live for.

[maxresdefault_]

Watching Everything Everywhere All At Once was quite an experience. The villain of the film is nihilism incarnate and they make a pretty solid case for not caring. By the end though, you kinda love being alive

[rachaelmarks]

“I know that optimism at the moment feels cringy” thank you John