The Most Interesting Thing I've Ever Done

I went over-time on this video, but I still don't know that I was able to do this topic any sort of justice. First, I have to say that I said "I" a lot in the first paragraph because I was focusing on my own life but, of course, I had a lot of help doing those things I did (most of all from John.)

Second...we've had ups and downs in the strength of this community, and it's also a certain amount of scary for me when it seems like the focus of it is not as much values and goals, but me or John as people. There's a weird line between being the doorway into something bigger and more interesting and getting...stuck in the doorway.

I want you to like me, but I don't want you to be here for me. I want you to be here for whatever message I'm sharing that day, whether it's one of joy and silliness, or of compassion, or of knowledge.

But I also think I can sometimes be distracted from the importance of what we're doing here on Vlogbrothers by all of the new things that this community has allowed us to do. And since Vlogbrothers is still just me and John, while our other things have whole teams, it's easy to get dragged into those things by the great ideas those teams are having.

Which is a bummer, because I don't want to be distracted from our work trying to figure out how cohesive and constructive community can find new ways to exist as the old ways are working for fewer and fewer people.

Thank you for an amazing 10 years...good god, how lucky am I...

----

[vlogbrothers]

HANK, THIS IS TOTALLY PUNISHABLE. -JOhn

[notgraybrendon]

In 300 years students will be studying this channel and videos like this the same way we study historic documents now. I'm glad I can be a (very small) part of something very great.

[amyg]

You know what I like about vlogbrothers? I don't have a favorite brother. There are other channels run by two people that I watch, and I have a clear favorite and will even skip videos by my not-favorite. I don't do that with this channel. I like you and john equally. I didn't even skip videos when you were on paternity leave! Who makes these videos isn't important. I know that no matter what I watch on here, it's going to leave me better than I was before. I'll either have learned something about the world or about myself, or I'll just be in a better mood, or feel hopeful or proud. I never come away thinking I've wasted some time or feeling badly. The content here is consistently good, whether it's thought provoking and deep, or just four minutes of dad jokes and absurdity.

[LawTaranis]

Those 11 year olds that could get drunk when this video posted could now be lawyers and taxi drivers.

[vlogbrothers]

Hey people in the comments. I'd like to ask a favor. Just above this comment, there's a little button that lets you sort comments by "newest" or by "top." Click on "newest" and read a few comments. I've really been enjoying the longer, more thoughtful comments that we're getting on this video.

[vlogbrothers]

Loving these comments! Also...any punishment suggestions appreciated...though doing on stage will have logistical requirements so not every good idea will be possible :-)

[bvdv]

It's good to see that comments are still being made on this video. It shows that this is still relevant and that the community is still relevant.

[andrewjeisenman]

"I don't know what I'm doing!"
-Hank Green, and all of humanity, 2016


Also, you passed four minutes and must be PUNISHED!

[katriarchy]

I was that 11 year old who can now get drunk 😂 been here for the whole ride. Thank you for an amazing 10 years.

[brighid]

I used to watch vlogbrothers here and there as I was growing up, but I've gotten very interested in the channel over the past few weeks. It makes me feel attached to people through the loneliness of college during covid. It makes me feel like I'm constantly learning and growing. You both inspire me and give me comfort. I really appreciate how caring you both are with your privilege and power that you have. I hope to be as kind and thoughtful and knowledge-seeking as you both are as I get older. Thank you for everything you do.

[mythics]

Just had a fight with my brother in which he told me I'm immature for getting excited about so many things. Came out of it feeling like crap. Then I opened up YouTube and watched this and Hank reminded me why that trait is so important and so good to have in life. This is the amazing effect that the community has! Thank you, Hank :)

[harrypotterboycrazy]

Gosh, I don't want to be sappy but here is my sappy bit. I love you guys so much. I started watching on a frequent basis back in 2010, after my brother passed away of a drug overdose. It was heartbreaking, and I searched desperately for things that made me happy. Eventually, I came up with a few things that did create a smile, one of those being you guys. So thank you John Green and Hank Green for being one of the things making me smile in my darkest of times.

I told this to John when I meant him in Cincinnati for the TFIOS book tour, but you deserve to know too, Hank. I know you most likely won't see this as there are now 1, 801 comments, but it is still good to discuss how much impact you have made on me, and I am sure so many others. So thanks, I am glad that you guys are around, and I hope you stick around for years to come. <3

[robertgemma]

I'm not sure exactly when I became a Nerdfighter but somewhere around sophomore year of high school (I'm now a freshman in college) I came across a Vlogbrothers video and I went down the rabbit hole, so to speak. Several hours later I had watched almost all your videos and I realized something that I had never noticed on YouTube before – I was watching your life. I felt a connectedness akin to friendship with both you and John, as well as the rest of the community. This has only strengthened over the years of regular viewership on this channel, Sci Show, Crash Course, and the many other channels that celebrate learning on YouTube. It has been a completely transformative experience and I 100% consider this community part of who I am.

I totally understand what you mean with the lack of established community in today’s society. I live pretty deep in the woods, so I don’t have any neighbors my age. I understand the community within the church I was raised in, but I’m agnostic so I never felt like I fit in. And boy did I not fit in in high school. I was (and still am) a shy, kinda awkward kid who never had that group of friends one would consider their community. Despite the one sidedness of the relationship, I feel as if you and the other content creators on YouTube I watch are better friends to me than anyone from my high school. We share the same values and like the same things – something I can’t say about many of the kids from my school.

You pulled me through loneliness, anxiety, depression (so on and so forth) that crushed me as an upperclassman. I’m sure I’m not the only person to say that but I can assure you “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Nerdfighteria” resonates deep within my soul with a passionate, reflective, excited appreciation I could never put into words. When I was alone and felt like I had nothing, Nerdfighteria was there to pick me up. I’ve never been much of a commenter but I know that I am still a part of this community. I know if I say “look at this cool thing I did” people in this community would support me. As one of those kids who believed in the diehard individualism of today’s society, this knowledge is so powerful. Not only do I no longer believe that I have to do everything myself, but the support of Nerdfighteria has also returned my trust in others during my day to day life. It has done away with many of my cynical views of the world and shown me evidence of the many, many great things going on today and every day. While it’s interesting to see how you see yourself as another follow of Nerdfighteria there is now denying that you lead us on a communal and individual level.

Your music makes me laugh. Your videos make me feel connected to something bigger. Your podcasts accompany me on solo car rides. Crash Course gets me interested in subjects I had never even thought about before. Sci Show continuous astonishes me and my love for science. Sexplanations gives me a sex-ed lightyears better than what I received in high school. The things you do are so much more than mindless entertainment, and I’m beginning to show my parents that. As the structures of community they’re familiar with continually dissolve, you are building new ones. You are literally redefining what a community is. I hope you think that’s as cool as I do.

Nerdfighteria is not some lesser subcommunity that I happen to belong to. It’s not a replacement for something I used to be a part of. As a freshman in college I’ve done some honest thinking about this idea, even before this video came out. I grew up in Nerdfighteria and the various other internet communities I associate with. Just like everyone else, my view of society and culture, my personality, and my values are shaped by how I grew up. Nerdfighteria IS a part of me. Nerdfighteria IS my community. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for building it.

[felixrobertson]

Thank you, Hank and John. I don't necessarily tend to participate strongly in this community, but I feel you have shifted my worldview for the better, in favour of faith in others and hope, over the last few years. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you.

[angiepangie]

This hits so much harder 6 years later.

[cavewomanbrain]

SAP ALERT: I started watching vlogbrothers right before my freshman year of high school. I was going through a pretty hard time then and struggled with my sense of self a lot. You guys helped me realize that it's okay to be "unironically enthusiastic" about things I really like, even if those things weren't "cool" or "popular." I'm now a sophomore in college and that lesson you taught me helped me make some of the best friends I will ever have, and chase crazy dreams that are looking less and less crazy every day. It's kind of hard to explain in one YouTube comment everything you've done for me, so I'll just say this: thank you for helping this weirdo out by letting her know how important it is to be herself.

[liviaharrington]

This video says exactly the things I've been trying to explain and understand for the last few years.
I'm a young person, and I've only become a Nerdfighter (still so proud to say that) in the last year. Being able to become part of this little community has given me a slight remedy for the unnameable problem I've been facing - and the problem I believe many people are facing, without realizing it. I'm an individualist, for sure, but working by yourself can only take you so far. There's a certain kind of loneliness and purposelessness that comes from trying to work towards great things all by yourself, without people who love what you love, people who have other perspectives on your work, people to help and inspire and uplift you, and people to do that for. I want to do so much in this world, but trying to tackle the whole world of opportunity by myself is daunting, to say the least. I want to write books and inspire people, to help turn the tide that's causing wonderful, brilliant people to live in poverty, and to change methods of education, and to discover and help work on problems I don't even know about yet. To do that all on my own, I'd have to be immortal, probably, and tireless, and the source of my own inspiration. Facing this - the hopes and aspirations, and the inevitable improbability of it all - is awful. Many of the people I know just decide to become satisfied with not having dreams, but I could never do that. It's being stuck between infinity and impossibility. Being able to be part of this community has begun to help me see one version of a solution. It's helped me be a little more hopeful for the future.
This is one of the first youtube comments I've ever posted. I tend to stay quiet. But the vlogbrothers videos have given me a reason and a hope for speaking up. So thank you!

[katiekress]

Thank you both for everything you've done for all of the Nerdfighters over the last ten years, and for reminding us that if you want to be a good person, you are

[FancyGeeks]

This is going to sound sappy and awful but back when I was 25 I had my first child. After a year that marriage had self-destructed and I was a single father. When my son was almost two, I found this channel.

I didn't know what to make of it, the creators are talking to each other but also talking to the audience? I thought it was pretty unique but I stayed because the channel had this habit of making me feel better. At a time when everything was wrong and life was hard, I could come here and for some reason I could smile.

My son will be 10 in April and I'm glad I found this community.

[saradevine]

This is still so releavant today. I frequently mourn the lack of community in my life