I am really confused of this, I have managed to figure out the first clue with the help of many amazing nerdfighters, but i am stuck with the second and this one is also so confusing!!
3 years in the future this is relevant again. Turns out Hank went to see the ball of paint and Michael, the owner of it, mentioned John unprompted without even knowing they are brothers, which makes me think he just always mentions John green and this video when people visit.
"Did you add to the ball of paint?" is a much more important, more meaningful question than "How big was your layer?" The second assumes comparison to others - there will always be someone better and someone worse than you, so comparison in this regard is kind of useless. Add to the ball, doesn't matter how thick.
Everyone knows the best way to paint is to dip your three-year-old son into a large bucket of paint and then evenly apply the child to the surface you wish to paint. :) -John
Everyone who has been tasked with the attendance of a three-year-old knows there is no need to engage in any further steps after the dipping of the boy in the paint; All surfaces in the immediate vicinity will receive a layer as a natural consequence of this one act.
Wow! Makes me feel a bit less insignificant. I'm an elementary music teacher and sometimes when I run into former students, they don't necessarily remember me well. However, I do know that they remember some of the songs that I taught them, just as I remember the songs that my former music teachers taught me. Guess I'm painting with music...
Brozafan in a funny twist I discovered my middle school English teacher lives only a block away from me this week. Good teachers have deep impacts. Keep doing that good work. 💕
When I was in elementary school, I probably didn't realize the profound impact that my music teacher had on me, but luckily I was able to keep in contact with him as I got older and as I realized how much he really shaped me. Now that I am at university for a music education degree, I can only hope that one day I can do the same for others. But in the end, I think it's really interesting to think about the fact that years later, elementary school teachers might not be remembered by name, but they have still made an incredible impact on so many students. Well, thank you for your comment!
This is beautiful! I sing in a Barbershop chorus and I love how our music moves the audience and leaves an impact. There's about 100 of us, so not a lot of people know us by name, but the impact is still there.
Last night, I found a recording of a song that we did in elementary school choir. I have been searching for a recording for about ten years and someone finally put one up. You have summed up what I was thinking as I listened. Soon, I'll be an elementary music teacher too, adding a layer of my own.
Here from Hank's recent video, I gotta say, I'm surprised John hasn't painted the ball himself!! And when you do, John, you should DEFINTELY write an Anthropocene reviewed episode on the ball of paint, and then it can get painted over, and individual genius can be superseded by the collective drive towards progress!
I cried watching this video. I've been struggling with a lot of anxiety about dying and being forgotten. I've been a nerdfighter since 2008 and nerdfighteria has saved my life
A little over 3 years later, Hank makes a video about visiting the place. 3 years. I mean, that's not too many, but you know what they say... The years start comin' and they don't stop comin'
Is this in reference to an early episode of their podcast the Green brothers made together where the album Mouth Sounds was suggested? I do not know enough Green lore to know if All Star is brought up other times
@@ori_05 yeah. in one episode hank suggested that a new opening but for the podcast should be reviewing one frame of the all star music video cus it was released in 4k. It has now spirals into a huge inside joke with many videos spelling out the whole songs lyrics.
Today I painted coat 26,143 and it was glorious. Thank you for this gift, John! Mr. Carmichael mentioned that your speech on TH-cam is one of his favorites about the ball of paint.
I once heard the quote “I can no more remember the books I’ve read in my life than the food I have eaten, but they have made me.” I guess now, I want to write that book.
Yet another episode of Anthropocene Reviewed before AR existed. It's like this Podcast out of time, whereby new episodes are found throughout the spectrum of John's life. #TimelordJohnConfirmed
I'm a first year teacher for 8th graders that have no motivation to succeed. But I wanted to say thank you because I frequently use your videos for "motivation mondays" and my students really enjoy and learn from them. They may complain that you talk too fast sometimes😉 but that just gives me a chance to explain how this relates to their lives. Thanks again💛
John, I found this video to be incredibly moving and insightful. As a researcher, it's easy to feel like the minuscule contributions we make or the null findings we get don't matter and will never make a difference, but this "ball-of-paint" perspective is a beautiful way of seeing the world. Thanks for showing me a different way of looking at it.
The analogies you make are always so good that they make me want to cry. A ball of paint analogy made me almost cry, John. How can you possibly do this so well all the time?
Thank you! Thank you! I so needed this today. I struggle with whether or not to continue my creative projects because not enough people hear them. I should take stock and appreciate the ones that do. Seriously. I thank you with tears in my eyes.
I still come back to this video many years later. I don’t know if John knows how much of an impact this video has but for me this is as deep and impactful as one of his ‘thoughts from places’. I struggle a lot with the thought of what does my life mean in the grande scheme of things. I’ve never found anything else that has provided a reason more than this video. John, thank you. You have truly made my life better
That was truly beautiful! Thank you, John, for this and for all the other inspiring thoughts that you have shared with us over the years! I was at VidCon last weekend and there I realised how much your videos and Nerdfighteria mean to me. You and Hank have been a constant influence on my life for about seven years. Finally seeing you in person and experiencing how many other are affected by you was really special to me. I feel much more connected to Nerdfighteria now. Thank you for everything you're doing. And thank you so much for bringing VidCon to Europe! I really hope that I'll see you there again soon. Best wishes from Germany, Joanna
I have been watching your videos since vlogbrothers first started. All up I have been watching TH-cam for years. Of the thousands of videos I've watched in that time I've never left a comment. This video changed that because wow, never had a truer truth been spoken. Everyone has their layer of paint to add. Keep on painting folks 😊
Thanks for this, John. At my university, I'm privileged to be taking a class from acclaimed author Orson Scott Card. It's a class on writing lyrics to specifically worship hymns. To fulfil an assignment, I quickly wrote a hymn based on an idea I've had for awhile. When I read it to the class, I was very surprised to see Professor Card almost in tears. Immediately he told me he wants to send it to a composer friend to have it set to music and published. I was shocked by this reaction since I didn't think my hymn was that good. And especially because my other classmates had written beautiful hymns far better than mine and were never offered publication. But what you said really applies here. Just because the other students' hymns and the other ones I write will likely not reach publication doesn't make them any less important. They're still all spiritual and personal creations they can love, which is a point Professor Card emphasized. So thanks for putting that in perspective, John.
I love how John (and Hank) maneges to turn the topic from "world's largest ball of paint" to some metaphorical, deep message about how every little thing matters. It's really why I love them.
You're very welcome, John. I had an amazing time volunteering, adding small layers of paint to people's experience of VidCon Europe. Seeing the smiles and laughter my antics created whilst stamping passports at the VidCon booth will most likely forever be one of my most cherished memories.
its awful to be fangirling but John's and Hank's insights and the community that has rallied around me has given me so much comfort. i feel so privileged. thank you.
Sometimes there are videos that deeply resonate with me, that move me in a way I didn't expect to be moved. Thank you for adding your ball of paint, John.
Watching this video reminds me of the layers of metaphorical paint you and your brother have left on my life. I am more curious, caring, and hopeful because you guys have consistently demonstrated those things through your words and your work and encouraged me to be the same. I can only hope that the layers I leave are as positive and helpful as the ones you have left.
Thank you John! I feel like today, especially in the university setting, there is such a push to be remembered for your genius. It's incredibly tough and I want to thank you for making this video!
Thank you, John. I needed this. I'm trying to write a book while also attempting to survive school. I needed a reminder that I don't have to be the best, or even be remembered by the world for my work. As long as I work hard to do something I love, someone will appreciate me, even if it's just my mom. Also, on a different note, you're just generally awesome and I've been a nerd fighter since I was little. I love your books and the book you wrote with David Levithan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, is one of my favorite books ever, alongside Harry Potter. DFTBA
Thank you John for posting this. I really needed to hear it today. I've reached that point in life where I'm questioning what or how I made a difference. Feeling rather insignificant. Your comments and paintball analogy assured me I have had and continue to have IMPACT!
An overlooked thing about the nature of innovation is its necessity to build. like with the Edison example, he patented the first "practical" incandescent lightbulb (whatever that means) but the first patent issued for an incandescent lightbulb came in 1802, before Edison was even born. To quite two things written millennia apart, "There's nothing new under the sun," and "everything's a remix"
partially because it is college acceptance season, i've been feeling a little inadequate lately and have questioned my significance as both a person and a maker of things. thank you for this sweet and surprisingly inspiring video.
God, this is why I love the vlogbrothers! Where other vloggers vainly talk about how great their life is, the vlogbrothers tackle existential quandries in a manner that's both insightful and uplifting, and also occasionally make nerd jokes. They respect the intelligence of their viewers and I love that about them!
Thank you, John for this video! I am a blogger (the writing kind) and sometimes I feel like it's not important because I can't reach a large audience like some. I also volunteer at a local hospital and while the employees there keep saying, "Oh we love our volunteers," I still felt like it didn't matter. Just seeing this is making me smile. #DFTBA
No, John. Thank YOU! I loved this video so much because it reminded me of when I watched you in middle school back in 2009 and your philosophies helped shape some of my most cherished world views. Back then, you helped me beat bullying and depression. Now, I am a 20 year old dreaming about a future career in refugee and immigration law and this video is especially poignant. Thank you. I hope to work with you on some projects one day.
John, I am so happy you share your views on the world around us with us. Both you and Hank are such an inspiration to me. I cannot wait to add my layer of paint to the world.
I like that point of view. Maybe I'll write down from now on, when I think I've contributed some kind of layer of paint to the world and think if it that way. ...Which would show that this video is a layer of paint, with which John slightly contributed to the bigger scheme of my life...
What I love about this channel is that John and Hank always manages to be beautifully poetic and philosophical about the simplest, seemingly most irrelevant things and events and make them into analogies for smart and insightful thoughts. You always end their videos knowing more or thinking differently about the world than you did before.
Just started bawling my eyes out. It's the perfect time for this; knowing that I matter, when I and everyone else around me constantly keep on saying that I don't really matter. Thank you. So so so much.
I think this raises the interesting question of whose accomplishments are inevitable and whose are unique. For example we may live in a vastly different country if George Washington was not our first president (and chose to give up power after 8years) however if Thomas Edison had not invented the light bulb, someone else would have and life would continue with little difference. This is a topic that fascinates me and I would love to hear other thoughts!
Yeah, this is a very interesting question for sure. It does seem like certain people's individual decisions have a huge impact on history--whether it's George Washington or the guy who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In the case of Washington, I'm not totally convinced American life would've been THAT much different had he never existed (or had he not been our first President), as as evidence, I would submit Canada, a nation that was colonized mostly by the English but partly by the French--just like the U.S.--and that ended up being pretty similar to the U.S. (You could argue that Canada only ended up the way it did because of the U.S. Revolution, though.) Alternate history is always a guessing game--but an interesting one! -John
I always envision a George Washington-less world as one without the standard of the two term limit. Maybe we would eventually be the same, but in those early presidencies I think it would be very different.
John, you have already achieved genius. Looking for Alaska helped me process some of the most awful losses a person can endure, and it was beautifully written. As a creator you've already touched so many hearts, minds, and lives.
Hi John. You should really do a video on Venezuela. My country is in crisis, people march on the streets and the government throws gas bombs and sends the army to stop them. Over 80% of the people live in poverty and more than half are malnourished. The only way this can be stopped is by international pressure and that won't happen if people don't pressure there government to do so and that won't happen if they don't know about it. You can help them know about it. This is an important issue, and I really hope you do a video on it. DFTBA
I want to thank you for this. I had actually caught myself in recent days loosing hope with humanity and the direction its going and reminiscing on how, no matter how hard I try, I can't fix it. This helps me remember that me fixing the world or even being remembered isn't the point. The point is that one day it will be, if not fixed then as close as we will ever get, but regardless the wolf gets better each day, even if we have a few stumbles along the way.
This is beautiful. I love how John can find these veins of philosophical wisdom through things as seemingly silly as a giant ball of paint. How wonderful.
That's so great to hear- thank you. I've been incredibly discouraged because I wrote a book that the people who read it love, but that agents don't seem to want. It makes me feel good to know that touching one life is important, even if I never hit the best seller list, or even get more than self-published.
Loving the ball and paint analogy. It reminds me of why reading and education is important. Knowing and understanding those who came before us allows us to paint on top of the work of geniuses instead of all starting with our own baseball.
So weird, was studying for the GRE yesterday and one of the practice reading comprehensions was on this very idea. It was all about how we often think of arcitects as these solo artists, virtuoso performers if you will, but really there's an entire group of professionals who contribute, not just to the building of it but to the design as well. We can make so many wonderful things if we work together.
For some reason this reminded me of a Denis Leary bit from years ago. He had overheard someone at the mall say "If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have gone to college", and it haunted him that he would never know the story behind that statement but it would always be in the back of his mind.
hahahaha. I'd argue that focusing on Tesla is *almost* as misguided as focusing on Edison, though, because in the end they were both small parts of a much larger collaboration that created the innovations and resources needed to create the light bulb. And now the Internet* hates Edison and loves Tesla, which is good in the sense that Tesla has long been neglected by history, but still indulges the lie that individual genius is the primary motivator of change among humans. -John * By "the Internet," I mean the parts of the Internet where I hang out.
Vidcon Europe was amazing. The community there felt so strong, so connected. There was an inspiring creative energy. It's the first convention I've been to where you made friends by standing in a queue and just saying hi. At the queue for Hank's meet and greet, some Nerdfighters from Germany brought candy and passed it around to everyone (I know, that idea would horrify John). Just... community. It was wonderful. Thank you.
Yes! that was the first thing I thought of when I saw the name of this video, and then I watched it and it's the very same one! That was a beautiful book, it made me cry, it made me take a step back and think. And I think what John said in this video rings true with what Flynn may have been going for, in a sense - a desire to leave his mark on the world, that he would know about and be content with, a mark that Violet would know about and remember forever as well.
hylke45 well the women have the balls in America, so it's the men that are scrambling to compensate by creating all these "world's largest..." creations 😋
I had an awesome time volunteering at VidCon EU, and I hope to be doing it again! It allowed a pretty awkward and socially anxious person like me to connect and make memories with other people. Thank you for the opportunity of adding my layer of paint to the VidCon sphere.
If I recall correctly, at one point Paper Towns had large sections devoted to the world's largest balls. It probably would have made that book terrible, but the ideas sure are interesting, so I'm glad he has another outlet for them.
This was actually a really inspiring video. Although I've heard the 'you don't have to be the best to do great things' idea before, this metaphor of the ball of paint really helped hit the point home. Your little video did something to awaken something in me (which I guess is part of the message you were going for)
Scavenger hunters: Your clue is here. www.reddit.com/r/nerdfighters/comments/64saiy/this_weeks_password_is_beneath_a_bench/
Well, it looks like a tree, but is it on a page of some kind or is it on marble/stone?
vlogbrothers I still can't figure out any of the parts of the scavenger hunt.
ahhh it's cluesday again!!
Lawrence Calablaster Go to the discord! There are walkthroughs of the previous weeks!
I am really confused of this, I have managed to figure out the first clue with the help of many amazing nerdfighters, but i am stuck with the second and this one is also so confusing!!
3 years in the future this is relevant again. Turns out Hank went to see the ball of paint and Michael, the owner of it, mentioned John unprompted without even knowing they are brothers, which makes me think he just always mentions John green and this video when people visit.
I love it!
jenthemusician it really is. Btw, you can find the video it’s the most recent one on the channel right now.
@@coena9377 That's what brought me here :)
Or the owner watches vlogbrothers and knows who Hank is by reflection of John.
@@confusedwhale i'm sorry, who the eff is hank?
"Did you add to the ball of paint?" is a much more important, more meaningful question than "How big was your layer?" The second assumes comparison to others - there will always be someone better and someone worse than you, so comparison in this regard is kind of useless. Add to the ball, doesn't matter how thick.
"…he painted a baseball with his three year old son…" I would have thought a brush or roller would have been more effective 😋
Everyone knows the best way to paint is to dip your three-year-old son into a large bucket of paint and then evenly apply the child to the surface you wish to paint. :) -John
vlogbrothers I would watch this video.
Everyone who has been tasked with the attendance of a three-year-old knows there is no need to engage in any further steps after the dipping of the boy in the paint; All surfaces in the immediate vicinity will receive a layer as a natural consequence of this one act.
@kingsleyIII You got it!
Bill Wilson Wahahaha this comment made my day.
D: GuAHHH what a metaphor!! It hurts it's so meaningful!
omg dodie
balls?
Wow! Makes me feel a bit less insignificant. I'm an elementary music teacher and sometimes when I run into former students, they don't necessarily remember me well. However, I do know that they remember some of the songs that I taught them, just as I remember the songs that my former music teachers taught me. Guess I'm painting with music...
Brozafan in a funny twist I discovered my middle school English teacher lives only a block away from me this week. Good teachers have deep impacts. Keep doing that good work. 💕
Thanks so much for your kind remark! It must be wonderful for your former teacher to be able to see how well you've turned out.
When I was in elementary school, I probably didn't realize the profound impact that my music teacher had on me, but luckily I was able to keep in contact with him as I got older and as I realized how much he really shaped me. Now that I am at university for a music education degree, I can only hope that one day I can do the same for others. But in the end, I think it's really interesting to think about the fact that years later, elementary school teachers might not be remembered by name, but they have still made an incredible impact on so many students. Well, thank you for your comment!
This is beautiful! I sing in a Barbershop chorus and I love how our music moves the audience and leaves an impact. There's about 100 of us, so not a lot of people know us by name, but the impact is still there.
Last night, I found a recording of a song that we did in elementary school choir. I have been searching for a recording for about ten years and someone finally put one up. You have summed up what I was thinking as I listened. Soon, I'll be an elementary music teacher too, adding a layer of my own.
Came from Hank's video to watch John's ball video. It has grown substantially in 3 years!
Here from Hank's recent video, I gotta say, I'm surprised John hasn't painted the ball himself!!
And when you do, John, you should DEFINTELY write an Anthropocene reviewed episode on the ball of paint, and then it can get painted over, and individual genius can be superseded by the collective drive towards progress!
I cried watching this video. I've been struggling with a lot of anxiety about dying and being forgotten. I've been a nerdfighter since 2008 and nerdfighteria has saved my life
A little over 3 years later, Hank makes a video about visiting the place. 3 years. I mean, that's not too many, but you know what they say...
The years start comin' and they don't stop comin'
Is this in reference to an early episode of their podcast the Green brothers made together where the album Mouth Sounds was suggested? I do not know enough Green lore to know if All Star is brought up other times
@@ori_05 yeah. in one episode hank suggested that a new opening but for the podcast should be reviewing one frame of the all star music video cus it was released in 4k. It has now spirals into a huge inside joke with many videos spelling out the whole songs lyrics.
@@sylvy16 ah ty
Today I painted coat 26,143 and it was glorious. Thank you for this gift, John! Mr. Carmichael mentioned that your speech on TH-cam is one of his favorites about the ball of paint.
The Antropocene Reviewed brought me here and I cannot be more thankful to you!
I like this so much
JOHN, YOU NEED TO GO SEE MICHAEL
But at what point did it go from being a painted baseball to a ball of paint?
That's a question for the philosophers. :) -John
when there is more paint than ball
@@Ruby_Key but dp you go by volume or mass? or diameter maybe?
@@saleplains idk, weight
@@saleplains volume.
randomly clicked on this video, watched it and started crying. the times we live in are weird
Who's here in 2020, during the time of quarantine?
Hank sent all of us here
The ball is so small compared to when Hank went!!
There is not a single video in youtube without this comment!
@@jaseem1518 Well, I was the one to make it on this video...
Me. May 16th. Just found this after watching the other one with Hank painting on the largest ball of paint.
I once heard the quote “I can no more remember the books I’ve read in my life than the food I have eaten, but they have made me.” I guess now, I want to write that book.
Emerson!
I don’t fully understand why this video made me cry. But I am glad it did.
Yet another episode of Anthropocene Reviewed before AR existed. It's like this Podcast out of time, whereby new episodes are found throughout the spectrum of John's life. #TimelordJohnConfirmed
I'm a first year teacher for 8th graders that have no motivation to succeed. But I wanted to say thank you because I frequently use your videos for "motivation mondays" and my students really enjoy and learn from them. They may complain that you talk too fast sometimes😉 but that just gives me a chance to explain how this relates to their lives. Thanks again💛
My that ball has grown a lot since
That was my thought exactly
John, I found this video to be incredibly moving and insightful. As a researcher, it's easy to feel like the minuscule contributions we make or the null findings we get don't matter and will never make a difference, but this "ball-of-paint" perspective is a beautiful way of seeing the world. Thanks for showing me a different way of looking at it.
The analogies you make are always so good that they make me want to cry. A ball of paint analogy made me almost cry, John. How can you possibly do this so well all the time?
Thank you! Thank you! I so needed this today. I struggle with whether or not to continue my creative projects because not enough people hear them. I should take stock and appreciate the ones that do. Seriously. I thank you with tears in my eyes.
I feel really weird for this, but now I want to go add a layer or three of paint to that ball. Vacation goals...
Great vacation idea! -John
I still come back to this video many years later. I don’t know if John knows how much of an impact this video has but for me this is as deep and impactful as one of his ‘thoughts from places’. I struggle a lot with the thought of what does my life mean in the grande scheme of things. I’ve never found anything else that has provided a reason more than this video. John, thank you. You have truly made my life better
Who is here in 2020 from Hank’s new video about the ball of paint?
That was truly beautiful! Thank you, John, for this and for all the other inspiring thoughts that you have shared with us over the years! I was at VidCon last weekend and there I realised how much your videos and Nerdfighteria mean to me. You and Hank have been a constant influence on my life for about seven years. Finally seeing you in person and experiencing how many other are affected by you was really special to me. I feel much more connected to Nerdfighteria now. Thank you for everything you're doing. And thank you so much for bringing VidCon to Europe! I really hope that I'll see you there again soon. Best wishes from Germany, Joanna
THIS VIDEO MAKES ME FEELING LIKE I AM WORTHY THANK YOU JOHN I LOVE YOU
wow John, this is one of the best explanations of what we do. Thanks!
Fantastic video John, Thanks!
Brilliant video. Thanks!
Great Stuff John, Love you work!
From now on I'm going to be the painter of baseballs :)
I have been watching your videos since vlogbrothers first started. All up I have been watching TH-cam for years. Of the thousands of videos I've watched in that time I've never left a comment. This video changed that because wow, never had a truer truth been spoken. Everyone has their layer of paint to add. Keep on painting folks 😊
Thanks for this, John. At my university, I'm privileged to be taking a class from acclaimed author Orson Scott Card. It's a class on writing lyrics to specifically worship hymns. To fulfil an assignment, I quickly wrote a hymn based on an idea I've had for awhile. When I read it to the class, I was very surprised to see Professor Card almost in tears. Immediately he told me he wants to send it to a composer friend to have it set to music and published. I was shocked by this reaction since I didn't think my hymn was that good. And especially because my other classmates had written beautiful hymns far better than mine and were never offered publication. But what you said really applies here. Just because the other students' hymns and the other ones I write will likely not reach publication doesn't make them any less important. They're still all spiritual and personal creations they can love, which is a point Professor Card emphasized. So thanks for putting that in perspective, John.
I'm 100% sure this is the earliest I've ever been on a vlogbrothers video.
Congrats and thanks! -John
Same here. Let's hunt!
Haha! I always miss the videos by at least an hour. I then hurl shaksperian insults at my phone due to my poor time management skills.
+
Me too. The sad thing is: I came just now😂
I love how John (and Hank) maneges to turn the topic from "world's largest ball of paint" to some metaphorical, deep message about how every little thing matters. It's really why I love them.
john, please go when the quarantine is over
You're very welcome, John. I had an amazing time volunteering, adding small layers of paint to people's experience of VidCon Europe. Seeing the smiles and laughter my antics created whilst stamping passports at the VidCon booth will most likely forever be one of my most cherished memories.
Damn, that was way more deep than I was expecting from the title.
Nice work, John :)
DoubleComplex That pretty much describes my reaction to most Vlogbrothers videos. XD
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its awful to be fangirling but John's and Hank's insights and the community that has rallied around me has given me so much comfort. i feel so privileged. thank you.
Who's here after watching Hank's video about the aforementioned ball of paint
Me!
The TH-cam algorithm in action
Sometimes there are videos that deeply resonate with me, that move me in a way I didn't expect to be moved. Thank you for adding your ball of paint, John.
Watching this video reminds me of the layers of metaphorical paint you and your brother have left on my life. I am more curious, caring, and hopeful because you guys have consistently demonstrated those things through your words and your work and encouraged me to be the same. I can only hope that the layers I leave are as positive and helpful as the ones you have left.
Thank you John! I feel like today, especially in the university setting, there is such a push to be remembered for your genius. It's incredibly tough and I want to thank you for making this video!
It's too early in the day for me to get this philosophical. Now I have to go get a drink and stroke my chin looking at the tree in my backyard.
does your chin always look at trees?
Yes. But, only when I make grammatical mistakes :P
Thank you, John. I needed this. I'm trying to write a book while also attempting to survive school. I needed a reminder that I don't have to be the best, or even be remembered by the world for my work. As long as I work hard to do something I love, someone will appreciate me, even if it's just my mom.
Also, on a different note, you're just generally awesome and I've been a nerd fighter since I was little. I love your books and the book you wrote with David Levithan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, is one of my favorite books ever, alongside Harry Potter.
DFTBA
Thank you John for posting this. I really needed to hear it today. I've reached that point in life where I'm questioning what or how I made a difference. Feeling rather insignificant. Your comments and paintball analogy assured me I have had and continue to have IMPACT!
An overlooked thing about the nature of innovation is its necessity to build. like with the Edison example, he patented the first "practical" incandescent lightbulb (whatever that means) but the first patent issued for an incandescent lightbulb came in 1802, before Edison was even born. To quite two things written millennia apart, "There's nothing new under the sun," and "everything's a remix"
VidCon Europe was so amazing! Thank you so much for being there and saying all the things.
Thank YOU for being there and inspiring this video. :) -John
"But you still matter" made me cry.
What a perfect and simple metaphor thank you John!
John, your words in this short 3 minute video are some of the most impactful I've heard. I love this story so much!
partially because it is college acceptance season, i've been feeling a little inadequate lately and have questioned my significance as both a person and a maker of things. thank you for this sweet and surprisingly inspiring video.
As an artist and as a human being, these incredibly true words just brought me to tears.
Thank you for the encouragement.
who's here after Hank's video on this ball of paint?
God, this is why I love the vlogbrothers! Where other vloggers vainly talk about how great their life is, the vlogbrothers tackle existential quandries in a manner that's both insightful and uplifting, and also occasionally make nerd jokes. They respect the intelligence of their viewers and I love that about them!
Thanks, David. That means a lot to me. -John
Anyone else recognises this from All The Bright Places?
One of my favourite books!
janoortje THANK YOU I was hoping someone else would get there. All I could think of was Finch painted on that ball
dude YES
janoortje TOO SOON (yes)
I WAS WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO BRING THIS UP
Thank you, John for this video! I am a blogger (the writing kind) and sometimes I feel like it's not important because I can't reach a large audience like some. I also volunteer at a local hospital and while the employees there keep saying, "Oh we love our volunteers," I still felt like it didn't matter. Just seeing this is making me smile. #DFTBA
I LOVE THIS VIDEO SO MUCH. THIS IS A PHENOMENAL VIDEO.
THANK YOU. -John
No, John. Thank YOU! I loved this video so much because it reminded me of when I watched you in middle school back in 2009 and your philosophies helped shape some of my most cherished world views. Back then, you helped me beat bullying and depression. Now, I am a 20 year old dreaming about a future career in refugee and immigration law and this video is especially poignant. Thank you. I hope to work with you on some projects one day.
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John, I am so happy you share your views on the world around us with us. Both you and Hank are such an inspiration to me. I cannot wait to add my layer of paint to the world.
I like that point of view. Maybe I'll write down from now on, when I think I've contributed some kind of layer of paint to the world and think if it that way. ...Which would show that this video is a layer of paint, with which John slightly contributed to the bigger scheme of my life...
*of
What I love about this channel is that John and Hank always manages to be beautifully poetic and philosophical about the simplest, seemingly most irrelevant things and events and make them into analogies for smart and insightful thoughts. You always end their videos knowing more or thinking differently about the world than you did before.
Thanks. That's so kind of you to say! -John
I think that the community of Nerdfighteria has plenty of genius to go around ^^
Just started bawling my eyes out. It's the perfect time for this; knowing that I matter, when I and everyone else around me constantly keep on saying that I don't really matter.
Thank you. So so so much.
I think this raises the interesting question of whose accomplishments are inevitable and whose are unique. For example we may live in a vastly different country if George Washington was not our first president (and chose to give up power after 8years) however if Thomas Edison had not invented the light bulb, someone else would have and life would continue with little difference. This is a topic that fascinates me and I would love to hear other thoughts!
Yeah, this is a very interesting question for sure. It does seem like certain people's individual decisions have a huge impact on history--whether it's George Washington or the guy who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In the case of Washington, I'm not totally convinced American life would've been THAT much different had he never existed (or had he not been our first President), as as evidence, I would submit Canada, a nation that was colonized mostly by the English but partly by the French--just like the U.S.--and that ended up being pretty similar to the U.S. (You could argue that Canada only ended up the way it did because of the U.S. Revolution, though.) Alternate history is always a guessing game--but an interesting one! -John
I always envision a George Washington-less world as one without the standard of the two term limit. Maybe we would eventually be the same, but in those early presidencies I think it would be very different.
John, you have already achieved genius. Looking for Alaska helped me process some of the most awful losses a person can endure, and it was beautifully written. As a creator you've already touched so many hearts, minds, and lives.
that was oddly encouraging to a beaten down soul. thanks for that.
Thank you! -John
I always leave vlogbrothers videos feeling like I've grown a little bit, in knowledge and otherwise. What a remarkable feeling. Thank you.
Hi John. You should really do a video on Venezuela. My country is in crisis, people march on the streets and the government throws gas bombs and sends the army to stop them. Over 80% of the people live in poverty and more than half are malnourished. The only way this can be stopped is by international pressure and that won't happen if people don't pressure there government to do so and that won't happen if they don't know about it. You can help them know about it. This is an important issue, and I really hope you do a video on it.
DFTBA
I want to thank you for this. I had actually caught myself in recent days loosing hope with humanity and the direction its going and reminiscing on how, no matter how hard I try, I can't fix it. This helps me remember that me fixing the world or even being remembered isn't the point. The point is that one day it will be, if not fixed then as close as we will ever get, but regardless the wolf gets better each day, even if we have a few stumbles along the way.
"Tonight we feast on the labour of centuries."
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Thanks John. I'm feeling so much better about working on the thing I'm writing now, and I love the way you look at the world.
This is beautiful. I love how John can find these veins of philosophical wisdom through things as seemingly silly as a giant ball of paint. How wonderful.
I live in Alexandria, Indiana!
Matthew Floyd me too
You both should paint a layer on the ball together.
I am 10 miles west of you both.
That's so great to hear- thank you. I've been incredibly discouraged because I wrote a book that the people who read it love, but that agents don't seem to want. It makes me feel good to know that touching one life is important, even if I never hit the best seller list, or even get more than self-published.
America has balls.
The biggest balls of them all!
more than France...
nick frank I came looking for this comment, sure that if I made it, I wouldn't be the first.
Loving the ball and paint analogy. It reminds me of why reading and education is important. Knowing and understanding those who came before us allows us to paint on top of the work of geniuses instead of all starting with our own baseball.
Came for a ball of paint
Left with an existential crisis
0/10 do not recommend for paint enthusiasts
So weird, was studying for the GRE yesterday and one of the practice reading comprehensions was on this very idea. It was all about how we often think of arcitects as these solo artists, virtuoso performers if you will, but really there's an entire group of professionals who contribute, not just to the building of it but to the design as well. We can make so many wonderful things if we work together.
Who else got sent here by Hank
I appreciate you, John Green. Your layers of paint have given me the inspiration to paint my own, all I need now is the courage to.
I live 20 minutes away from that ball of paint...
TheCapedWalrus You should utilize that. Add a layer once a week.
For some reason this reminded me of a Denis Leary bit from years ago. He had overheard someone at the mall say "If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have gone to college", and it haunted him that he would never know the story behind that statement but it would always be in the back of his mind.
When the views are still in the double digits
Oh my goodness, John. This brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful spoken. Thank you. I needed that.
Can we have some Tesla not Edison rage in here please?
hahahaha. I'd argue that focusing on Tesla is *almost* as misguided as focusing on Edison, though, because in the end they were both small parts of a much larger collaboration that created the innovations and resources needed to create the light bulb. And now the Internet* hates Edison and loves Tesla, which is good in the sense that Tesla has long been neglected by history, but still indulges the lie that individual genius is the primary motivator of change among humans. -John
* By "the Internet," I mean the parts of the Internet where I hang out.
Also, wasn't Tesla kind of a jerk?
Marie Lastname Nah Edison was a jerk, Tesla was just bat-shit crazy
I'm pretty sure that Tesla was a eugenicist. So yeah, he isn't really the best role model..
alekmoth +++
Vidcon Europe was amazing. The community there felt so strong, so connected. There was an inspiring creative energy. It's the first convention I've been to where you made friends by standing in a queue and just saying hi.
At the queue for Hank's meet and greet, some Nerdfighters from Germany brought candy and passed it around to everyone (I know, that idea would horrify John).
Just... community. It was wonderful. Thank you.
That's so great to hear! I'm glad you had a good experience. -John
All The Bright Places anyone? 💙
Yes! that was the first thing I thought of when I saw the name of this video, and then I watched it and it's the very same one!
That was a beautiful book, it made me cry, it made me take a step back and think. And I think what John said in this video rings true with what Flynn may have been going for, in a sense - a desire to leave his mark on the world, that he would know about and be content with, a mark that Violet would know about and remember forever as well.
Seriously how does John even come up with such impeccably perfect metaphors????
I love this!
America, you always have to have the biggest balls don't you?
Only these kind of balls. I feel like America is compensating for something...
hylke45 well the women have the balls in America, so it's the men that are scrambling to compensate by creating all these "world's largest..." creations 😋
Matt Green isn't the world's largest ball just the earth???
What a lovely sentiment. You always seem to make thoughtful and thought-provoking videos right when I need it.
NOTIFICATION SQUAAAD
This way of thinking is exactely why I love John's videos.
Notification squad, where it at?
I had an awesome time volunteering at VidCon EU, and I hope to be doing it again! It allowed a pretty awkward and socially anxious person like me to connect and make memories with other people. Thank you for the opportunity of adding my layer of paint to the VidCon sphere.
Anyone else finding this video oddly familiar **cough** vlogbrothers 2009 **cough**
YES!
If I recall correctly, at one point Paper Towns had large sections devoted to the world's largest balls. It probably would have made that book terrible, but the ideas sure are interesting, so I'm glad he has another outlet for them.
Robert Baillargeon An outlet for his balls?
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Ah..John. You can melt my heart with your sincerity. I love this story you told us.
reddit.com/r/place
I was really expecting him to mention that..
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I thought he would mention that, with the whole reddit link to this week's scavenger hunt. Was a little bit disappointed.
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This was actually a really inspiring video. Although I've heard the 'you don't have to be the best to do great things' idea before, this metaphor of the ball of paint really helped hit the point home. Your little video did something to awaken something in me (which I guess is part of the message you were going for)
Congratulations on your layers of paint everyone! Hope you all are successful in painting even more! : D
Easily one of my top ten vlogbrothers videos this week, John. I love it.