Because We're Here

In which the tour comes to an end.
So much amazing Pizzamas merch! store.dftba.com/collections/p...
Pizzamas will continue all next week with weekdaily videos. Video from Hank's first time playing in front of a big audience in 2008 in Grand Rapids (with a borrowed guitar) from Morgan: • Hank Green Performing ...
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Hank's tumblr - / edwardspoonhands

[@BeCurieUs]

"Hope is the correct response to the arc of history" - John Green 2017

[@untappedinkwell]

And above all, it is the thing with feathers.

[@megsmeltzer-miller3230]

+

[@Larixlaricina]

+

[@ChristineNighting]

Loved this quote.

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

+

[@mineola_]

Possibly the best singing we have ever gotten from John Green?

[@vlogbrothers]

An admittedly low bar to jump over. -John

[@mineola_]

vlogbrothers 'Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.' You're a fish that managed to use those peddles, John even if the ride was short. 😊

[@mr.colegallant]

Anne yeah I agree

[@substanceandevidence]

+

[@MissLilyputt]

Anne +

[@LostSonOfPluto]

I come back to this every year now after re-listening to the Auld Lang Syne episode of the Anthropocene Reviewed. And the tears just keep coming

[@cyrilio]

I have this feeling with so many of Hank and Johns videos. Love them dearly.

[@tomseliger5178]

And they don't stop coming...

[@Ryan-jl9ii]

Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running

[@Grey0730]

Didn’t make sense not to live for fun

[@Razbeariez]

I'm sobbing? I'm sobbing. That story hit my heart-place in an indescribable way.

[@FandomMatters]

Brynley Louise yes same. I'm glad I'm not the only one with the need to comment this. I just started crying and it was strange but good

[@Catking19]

I am also crying

[@Larixlaricina]

+

[@lilythatcher8836]

Same here

[@saxgirl93]

I got to the end and then saw the horribly grainy vid of almost 10 years younger Hank singing and messing up because of how stoked he was that people were singing along, and oop, there were the sobs.

[@thewinterizzy]

Singing "we're here because we're here because we're here" with you on tour was an incredible moment. I was doing okay until Hank walked back out and sang a second verse with us. My eyes welled up with tears, seeing you two stand side by side and knowing the impact people have had on your lives, and in turn the impact you two have had on my life and nerdfighteria as a whole. In that moment, it was enough. It sounds ridiculous and cheesy but it's true. We shared a kind, together-ness moment in Bellingham that was unique to Bellingham - and every tour stop had their own moment, too. But all those moments combined...we're together. For everyone that couldn't attend the tour, now they can have their moments here, now. We're here because we're here because we're here.

[@carlo2074]

same!

[@N05K177]

+

[@TheLetterbomber]

+

[@laurenronstadt6688]

thewinterizzy +

[@Jewel45615]

I was there for that moment as well and it was extremely important. I'm so happy I got to attend and hear this story in person

[@Orikron]

I never really understood how powerful depression was until I realized that even people with awesome lives like John or Carrie Fisher can be put absolutely down by it. I've doubted people's claim to be depressed in the past but I feel bad for it. Sometimes I wish we had the power to live vicariously in one another's lives and be troubled by one another's thoughts instead of being confined to our personal experience. That clip of Hank at the end was absolutely adorable and uplifting, by the way. Thanks, John.

[@violetmoon1587]

Same

[@thomasbuckley6999]

so disappointing

[@el66k94]

Am I the only one who finds this super funny?

[@filmbrophobic]

I just had the exactly same thought. Sometimes I wonder about all the different thoughts and experiences a human is capable of but I'll never experience or understand

[@el66k94]

Oh, crap, the bot comment is gone. Now I look like a jackass...

[@elizabethsmith6477]

This was the part of your show that made me cry, and it made me tear up once again. Amy was very wise. Thank you for remembering and sharing that story.

[@kcallamajaji]

Same. I'm sitting here trying to keep the tears back.

[@torymarinelli6031]

Me too! I was in Pleasanton, in the cold, crying with the rest as we all shared that moment together. It was beautiful, and amazing and I will always always be grateful I got to be a part of it.

[@Amberthyme]

Tory Marinelli I was in Pleasanton too. It was the only thing I couldn’t sing along to I just kind of sobbed a little bit. Well, except for that other thing 😉 that we didn’t sing along to.

[@Cisaadeh]

Elizabeth Smith +

[@jessmackintosh6157]

I'm with ya. The tears came out of nowhere in Spokane last week during "we're here", and again right now today. Thank you, John, for sharing and singing and putting this in Turtles.

[@bestLetsplayer]

Does anyone else keep coming back to this video? Idk why but it makes me feel at peace with myself and the world

[@stealthcactus]

Yes, every year, my friend.

[@madisonprice5677]

john’s thoughtful vlogs are, in my opinion, the best vlogs

[@jessiebullock]

Bwaaaaaahahahahaha

[@katharikaplan1798]

Rhea Price +

[@asongoficeandgallifrey5691]

+

[@susumnasen4783]

++++++++++++++.....

[@danielmurillo9579]

+

[@GraceWegener]

All of me wants to get a tattoo of "we're here because we're here"

[@NinjaNerdOG]

SAME!!!

[@Kate-bo6sb]

Grace Wegener was just thinking the same thing

[@maike__-]

I have been looking for something uplifting-ish to get tattooed but couldn't find something that I trusted myself with, something that I was sure I wouldn't find pretentious or stupid or embarrassing in a few years. But I have seen this video a lot of times and every once in a while I keep coming back to it and I think this might be it. I will keep this in my head for another while to be sure I don't change my mind, but I think this might be it. Thank you for the idea. Knowing that someone else might have the same line tattooed on them actually makes it more special to me. Feels like a connection.

[@samsherwood8332]

@@maike__- I’ve also considered it as a tattoo! I specifically like the idea of having it in a ring around my wrist so it’s a never ending sentiment

[@Mine-jm9sq]

@@samsherwood8332 That's exactly what I wanna do as well! Did you already get yours?

[@blueboxmama2034]

I will never be able to hear this story and not cry. And John, there's something very authentic and real about the way you sing. It touches my heart deeply. 💜

[@Zeyev]

You might be interested to know that the Hebrew word "hineni" carries the dual meaning of "I am here." It can mean that you are in a physical location. It can also mean that you are paying attention, that your mind is focused. That may dovetail with the dual meanings of "we're here" that you expressed.

[@untappedinkwell]

I love this. Thank you so much for sharing it. Best wishes!

[@leidenfrost3821]

This was so beautiful. I'm crying John, why am I crying, because I'm crying, because I'm crying …

[@InstrucTube]

Because we're here... and because we're crying.

[@steviedubs]

Glad to know that I wasn't the only one touched by this video as well and found myself crying...just because.

[@beckybrooks654]

We're here because we're here because we're here because we're here

[@breannafinney2546]

+

[@NijiRanger]

:koalahug:

[@JaneTheBrain.]

:guhalaok:

[@beckybrooks654]

Awww Nij *hugs* If we see each other in Amsterdam again one day we need to go to the scavenger hunt places again and sing this song

[@beckybrooks654]

JANE

[@connierobinson1090]

This song gets at the heart of the struggle of mental illness so much more than just a message of hope. Direct acknowledgment that you need no reason except that "we're here." That's PURE hope, without reason, just as fact.

[@katie]

that harry potter song was SUCH a throw back for me. that was the first vlogbrothers video I ever saw and its the reason I got into youtube :)

[@daganschoen4895]

it was the first vlogbrothers video most people ever saw for quite a while

[@stirringthecauldron]

After watching this, I suddenly feel like listening to Hank's album again

[@ErinClements1]

We're here because we're here... John, as the creator of Tuataria and a person living with OCD, depression, and anxiety, THANK YOU. I was at the NYC date and at the Cincinnati date, and watched the LA date live in a voice party in Tuataria... and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Because of you and Tuataria, I've met some of my best friends in the whole world. So, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. I'll never be able to say it enough.

[@JaneTheBrain.]

:guhalaok: and DFTBA

[@beckybrooks654]

Love you Erin

[@Luke-lw9dg]

You created Tuataria? I had kinda thought Hank had made it, or maybe John. Bravo!

[@THePatEexperience]

oh dearie the feels train is a choo choo'n along here

[@ErinClements1]

Love you so much, Jane, thanks for keeping Tuataria safe and fun with me. :heart:

[@jijohnson12]

I watched last night's livestream in a dark hospital room, sitting next to my sleeping mother who just had surgery on Wednesday. It was dark and sterile and somehow both quiet and loud. And even though my mom was asleep and I was, for all intents and purposes, alone, I really wasn't. I was gathered with about 25 of my friends on the Tuataria server...a place that has been a home to me over the last nine months, and a place where I always seem to find myself when things get particularly scary or overwhelming or anxiety-inducing. A place where I am known and loved, and a place where I've met so many other people I now know and love. So when we got to the part of the show where the audience sings, "We're here because we're here" together, I sang it too--eyes closed, barely a whisper, through tears, knowing that my fellow Tuatarians were singing along with me all over the world. I'm grateful for the scavenger hunt, for being the first person to get into the forum, for the privilege of adminning the Tuataria Discord, for the chance to take a trip to NYC to see the tour and spend time in the outernet with my Tuataria friends, for sitting next to Lori Earl on Good Morning America, for starting the weird @daysuntiltatwd Twitter account, for hosting Tuataria open mic nights, for the opportunity to organize a Tuataria meet-up in St. Paul, and so much more...and absolutely none of this would have happened if you hadn't written TAtWD, or if you hadn't cultivated the Nerdfighter community, or if Accio Deathly Hallows hadn't gotten on the front page, or if you hadn't started Vlogbrothers at all, or...or...or...it's really just cause-and-effect all the way down. I'm here because we're here because you're here...and I'm so, so glad that all of those things are true. And I guess that's about all I have to say.

[@songfreak1745]

+ ily jessie

[@NijiRanger]

JESSIE! I CAN'T!

[@beckybrooks654]

Jessie, you are the bestest and I'm so glad things went ok with your mum and i hope she keeps improving and aaaaah all my love ok bye you killed me with feels

[@ErinClements1]

Jessie how dare you give me these feels smh

[@Ash-xu2fv]

+

[@snufkin2245]

It's new years eve, 2020, I just watched the first episode of the anthropocene reviewed podcast, and it brought me here. I don't know why this matters but here I am.

[@sangoluvsmiroku4eva]

I'm here for John's insightful reminiscing

[@TheAlGal8]

GAH that clip at the end made me cry and smile at the same time

[@thewinterizzy]

I admit I was expecting a pizzamas merch promo (which like, I was fine with lol) - and then I was pleasantly surprised and teared up a bit.

[@OAmoretNoctis1Izzy]

a_marie08 +

[@heatherwanderer777]

So much joy in such a short clip, I too cried and smiled.

[@CastorSunshine]

+

[@MagicTurtle643]

What exactly does Hank say? "This is ----- I've ever had in my life." What??

[@hannahwaterman2679]

Coming here on New Year’s Eve feels like coming home. Thank you for the bittersweet hope that comes with this.

[@VindicatedMuffins]

me too. happy new year !

[@pooquellec5223]

"We're here because we're here because we're here." An incredible moment during the tour when everyone was tearfully singing that in honor of Amy. Thank you for sharing your stories with us John. Thank you for an interesting albeit long 2017. DFTBA

[@dinahrosesteele]

I didn't know Amy passed away - this is a beautiful story, thank you for sharing it.

[@johnchessant3012]

Well, I'm here after listening to that AR episode again. Now I will go cry some more.

[@PiedmontPerkYT]

Excited to be here after this year’s retelling 💗

[@BeautifullyTragicxx]

watching this in 2020 like "honey, you've got a big storm coming"

[@rebecamartins706]

This “beginning proud brother John” makes me love this brotherhood so much

[@TheQueerTailor]

This was so very touching- singing this in Bellingham was so very beautiful. It reminded me of a beautiful Yiddish song called Zog Nit Keynmol, it was written in the Vilna ghetto in 1943 by a young man named Hirsch Glik, this song calls upon us to 'never say we are going our last way' 'the day we wish for will arrive, we proclaim: we are here'

[@taracrown960]

That song is so beautiful. Personally, singing the song all together felt like any Niggun. It was just so powerful

[@TheQueerTailor]

Tazocrowns me too, it is such a powerful song

[@asimplestrawberry]

We’re here because we’re here

[@Ash-xu2fv]

I was so grateful for last night's livestream. I originally pre-ordered one copy of TATWD, bought two tickets to the Cincinatti tour stop, and got a Tuataria copy. So, I should have, ridicuously, ended up with four copies of one book on my shelves. Then, 6 weeks ago, my personal life fell apart and I packed up everything I owned and moved across the country. I gave away my tour tickets (to someone who ended up not attending because of a parent in the hospital) and mail-forwarding failed me, so I ended up with none of the copies I paid for. My Tuataria copy saved me. And then, last night, I just happened to see the stream on Facebook. And it was everything I needed. A moment of digital togetherness to make up for the physical moment I gave up, with the people who always help me hope when things fall apart. Thank you.

[@moiradarling97]

Last night I watched the live stream and most definitely cried when everyone sung "we are here because we are here because we are here..." I connected to the story in an extraordinary way. Thank you John for that moment and every moment before and after that you have and will inspire me. Wonderful job on the book. Love to you and hank. Keep inspiring and DFTBA.

[@violetmoon1587]

Loved the last performance (despite it being 4:30am ish for me to watch the livestream) We'll always remember Amy. Well done John and Co.!!

[@violetmoon1587]

........Okay. This doesn't seem in the least bit odd

[@violetmoon1587]

Danke Loielara

[@TheJustonemore]

+++

[@AUnicorn666]

{ are you talking about the fake vlogbrothers because i reported that also}

[@booked_by_books]

+

[@vendelaolsson7689]

Prickled my skin, watered my eyes and made my heart ache, in the best way possible. Words spoken beautifully..

[@jessicabellingham8142]

Singing "Because We're Here" with everyone was, to me, the most powerful part of the show I attended (Bellingham!). It made me feel connected with everyone and was incredibly moving. Thanks for sharing this with us, John. And thanks to you and Hank for a brilliant tour and over a decade (!) of nerdfighteria.

[@AllisonDeVoe]

Yesterday I took a picture at a red light. I was trying to take a picture of the weather finally breaking but I was right below the power lines, and the way they crossed the sky was so much like isnotid's photo of the branches breaking up the sky, so I left it at that. It was pretty and kinda similar and that was it. But if course last night and watching the tour toGETHER with so many of my friends, not in person but in a digital space. gave me all the feels and I cried into my dog and felt I was hugging all of them, and I thought about it more. About how those wires were power lines, phone lines, internet lines. How one of those lines breaking up the sky into so many parts may have been a line that was bringing me together with all of them. Bringing all of us together into one.

[@sparrowlingx]

+

[@NijiRanger]

~~I DID NOT ASK FOR THESE FEELS ALLISON~~

[@hiskeeperathome]

Allison DeVoe Now you're making me cry. 😭😭😭

[@beckybrooks654]

[@ErinClements1]

LOVE YOU ALLISON AHHHH

[@fossilfighters101]

First vlogbrothers video that made me cry.

[@margotwiehagen4986]

I'm back on this video, on the Auld Lang Syne episode of the Anthropocene Reviewed, looking for a specific moment in my own past. I sing this simple mantra when I'm feeling hopeless, the same way I murmur to myself 'hope' is the thing with feathers'. I'm using it for my college essay, that poem, to sum myself up in 600 words. Reading the comments on this video isn't helping me look at my own thoughts, but I found my own comment from 2 years ago "Thank you John, this is what I needed today" and I did. Trying to find where I first heard that poem has taken me down the road of my short life in a painful and remarkable way, and to have these videos as markers has been a gift. Thank you John, this is what I needed today.

[@Stephychan0]

We are here because we're here because we're here.. still here in 2022.

[@riddhisaha1653]

I never realise how much I need a vlogbrothers video until I get one. Often its all I have and its almost always enough.

[@justagirl1508]

"We can still proclaim in hope that we're here."

[@FieryAshes]

Sometimes I just... get touched right in the heart.

[@caitlynjones2147]

John, I don’t often say when something changed my life over the internet space because it feels empty, and a little untrue. But I was at the Naperville show and afterwards I got in my car, thought fondly about the entire show, and then I could Not. Stop. Crying. Maybe it’s because my husband is currently serving overseas, maybe because it’s hard to relate to someone else’s depression because we are all so unique in our pain, but this story and this song just struck me in a way I can’t fully explain. I don’t really have a shocking revolution or a “now I’m not sad” way to end this, I just wanted to let you know that sometimes the stories you tell- not even just in your books but irl- can genuinely change people. When I am saddest and feel the most alone, I just kind of sing to myself “I’m here because I’m here” and it’s oddly comforting that there doesn’t need to be a why. Thank you. ❤️💛💚💙💜

[@harshadkulkarni5874]

Hope is a thing with feathers

[@liahonagirl]

that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all

[@cupcakewithouttheicing]

I watched you say this on last night's Facebook livestream and it continues to be so amazingly powerful (thank you for doing a liveshow for everyone who couldn't go, by the way). Also, the clip of Hank and everyone else singing along made me so happy to be a Nerdfighter there are no words to describe it

[@abdullahenani9670]

can’t believe I’m here after 5 years, I couldn’t be more glad I found it

[@violistification]

I've watched this channel since 2008. This comment is the first way I have ever participated in any way besides watching the videos. I have always loved watching, but this video really touched me. I recently read Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Modern Love essay. In the upcoming year, I am facing being in love with someone quite extraordinary (to me at least), the beginning of my career as I graduate from college, and the swiftly approaching death of someone else which has been anticipated for a few years now. Amy's essay and your video today have helped prepare me for the upcoming 365 days. I am still terrified and know that parts of it will be awful, but I have hope that in the end I will still be here and the memories of those who will not will be kept and cherished. Hope and love will continue to endure. Thank you.

[@heather23renae]

violistification +

[@haroldparsons9727]

As a musician, that's the stuff. Playin your song and the whole room is so focused and involved you cant be heard over the merriment.

[@leahk9943]

John Green has a way with words. Today I started to read a book that I have had on my Goodreads TBR since July of 2014. That book is This Star Won't Go Out. ⭐️ I love all of John's books. While this book is Esther's story and her words, John's introduction already had me in tears. I have been putting off reading this book because I know it will wreck me. Some stars burn brighter and leave their mark.(I do not mean to take away from Amy's story because hers is incredibly moving as well. I just had some thoughts of Esther on my mind and figured this was a good place to leave them.)

[@Memmaonline]

Hello 2017 John. I remember watching this video for the first time three years ago and hearing you sing those words and being at a point in my life where I felt so lost and disconnected from the world around me. I wished so badly to have a group of people to be here with. And since then, I have found them and I have also found myself. I realized that "here" doesn't have to be a place, it is a feeling. A knowing. 2017 was hard and 2020 was even harder but we are still here and I am still here and I feel the impact of these words more than ever because they remind me that as difficult as things might get, none of us are truly alone. So thank you John, 2017 and otherwise, for helping provide me with a "we" and a "here", even in times when both of those things have felt impossible.

[@hollyhughes8065]

I watched the live stream on Facebook last night and sang along with you and your audience from my kitchen table and cried. You two and this community are so wonderful and it brings be such great hope to be a part of this.

[@AzeemaC]

The vast and interconnected us 💖

[@TheRoadtoNerdfighteria]

It's such a complex tapestry. I love it so much!! -Matt

[@YarrBr0]

Just read the Auld Lang Syne essay in "The Anthropocene Reviewed"

[@KParsley]

John, your books are helping me through depression right now. My therapist instructed me to find a mantra. I use "My now is not my forever." (Modified from TATWD) and "Some infinities are bigger than other infinities." The first part helps me put my suffering in perspective, and the last part helps me remember that, compared to infinities of happiness, infinities of sadness shrink in comparison (and to enjoy happiness and hope as it is fleeting and important). Thank you for all you do.

[@latenightmurmur]

It's the time of the year to come back to this still

[@bk7962]

2017 has been one of the worst years of my life. My uncle (whom I was very close to) overdosed and died, my first love broke my heart, I was diagnosed with depression, had a bad experience with anti-depressants, and it felt like it would never end. But what keeps me going is that despite the fact that I cannot fathom how this universe works or why I’m here in the first place, I’m here because I’m here because I’m here because I’m here.

[@PoisonTheOgres]

John, you made my depressed ass cry for the first time in a long time. But in a good way, I think.

[@untappedinkwell]

Here's to feeling more emotions in the future. Best wishes.

[@PoisonTheOgres]

Thank you! And the best wishes to you, too, kind stranger

[@untappedinkwell]

DFTBA.

[@kittydreamz86]

The end made me tear up.... it was beautiful to see you two in Los Angeles last night- but it was especially beautiful to see Hank's pure joy singing this song years ago. It's the song that brought me to the Vlogbrothers (via Charlieissocoollike), and through the good and the bad since then, being able to put John's books in my very own English classroom is not something I dreamed I'd be doing. The future is better than I could have expected, and I believe that will be true again when I look back on this moment. Thank God we're here.

[@AnaKikuti]

I keep coming back to these videos after finishing chapters of The Anthropocene Reviewed with stories you have told before and they never stop being amazing. You are an amazing storyteller, John, there's no doubt. Thank you.

[@andershansen9212]

I was at the San Fran show, and this might be a little dramatic but I've been putting off starting this medication for bipolar disorder because I was afraid it would inhibit my dream of becoming a writer. But when you shared your story about doing the same exact thing for you OCD, it motivated me to start. Which I did yesterday. I just felt like saying thanks for that, your willingness to open up about your struggle is far more important that you may realize.

[@untappedinkwell]

WAY TO GO YOU! I'm so proud and I hope your medication is helpful and that your support network and doctors continue to build you up. The SF show was amazing. I'm rooting for you. Best wishes and DFTBA.

[@dj586858]

I wouldn't be here without my bipolar meds. It isn't our fault we have this illness but we do have a responsibility to do everything we can to stay as well as we can. Don't give up if your meds take a little while to make you feel better & if they stop helping at some point, work with your doc to change them up. You may feel alone in your head but there are many of us out here! Take care!

[@comikk13]

Anders Hansen good job. I don’t know all the treatment options for BPD, but want to say, sometimes the first medication you try doesn’t always work or work as well as you need it to, and that can be discouraging. My first medication for my OCD had the effect you worried about- I didn’t feel anything, good or bad. But keep trying if that happens- once you find what works for you, it can make all the difference in the world.

[@andershansen9212]

my doc. said it usually takes around four to find a medicine that really helps, and i just need to hang on while we work to find something that really clicks with my brain. It was pretty motivating, but it wasn't until John and Hanks show that i started to feel more comfortable with it.

[@dj586858]

And please don't feel weak for needing meds. People with mental illnesses are some of the bravest people I know. 💪

[@meganutterback4134]

This song and tour will forever remind me of Tuataria, and the home I have on the internet. They don't know it, but Tuataria saved my life. Thank you, John, for everything.

[@untappedinkwell]

Tuataria is glad you're here. (And so am I.) Thanks for staying with us. DFTBA.

[@beckybrooks654]

I am so happy you found Tuataria, it wouldnt be the same without you

[@Lohengrin1850]

Reading those lyrics in your book brought up a forgotten memory of my grandfather singing it to me and I burst into tears. I cried again during this video, your message is one I needed today. Thank you.

[@crytalfactory]

This was wxpanded upon in your essay about auld lang syne. Its one of the things that brought me to all of your other content and has made my life better. Thank you john. And during this time i hopw that you will also remember that hope does exist, as we all remember over time

[@AUnicorn666]

You guys are so great and i am sorry she died. i came to your pleasonton show and i loved it. good job. I am still sorry that she died. we're here because we're here because we're here. in your tour you said "hope is true hope is correct." i hope tat becomes a normal quote from john green

[@AUnicorn666]

+

[@monisha2698]

Your videos make me happy and fill me up with high spirits more often than not and in the times they don't, my gut wrenches and my heart tugs. Reassurance that we're here because we're here and knowledge that everyone has existential crises make everything far less futile. Thank you for being my Amy.

[@marianhenderson1759]

John: "Some years are longer than others" Me in 2020: "You don't say..."

[@rmdodsonbills]

From my vantage point in 2020: Wow. You thought 2017 was long. No spoilers, but .... just... wow.

[@GratsielaLily]

This was a beautiful message. And Hank´s singing with all the other voices covering him was awesome. I really feel like my life is better since I became a nerdfighter- tho I´m not quite a nerd, or even as curious as I wish...but I like you guys so much! You inspire me so much...to be better and also, to be me. And to just be.

[@SEH221]

Thank you for this. Thank you for this tour.

[@SEH221]

I truly think that God or some higher power was pushing me towards this tour. It really filled my heart and renewed my soul and reaffirmed my perseverance and my joy. I know that this sounds silly, and maybe a little much, but being there in Naperville, my hometown, among 1100 of my most nerdy friends was something I really needed in that moment.

[@melimsah]

HANK IS SUCH A LITTLE BABY IN THAT FINAL CLIP OMG! I've been watching you guys since 2009, and my god, I owe so much to you all. Thank you for all the love and kindness and sincerity you've shared with the world. Also, please, DFTBA merch with "We're here" on it, please.

[@sarahalala]

I still can't watch this video without crying ... yet I find myself returning to watch again and again, as it is touching in countless ways. ❤ The reminder that hope is not foolish or misguided or idealistic, hope is true. The reminder that connection exists even when I feel alone. The reminder that we're here. The joy of watching those early days with Hank and his guitar - oh I remember those days. And the beauty of an Amy story. I think of her all the time and wish she was still here, seeking wonder.

[@stefanvence.6750]

Awsome vidoe as always i love this channel and i love you and hank thank god you exist

[@natalie8214]

vlogbrothers is this real and what is this

[@bepkoyt]

No this isn't real, don't click the link and report it.

[@upta]

@natalie Definitely spam, wouldn't click on that

[@Leon-pq3ot]

For anyone wondering: those links are spam. Please report them.

[@Jeshikamo]

I remember reading that section of Turtles where it mentions the "we're here because we're here" song. Never needed to mention the tune - my grandfather used to sing it all the time when I was a child. Whenever we went out, whenever we got home, he used it as his "we have arrived at our destination" jingle. Brought back a lot of memories. I miss my Pop. But I didn't know it was a war thing. I just thought it was something he'd made up, seeing as almost nobody else seemed to know the song (I'd sing it sometimes on things like school field trips. I'm Australian, half the kids didn't even know Auld Lang Syne). Knowing that it had been sung in trenches was just another blow the book delivered for me.

[@untappedinkwell]

That's amazing. What a wonderful memory of your grandfather.

[@emzealous]

Needed this today. Re-routed from your 2019 video on Auld Lang Syne. Like some of the commenters, I also want to get a tattoo of this saying. The past year or two have been peppered with waves of depression and imposter syndrome, but I'm here. I'm here. -Emily

[@Emily18184]

I clearly made the right choice in catching up on vlogbrothers videos today. Thank you, John. I really needed this video today. I've been having a bit of a rough time lately. Also I love your description of this year because 2017 has felt much the same for me, both amazing and awful, and very much long.

[@tmntallthewaydw]

I was a pretty new Nerdfighter when this video initially came out but I remember I loved it. Here I am 2.5 years later, still coming back here to watch this video again. At this point I'm pretty sure I can recite most of it from memory.

[@nerdfighter_and_unicorn2422]

I am so grateful to live in the same time as these two gems. They have given me so much. My eyes well up very time I think of how lucky I am to have them.

[@heather23renae]

Me too!

[@maighdlindonahue5684]

I also had a friend, (my best friend) die earlier this year. It's difficult not to get emotional, especially because losing friends to death doesn't happen often, so it's hard for others to fully empathize with your experience. Thank you for sharing this. It makes me feel a little less alone. I'm glad to be here with you.

[@oliverb787]

i come back and watch this, over and over and over, on the days when being here is the biggest, baddest question of them all. you remind me with this story, over and over and over, why we’re here (we’re here we’re here we’re here we’re here, how absurd is that) and that others feel the same hopelessness that i do. you’ve met my hopelessness with hope today, and for that i will forever be grateful. thank you, thank you always, for your words. they inspire me so deeply that it aches.

[@Madison_95]

Oh my god, you two were just KZbin babies. Amy Krouse Rosenthal sounded like a wonderful woman and it is amazing that you are spreading her memory further.

[@sethhowell2278]

this is probably one of my all time favorite vlogbrothers videos.

[@dontforgettobeacat]

John seems so tired! I can't believe they planned Pizzamas to coincide with the tour. Also, I did find singing all of " we're here because we're here" at the SF stop very moving. Thanks for that, John.

[@samallen3111]

I came back to this video because of the reference to "We're here because we're here" in Turtles All the Way Down. Thank you, John. Thank you for telling me exactly what I need to hear, exactly when I need to hear it.

[@BestWishesBaz]

I didn't know that Amy had died...... I've typed, and retyped this comment about 10 times, and as I sit here crying, I don't know what to say other than I am deeply touched by this video and all the stories that you have shared. Thank you.

[@GirlInACornerReading]

I was recently diagnosed with depression and the description you used really helped me conceptualise how it feels. Keep up the good work and DFTBA

[@untappedinkwell]

I'm so proud of you for seeking help and pursuing a diagnosis. It's great when there are words to describe what you're feeling. Best wishes as you continue on your journey. DFTBA!

[@ravencloud7]

I come back to this video every now and again just to hear you sing were here because, were here because, were here because, were here

[@eirwen5]

God damn it. I wasn’t crying till the end :(.

[@lbraine2313]

Pizzamas has been wonderful! Thanks for being inspirational for so long

[@umnizza69]

This is my favorite video on youtube. I cried so much when you were singing this song in LA. Thank you for sharing your experiences with mental illness, John. I don't struggle with it myself (or maybe I just haven't been diagnosed), but I am in the therapy and I do experience ups and downs in my mood and attitude to life. And I found your experiences very helpful. Also, turtles all the way down helped me to understand my girlfriend who has mood disorder so much better. Thank you so very much, John.

[@natalienagel6617]

I always seem to come back to this video. I think it’s my favorite vlogbrothers video ever.

[@fromscratchauntybindy9743]

ALL. THE. FEELS. Thank you John & Hank. I like to think Ester & Amy have levelled up to where ever, and are sharing Pizza and cheekily smiling as they watch you, happy to know that when your time comes you too will be pleasantly suprised about what comes next.

[@DanMarinerMan]

I love pizzamas so much. Also the performances were amazing.

[@HannahSnowArt]

I feel like I learnt this lesson maybe a year ago? And like John, it really changed my outlook. We are here simply because we are here. There is no reason for anything really. Just like there is no reason 2+2=4. It just does. We are all here growing old but we are all growing old together :)

[@pgoconn]

Hey John, I just did a little searching to learn about Amy Rosenthal like watching her TED talk and reading her stuff in the New York Times, so I kinda get to "meet" her for the first time. So far, she seems like an amazing person and one helluva writer. Though I'm just scratching the surface, she seems like she could find the positive in anything (talking about the exhausting effects of chemo as "a bit of trippy fun"). So I must say that I'm a little envious that you actually knew her (in a good way of course) and I am glad the internet exists 'cause now I get to "meet" her and hear her optimistic take on life. To spreading positivity & to never forgetting to be awesome. Thanks.

[@adelined]

John:I've watched this video probably 20 or 30 times. I just wanted to tell you what it means to me. I used to be a huge pessimist- I believed that life was meaningless, and there was really no point in doing anything. And even though I didn't want to admit it, this wordview infiltrated my every day thoughts and actions. But in 2018, when I was maybe at my lowest yet, I found this video. To quote you, i don't really believe in epiphanies. But I know that I woke up that day after watching this video feeling a little bit better, and i've never felt as bad as I did before i watched it. I sing this song to myself whenever I feel like things are meaningless, or I start to loose hope. And it reminds me that hope is true. thank you and dftba

[@froge6652]

This just gives that part from tatwd even more meaning! Thank you john 💞

[@phoebeh5797]

I always love vlogbrothers videos, but it’s videos like this one that make me really remember why I love them so much.

[@catherine_dong]

You, Hank, and the community you two have created have truly changed my life. Here I feel so accepted and part of something collectively larger than it's constituent parts. Tuataria has been there for me and I'm happy to say it's been where I've found my biggest laughs, deepest conversations, and heartwarming moments. Thank you so much, John, for everything you do.

[@tenaciousdean6179]

HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS