Most People Have Never Been 20

[@vlogbrothers]

Hi. Full sources in the dooblydoo, but just four notes here: 1. If you want to make a one-time or monthly donation to our project with Partners in Health Sierra Leone: pih.org/hankandjohn 2. Thanks for a hugely successful pizzamas. 3. This video, like so many others, would've been absolutely impossible without Our World in Data: ourworldindata.org 4. Here's my OF COURSE POSSIBLY FLAWED math for why most people have never been 20: Of the first 100 billion people who lived, at least half (the most prominent researchers in the field consider that estimate on the low end) of people died before 15. Counting the 3% or so who died between 15 and 20, that means that probably at least 53 billion of the first 100 billion people died before the age of 20. Of the most recent 10 billion who died (most of whom were born between 1800 and 1950), over 30% died before the age of 20. That takes us to a conservative estimate of 56 billion of the 110 billion people who've died so far. (2.6 billion people are CURRENTLY under the age of 20, so even if you look at the entire population of humans, it is probable that most people have never been 20--hence the title.) -John

[@jama211]

Heh, you have OCD like me, I couldn’t possibly tell!

[@jama211]

I think you’re amazing and that this is amazing, also.

[@sexyscientist]

John, did you take the help of the resident mathematician Daniel Biss for this video?

[@jimmystoyell6982]

I couldn't find this in the citations but possible I missed it - is there a citation for 1/4 of all humans dying of tuberculosis about 200 years ago? That's wild!

[@defenderofwisdom]

I sometimes have thought as this spectrum in terms of a line of all human lifetimes til now, and I would turn it into a thought examination of aliens with a grab-bag of each person in the line disconnected from the line itself. The aliens, being ignorant of our history, can pull humans at random out and look at all the facts of their life including the spatial ones. So although most often they pull out the thick eras of people from forgotten times who lived free and died young, to find this occasional rare cityslicker, that Samurai, this astronaut, that ancestor on the Moon, on Mars, etc... And I would examine how stunned they would be to have to work back from a long interest in the 'basic human experience' to those rare finds to the idea of a sudden exponential rise in the use of knowledge and technology. But how much observations would they have to make of the bag of how a giant bunch of "killed naked near a redwood" people could eventually make this one shiny spaceperson.

[@Andi-gq4yo]

"as much as [20] can suck, it always beats the alternative" feeling grateful to be 20 today, thank you john (and complex healthcare systems) 💛

[@ravineshsingh3033]

Well congrats on surviving upto 20 . DFTBA

[@chocfudgebrowni]

+

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

♡♡

[@triarii9257]

*looks at planet* Well......

[@szeth14]

"This is for everyone going through tough times, Believe me, been there, done that. But every day above ground is a great day, remember that (DALI!)" - Mr. Worldwide

[@Conniestitution]

I just said goodbye to 20, hello to 21. I'm older than most people in the past ever got a chance to be, and I'm still in education. It's mad, and really puts things in perspective as to how far humanity has come.

[@DoggARithm]

It's 100 seconds to midnight on the doomsday clock. We've got dirt to show as a species

[@daniyal-syed]

@@DoggARithm no one cares bro

[@wingsonthebus]

@@DoggARithmhasn't anyone ever told you to die with dignity

[@abyssalboy8811]

​@@DoggARithm my reaction when its 2060 and we are 57 nanoseconds before midnight and nothing happens.

[@kewltony]

Sorry you had to hear this guy say "afro-eurasia"

[@Paint_The_Future]

I can't wait for the next episode of "Harrowing Statistics with John Green"

[@sexyscientist]

-or was there resident mathematician Daniel Biss behind it?-

[@TheGroovyJones]

Can I show you something in "Deaths from every day activities that you were probably just doing" or "Things that turn into crabs"? Or bears, how about just some videos of bears?

[@untappedinkwell]

@@sexyscientist I understood that reference.

[@AlexisXavier]

Please continue this series It's dark but informative and I'd rather know than not know

[@rachellindholm]

@@sexyscientist I hope there are many Nerdfighters out there who get this.

[@GamerBoyRobby]

Crazy stuff. I'm 22 now, 23 in a few months. Feels like I've just gotten used to being over the age of 18. Scary how time seems to accelerate

[@sillyslicker1]

Yep. I'm 32, now, and it feels like time has sped up so much that I imagine being 70 must make weeks seem to go by in the blink of an eye. I'm a procrastinator, and it's crazy how time just flies by, if I'm not being super intentional about what I need to get done. As an 18 year old, I'd put things off for maybe a week or two, but now, what feels like weeks can actually be 6 months. I hope you have an amazing birthday and an incredible life!

[@PurgPurg]

@@sillyslicker1 Yeah that’s so true, if someone releases a song it feels like it just came out and then I’ll discover that it came out a year ago

[@georgewashingmachine1]

Same, I’ll be 23 in March and I feel the same way. It took me until 21 to realize that I am an adult and time does fly by. I didn’t think those four years would come by so fast, but they did.

[@GamerBoyRobby]

@@sillyslicker1 thank you, I hope your life goes great also 😁 I think understanding we are going to be reminded of how short out time really is, gives a great motivator to fight procrastination. I am definitely a heavy procrastinator also, thinking about how fast recent months and weeks have gone often give me reason to stop whatever wasteful thing I'm doing. Usually binging KZbin lol

[@GamerBoyRobby]

@@georgewashingmachine1 this feeling is a strange one. I remember 10 years ago and seeing 22/23 years old thinking they look like proper adults. Well that's not how I feel, but of course that's still what kids think... and slowly come to realise that most adults of any age often feel exactly the same. We are all kids in adult bodies haha

[@ThatsSoRaechel]

As a person who’s daughter died at 4 months and mother died at 61, this video kinda gave me some perspective that makes me a splash less miserable somehow. I’m not sure why but I sure am grateful.

[@anniesoernym]

Internet hugs to you

[@Mentally_Will]

I'm sorry for your loss, Raechel, but I'm glad to hear this video gave you some peace.

[@vt3039]

Wow. What a testimony. Sending love your way...

[@thicciesmalls]

The human experience can be so cruel and painful- I’m glad the video was able to provide you at least a little bit of comfort. Sending you love 💕

[@hamsterfromabove8905]

The human experience can be difficult to comprehend at times. Sometimes what we really need to hear is that others have felt what we have and that we aren't alone. I hope you are able to stay strong and move on to a brighter future.

[@CowMaam]

One of my best friends died recently at the age of 20. For some reason, this video brings me a bit of peace. He got something. I’m grateful we live in the world where he had a chance. He was diabetic from birth and likely wouldn’t have even lived a quarter of that length not too long ago. I was born with sleep apnea and a few other issues as well, so I likely would’ve been part of the infant mortality back then as well. In fact, a lot of my friends would have been. This is actually really good for me to know.

[@sos2530]

In a weird way congratulations to your friend for making the milestone! 🎉🎊🍾I hope you continue to find peace and live your life well.

[@OrUptotheStars]

I love how John routinely takes mild curiosities, researches the heck out of them, and turns them into an action item to make the world a better place.

[@human6310]

If only more people were as morbidly curious like that

[@123TeeMee]

@@human6310 Morbid curiosity got me nowhere personally, just fuckin traumatised.

[@Novakain.]

​@@human6310 We do exist! I love going down rabbit holes of thought like this, it's just not the kind of thing that would come up in conversation a lot lol

[@dougpatterson7494]

I'm so thankful that I made it past 20. My high-school graduating class of 138 had two people who died in high-school. I was almost a third. Very thankful I wasn't and so grateful for all the help I've had along the way.

[@purpleghost106]

Today is my birthday, I am 35. I am currently pregnant and it probably won't kill me, I am unabashedly grateful for that. I already have a toddler, and I know she is likely to live into adulthood, and I am *extremely* grateful for that. These kinds of facts of my life are something I want for all humans alive. I am absolutely grateful to have access to healthcare, but I shouldn't have to be, because there shouldn't be a contrast with living humans who have to worry about medical access. I want to live in a world where it's a fact for everyone.

[@vlogbrothers]

+++++

[@classicambo9781]

Happy Birthday 🎂

[@weirdlyweirdwebber]

+

[@alexz5574]

+++

[@kaisankhasru4081]

Wow, I genuinely became happy reading this, thanku

[@chocolatereigns]

I have a genetically rare, medically complex 1-year-old who has a very good chance of living into adulthood. She may even outlive me. I'm so, so thankful we live in a world where she was able to easily get a feeding tube when she stopped taking a bottle and where we only had to drive 30 minutes up the freeway for her heart repair surgery. Without modern medicine, she would've died by her first birthday.

[@BusterDarcy]

I’m a living example of the child mortality rate going down. At six months I needed life-saving surgery. At age four I contracted meningococcal meningitis and barely made it to the emergency room. Throughout my youth I was hospitalized for asthma. I’m 43 years old today and can only assume if I’d been born a hundred years prior, I’d never have made it to 20. Probably not even close.

[@mastershooter64]

holy shit bro that's insane glad you're alright now! modern medicine is insane I can't wait to see what we come up with in 60 years

[@REDANDSILVER741]

Sounds like if you were born 50-60 years ago, you wouldn’t live past a year.

[@KatieDeGo]

You should play the lottery. Like, a lot.

[@sharonzhong]

Not to sound like i'm trying to one up you, I am just trying to share. I was positioned horizontal across my mother's tummy when I was still in her womb, instead of the normal vertically upside down position. Without C-section, it would be literally impossible to get me out of her. If we existed a hundred years ago, both I would've never existed and my mother would've died during labor.

[@jolenethiessen357]

Yep. I have 2/5 of my kids that would have certainly died without modern medicine, and at least 1 more without modern antibiotics. I would have died in childbirth three times over, and my father unlikely to be born at all. My husband would have died 2 weeks ago had he not had emergency surgery.

[@x0cx102]

A little amusing I got recommended this video again today, on my 20th birthday. Watched it recently and it’s a very good one John

[@briangarrow448]

As I approach my 64th birthday, your comments give me hope for humanity. Keep being that nice person who loves knowledge. And keep being that knowledgeable person who is nice. Either way, it’s people like you who make the world a better place!

[@vlogbrothers]

Thanks, Brian! 💛💛 -John

[@suomeaboo]

May someone still need you, and someone still feed you, when you're 64.

[@haroldnecmann7040]

@@vlogbrothers 5 more years

[@07torresa]

Happy upcoming birthday

[@beezymeech]

i just turned 27 and I feel like I go thru a midlife crisis every day. Constantly thinking "man, a lot of humans, A LOT, didn't make it this far"

[@VoidOneGamer]

@@bilbobaggins9451 Yeah brother, quarter life crisis are real. I myself will turn 28 in a few months and all I could think about since turning 26 is that I'm closer to being 50 than being born at this point.

[@pabloescobarschanclas]

sounds about right.

[@colinbattien1781]

I turn 20 in a week and a half. That was crazy enough, but this weirdly adds a layer of joy on top of it? So thanks for making me feel better about it, John.

[@vlogbrothers]

Happy Almost Birthday! -John

[@griffingeode]

After your birthday tell everyone you are above average

[@squiskereebicussporfle4564]

Hey! Also turning 20 in two weeks

[@laurelkelton6787]

This is my last day of being 20 and this did indeed make me appreciate it more.

[@pelu-mee]

I turned 20 last month!

[@theinventiveidiot]

Having recently turned 21, this really puts into perspective how lucky I am to be alive.

[@ignatiusjackson235]

And able to drink legally! 🎉

[@kaylee619]

This is why to me it is such a beautiful thing to show signs of aging (grey hair, wrinkles, etc.) It is such a privilege to grow old that so few had before modern history.

[@AW-xc1xc]

Somehow, as a very soon-to-be 20yr old, this made my "holy shit, I'm not a teenager anymore I'm ancient" life crisis ease up.

[@Smile200-z4y]

Bro you're 20. You still have a long way to go.

[@commonvegetable]

when I was a small kid I almost died of rotavirus (a common d+v bug we now vaccinate against) luckily I was taken into hospital and rehydrated. but I do sometimes think that for every me that is now living happily and can forget about it, there is another kid who didn't get the health care they deserved, a cool person we never got to have around, and a grieving parent.

[@vlogbrothers]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm really grateful you're here with us. -John

[@EBLego]

It’s now been 10 years since I first heard John’s voice in World History videos in 10th grade. I’m now a lonely structural engineer just grinding away my days. But hearing his voice reminds me of better days when I had dreams for the future! 😊

[@hali37363]

Don’t stop dreaming about the future just because you’re older! Make some cool plans or go on a trip somewhere! Life is for living, not just for grinding away.

[@CaptainAmaziiing]

I'm 55 and still dreaming about the future.

[@DreaOnzagle]

I’m in the final years of my 20s, have struggled with mental illness my whole life & recently developed a love of genealogy & public health. This video is a perfect combination of things I wanted to learn and things I needed to hear. Life is so hard but this was a welcome reminder to cherish it anyways.

[@aaronstevens2171]

I’m in a similar situation. Here’s to our upcoming 30s! Life is hard and still very much worth cherishing.

[@avantesma1]

"You have to be strong. The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me." - Buffy Summers. This line cut me deep and I always think of it when times are tough. Your comment reminded me of it. I hope it means something good to you, too. 🙂

[@australobuchia]

There's nothing quite like studying ones own genealogy to make one grateful for modern public health measures. Count how many female ancestors you have that died in child birth, or how many male ancestors that married more than twice because their wives kept dying or how many family members died before the age of 5 from preventable diseases. It's disturbing but really really gives me perspective.

[@KaWiReloaded]

I’m 36 and took a NOSE DIVE into genealogy as soon as I hit 30. It’s been such an amazing and healing journey. However as someone without children it also brought me sadness and my very extensive tree will end with my branch!!

[@Juliannasstudio]

You got this. Take 1 step at a time, and then another, and then another. That’s how life works.

[@Crazd22]

It's been literal years since Crash Course got me through college and here I am again, love the video

[@sam-the-moomin]

I never knew the “average age” thing, that’s so crazy and so insightful to how people used to live, I can’t believe I haven’t heard that before

[@FormerGovernmentHuman]

It’s because public education is more interested in getting vague ideas across instead of solidifying your understanding of concepts. It also isn’t in their interest for you to understand the truth surrounding a statistic. For instance administrations like to allude to an increase in average life expectancy attributed to policy. Or my favorite the unemployment rate vs the labor participation rate. You would assume the unemployment rate accounts for all people without a job, it doesn’t. In fact the official numbers get to cut off large sections of the employable populace. If you haven’t sought employment in the past two years you no longer contribute to the unemployment rate. The labor participation rate is the statistic that should be used when discussing job numbers but it’s never as pretty of a number.

[@lolasdm6959]

@@FormerGovernmentHuman Life expectancy is attributed to policy, like giving babies vaccines when they are born, without that we would have average age expentancy of 50

[@winser21]

@@lolasdm6959 Vaccines aren’t policy, they’re an invention.

[@MOGE_]

@@lolasdm6959 solely attributed*

[@bebeerin]

have you never taken a history class? it's common knowledge that most people used to die in childhood. that's why people used to have so many kids bc unfortunately many of them would not survive childhood due to disease and kids were a necessity to running the household especially when it came to farming and providing for themselves. modern medicine hasn't actually been around that long when you consider all the centuries before us

[@grady7420]

Very weird getting this recommended after Hank's cancer announcement. At first I thought John was making a response to Hank's video.

[@chocolateer8907]

Wow, this really puts into perspective the life saving impacts of modern medicine

[@vlogbrothers]

Indeed. Also public health interventions like clean water, vaccination, and regulation of toxins. Good sewer systems have probably saved more lives than all medicines combined! -John

[@netsch20]

@@vlogbrothers I mean in a way, all those things you mention are forms of modern "medicine".

[@anniesoernym]

My grandmother is a daily reminder of this to me, and to herself. Whilst her mother (my great-grandmother) died at 57, my grandmother will turn 89 soon, albeit having the same health problems as her own mother had. But modern medicine has helped her immensely in having a life more than 1/3 longer than her mother's had been 🤯

[@jek__]

I wonder how many lives have been saved by Alexander Cumming's invention of the s-bend toilet pipe

[@amiesparkle00]

Too bad there’s now a section of society who are against vaccines & Public Health measures who are trying to drag us back to the old times.

[@ceciliabrown2312]

This video was oddly comforting. Im turning 20 in a month, and I find myself anxious. More is to be expected of me, I will be forced to find my role in this world in some capacity, I still feel very young but somehow so old. I used to look at my childhood with a comfortable nostalgia, and now I cling to childhood memories and people in quiet desperation. My 20s represent so much that I feel unequipped to handle. In this next decade it's very likely that I'm going to experience the loss of friends and family members, I will have to become financially literate and stable, my parents will sell my childhood home, my siblings will disperse and our visits will become less frequent. And while I recognize that there will be joy, and laughter, new experiences, freedoms, and wonderful people; all of the unforeseeable happiness pales in comparison to the inevitable loss I will surely encounter. The weight of it all feels unbearable and suffocating at points. Thank you John for a little bit of perspective. It makes me want to keep living when I realize that most of humanity never received this opportunity. Even if I don't yet know what to make of such an opportunity, in some way, just being alive is enough.

[@cmm6p]

Every time this community comes through on another milestoe for MCOE and PIH in general, I'm so delighted. And then I think - what more can we do? I don't mean that in a flippant or dismissive way. I just continue to be so impressed and moved at how we stick together and to, she wrote in slightly poor taste, commit to this bit. Because truly the 'bit' in Nerdfighteria is being awesome. It's seeing that you and Hank have built a boat and we all trust its sea-worthiness so much that we put our hearts and souls on board. No pressure, right? But we're here and learn together what makes a boat, how things float, and how to steer it so that the sails fill and we're away on this amazing journey. I'm so grateful.

[@twojuiceman]

Very well said. ++++

[@abhishuoza9992]

Beautifully put. +++

[@melodycooledge6935]

+++++++++++ dammit now I'm crying again because yes yes all of this. All of it.

[@silliepixie]

we're here because

[@rukbat3]

Does this mean that John finally has some fishing boat proceeds, and they're the friends he made along the way?

[@Mae-TGD]

This is wild. I am 23. Its wild to think im still here- especially since i didn't think id be alive today. I struggled hard in highschool with mental health. It gives me some comfort to know i survived past 20. And im still surviving

[@florallychaotic]

One would think that this level of melancholy and talk about premature death would be depressing but like always you've found the beauty in it John. The humanity of old is probably ecstatic that you have lived long enough to tell us this

[@girouxmar]

i’m turning 21 next week and this was exactly the kind of reason for gratitude i was trying to find. thank you john

[@NavyHamster901]

Good Morning John it’s Tuesday. I loved meeting you and Hank at Pizzamas after dark. You were both so kind and funny and it’s a memory I will cherish forever.

[@daniellebronze1628]

A freshman on my campus passed away just after I first watched this a week ago. Scarily coincidental timing, and a rough week for many at my university. It’s odd to see things from such a statistical standpoint. Wanted to come back and say thank you

[@fictionalhuman]

Were it not for modern medicine I would have died giving birth to my daughter. She would have died a few minutes later because she couldn’t breathe after my emergency c-section. Now, at 33 with a near 3-year-old, both healthy, I am shaken and grateful for this additional perspective. I’m so grateful for Nerdfighteria and all the work that has been done to support the MCOE. Thank you to everyone here. 💚

[@teehee4096]

What is the MCOE?

[@calico27]

I have the same story as OP. I am 36 with a 5 yo, I wouldn't have survived my what was a textbook-case-until-it-suddenly-wasn't childbirth, and neither would my daughter. Oh and MCOE is Maternal Center of Excellence, PIH.

[@learning3929]

I'm so thankful to modern medicine for allowing you and your baby to live! I hope you both have beautiful lives!

[@Rachel-fi4sc]

My mother and I would have died as well, and that's assuming my mother lived long enough to have me in the first place. We are so, so privileged to be able to access modern medicine.

[@Valery0p5]

Congrats! If you are past 20, you have outlasted half of the human population. Life is precious, be proud of yourself and don't waste your time.

[@meri3580]

As a currently-19-year-old, this makes me feel really grateful for my life and the choice to keep living it. From the title I was also half expecting the video to be about being 20. I think a reflection back on it would be cool, especially since most of Nerdfighteria is past that point in life now

[@albertjackinson]

@@tommolldev And being able to research philosophy, science, history, art, literature, and more...right on your phone. That access to the world's knowledge at your fingertips? *That's* lucky.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Same here. In my head, I imagine turning 20 is going to be a massive moment that changes everything, but, like, I'm only a few months short of being 20 already. I guess not that much is going to change.

[@dgjdtuvsth4051]

@@albertjackinson yeah, no ones using the Internet for that😂😂

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 I'm nearly 21, and no, I'm not a whole lot different. Just fitter and more aware of how the world works and actually is. :)

[@albertjackinson]

@@dgjdtuvsth4051 Lots of people are. How do yo< think we are advancing society, then? And if you say "no one", consider this: I just &ad a conversatio` in Tuataria, one of Nerdfighteria's Discord servers, about what America even means now and the implications of it's past. So even that makes your argument incorrect.

[@Emetris]

never saw it this way. it's heartbreaking! i didnt start living until i was 25!

[@chantalcyrier8760]

I turned 20 recently and this brought a lot of pure sadness and pure gratitude to my day today.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

I made it! Going on 21 now, and I'm very appreciative to be here. Stay well out there, everyone!

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

Hamilton said it best: "I never thought I'd live past 20. Where I come from, some get half as many." Having had two near-death experiences before I was 6, I'm very grateful for my almost 29 years.

[@quaimaboylan5175]

I knew there would be a hamilton reference in the comments I'm not throwing away my shot

[@johnsonken96]

Lol, I came here to say this.

[@snakewithapen5489]

God i hate that musical lol. But good for you! ^^

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

@@snakewithapen5489 Why do you hate it? I'm always open to the negative side I might not have spotted in things I like.

[@snakewithapen5489]

@TheDanishGuyReviews It's one of those things that I just Could Not Escape for a solid 3 years at school, and that soured the experience for me. Y'know when something is so popular that everyone is talking about it and singing and quoting the songs, and it's really not your type of interest so you never could get into it but all your friends won't talk about anything else at lunch? Yeah lol. I tried to watch it relatively recently bc I'd managed to avoid it for like 5 years? And idk if I was just prejudiced or if it really was that bad but man I couldn't stand it. Lin Manuel looked so greasy lmao. And heavy musicals aren't really my type of theater production to begin with, but essentially every single line of dialogue was in a song or a rap. I also am quite a big history fan and i actually know quite a lot about american history in particular, so I'm a little disappointed that it was never something I liked, but the whole premise of it to me personally seemed so... gross. Making a founding father into a 'sympathetic' and 'hip' character to sing and dance in a play. Turning the other great American history figures who have their real lives very well documented into the same. Like they were real people that you're making into characters... it just came across as kinda weird. Obviously they had to dramatize it to make a plot, but it just felt so disingenuous. I couldn't get over the incredible cringe that was hearing someone pretending to be THE Alexander Hamilton sing about how his life was so hard lol. I'm all for making history more engaging to a younger audience, but not when you do it like that. It just felt Wrong. Almost revisionist, kind of sleazy, and very historically innacurate. But idk, that's just how I felt about it.

[@aphrog649]

I’m 20 right now, and sometimes I wish that I was still a teenager. This is making me feel grateful to be 20 ♥️

[@pabloescobarschanclas]

cherish it now. i’m 26 now and it feels like 20 was a few months ago.

[@TonyGrayCanada]

I'd forgotten how much I enjoy listening to you guys.

[@miacoss9809]

Me, clicking on this, currently being 20.

[@vlogbrothers]

You're in the minority. -John

[@skylerwitherspoon]

@@vlogbrothers okay but maybe not really of nerdfighters watching this video haha. The nerdfighter census has a lot of 20 year olds

[@joshing_]

same lol

[@danielisozaki7500]

I'm 21, and I don't care what you think, I'm counting myself as a 20yr for this video :)

[@DeanCalhoun]

omg same

[@moelplasa2854]

This makes me feel grateful to be alive. Great video

[@laurelkelton6787]

Thank you for adding new perspective to my last day of being 20! I already appreciated the last year but this makes me thankful for all of the potential years to come too.

[@sal636]

We may be bday twins :) Happy belated birthday and I wish you the best

[@SkyHighSkylar]

I just had my 20th birthday on May 6 and this makes me feel a lot better about it

[@garnetg987]

The bar graph at 3:25 literally made me sit up straight and go "WHAT?!"

[@vlogbrothers]

We have a lot of work to do. -John

[@MMallon425]

I'm not sure how high I thought the child mortality rate was in 2022 but it turns out to be infinity higher than that

[@evrypixelcounts]

I'm 22 and spent most of the last decade in the same building. . . I feel like I wasted so much time, but I'm glad I made it this far.

[@universemaps]

Nice insight of humanity in numbers so far... Thanks!

[@angelal8829]

Thank you for making yet another warmup I can use with my social studies class. Much appreciated

[@phyusin9993]

this is why I work in childhood cancer research. people deserve to live longer.

[@phyusin9993]

and im turning 21 tomorrow. really outliving a lot of people. i am grateful.

[@ayakassab9992]

What is your major? How do you get to work so early😮

[@phyusin9993]

neuro and math

[@shreyashrivastava4840]

Turned 20 last month. Feeling grateful. Wishing everyone a long life

[@rebeccasrandomness3045]

This was so fast paced and filled with really interesting statistics that I strangely feel like changed a lot of my understanding of the world before now

[@stevegeorge6880]

The puff points to progress. Great video as always.

[@tiffanykrieger5035]

My prayers are going to your brother right now

[@edenl.6771]

John summoned all the 20 year olds looking for a reason to keep going

[@Zzzsleepzzz]

Thanks for expanding my perspective, John!!

[@stephaniegrant6164]

This is one of my favorite Vlogbrothers videos of all time (and I've watched *all* of them since becoming a Nerdfighter at the beginning of the pandemic). At once informative, reflective, and also hopeful. Ya'll are dope and It's a joy to be a part of this community and make collective (and important!) change in the world. Excited for the MCOE and PIH!

[@tripfarmer9508]

Welcome to the community!

[@amitgalor]

omg nerdfighters is still a thing? I joined the website in junior-high like 15 years ago and haven't really looked for it since then. It's amazing they kept that thing going for so long.

[@queenieevergreen]

I love you two so much! Never stop making these videos, please. :)

[@ChefMimsy]

Wow. Thanks for bending my brain again and putting a thing in perspective that I'd not previously contemplated. I became a grandmother about 10 months ago and once again, my perspective on life shifted. Your video triggered another thought stream. As parent, the most painful occurrence I could imagine was the death of one of my children. That changed for me when my 1st grandbaby was born. Now the most painful thing imaginable is having to support my daughter through the death of her child. Even though the death of children was previously common, even frequent, I can't imagine that it was any less painful to the parents. Or maybe they just expected it? How different the lives of parents must have been if the next accident of some sort or the next illness could mean the end of a short life. I can't help wonder what the daily thoughts of parents- and even the children themselves- were. I'm thankful to be fortunate enough to live in a time when my children are expected to outlive me. My ancestors have, once again, gained respect for their endurance.

[@prepatil9022]

i just turned 20 three days ago. i'm not going to lie, i've been having a crisis about it. about losing my novelty or my youth or just a general anxiety for the passing of time. but it's a privilege to be able to be 20. i forgot that. thank you

[@slamdunkgator915]

Honestly, my twenties had their ups and downs. The ups included graduating from college and having my first full time job. The downs included losing two grandparents that I loved dearly as well as being unemployed for way longer than I wanted to and a global pandemic that's still going on. As I write this as a 31 year old person, I have no idea what my thirties will hold, but I hope that it will be productive.

[@SurveyTurtleGaming]

Maybe you'll get on a gameshow

[@rkah6187]

Productive is an interesting choice of words. Regardless, I hope your 30s will be joyful and filled with love.

[@sakkijarvenpolkka2090]

Conveniently this showed up just as I turned 20 yesterday!

[@adamr9420]

As someone who has only been 20 for about a week now, I've never been happier to be a statistical anomaly

[@beefmach1ne]

my sophomore year of high school I was diagnosed w lymphoma. Little over 20 years ago the protocols and treatments that allowed me to come out the other side were not as established, and my grandfather passed away before the results form his biopsy came in. I turn 20 this winter, and I’ll be 4 years cancer free the following may. Thankful and happy to be here.

[@PurgPurg]

That’s amazing. I feel like people who have suffered through experiences like that have a much more significant appreciation for life. Most people I see absolutely dreading their 20th birthday and having a crisis about being old (at such a young age) are people that have never dealt with a real threat to their way of life. I’m not hating on them or saying it’s “good” to have an experience like that, definitely not. Just that it really puts things in perspective

[@jamesbrixey8102]

This is one of my favourite recent Vlogbrothers videos: It is kinda like classical education: it starts with the grammar, with teaching facts; then the logic, explaining what is gong on; then with the rhetoric, the explanation of why it is important. BUT best yet, it gives an action point, working to collaborate to decrease mortality.

[@MayaMarcello1]

An odd fact somewhat related to this - the best way we can compare the ‘development’ of a country is by looking at the child mortality statistic (number of deaths from under 5 year olds per 1000 births) because it implies so many other things (access to food, clean water, adequate medical care, etc.) These sorts of things are much more likely to impact the children as they’re much more vulnerable and is usually better reported on than infant mortality statistics (deaths under 1, per 1000 births).

[@SailorYuki]

I'm 43, Swede and happy I live in a country and time where modern medicine saves lives. Just 50 years ago I would not have survied childbirth. Neither of us would have survived. Progress and human ingenuity is a wonderous thing. It makes me glad that not just we in the west get to see decreased numbers of child mortality.

[@aamir1290]

John and Hank are such unique creators on the internet. There are few creators with their longevity, success and thoughtfulness. You guys feel like my friends and teachers. Thank you both for inspiring us for all these years!

[@missinginaction7958]

I, too, have never been twenty but I would like to say that I am so glad that I get to be alive at the same time as you and see the impact that this community is making.

[@frogboy831]

cool! this completely changes my frame of reference for everything i've ever thought about ever

[@turtle_soda]

John always finds a way to make me cry, especially since I just read part of William shatners recount of his time in space and how to him it felt like a funeral.

[@PirateBug59]

I am current paused at 1:40, because for whatever reason the caveat about dying in childhood rather than just dying in general has me in stitches. As though the universe said "Congratulations! YOU are the 58.5 millionth "modern" human on Earth!" (there was almost definitely confetti, but probably make of just torn up leaves since I'm not certain paper has been invented at this point - or if it has, it's probably really expensive) "As congratulations for this placement, your children will live *forever*." Really, maybe that's how we got vampires... forget the whole mark of Cain thing, or the Judas theory. It was an accidental side effect of an arbitrary prize from the universe.

[@Cattrix999]

I didn't know where this was going, I found it interesting, and then by the end of the epi. I had tears in my eyes. I don't have a lot but I whole heartedly support pih with what I can.

[@dionysiabourmpouli2966]

Today is my 21st birthday, and this was in my recommended. I got chills when I heard the statistics, I never knew child mortality was so high. Made me feel grateful for today even though I'm not a big fan of birthdays. Thanks!

[@caw5312]

As a 20-year-old, seeing that video title pop up felt a little targeted, but it's kind of a beautiful thing to be reminded that we live in such a new world. The Appalachian mountains have existed longer than bones, but for humans, 20 is not the most precendented age! Crazy

[@jasminekoala4826]

I'm turning 20 next month, and it's crazy to think about how most humans haven't lived as long as I have, considering the fact that I pretty much feel like my life is just getting started given how young I am.

[@Chorutowo]

When your dog is older than like 25% of humans ever

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

That is a well-treated dog. Kudos!

[@3countylaugh]

I bet they're a very good doggo.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I wonder how old the average dog was. Of course the statistics aren't going to be as comprehensive as they are for humans, so it's probably impossible to estimate.

[@Chorutowo]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Yeah me too, but i dont think many romans or whatever would count how long their dog has lived, they probarly dident even know when they were born

[@imgriff5034]

turning 20 this week, crazy this was in my recommended.

[@ObviouslyBenHughes]

Happy Tuesday, Rocco

[@shanineedwards6894]

This is the kind of content KZbin needs.

[@cbelsole]

I'm glad Pizzmas was such a success! Over the years, y'all have been so honest about the supply chain you've setup to create all the wonderful products. It's nice to know that all the people are fairly compensated and the products are quality.

[@laurenann4693]

as someone who is about to pass age 20 in about 17 days, this made me feel special

[@danielwolfson1592]

This is sobering entertainment. It is good when “labeled” journalism. Thanks for sharing! As a fellow vlogger, I aspire to this quality 😅

[@eliontheinternet3298]

This is not quite the break from statistics homework I was hoping for, but it was certainly interesting!

[@Ren_out_of_Ten]

Watching a St. Jude ad right before this really hits different 🥲

[@MaiseNow]

This was surprisingly comforting to me. Knowing that the way things are for humanity, right now, in 2022, as well as all the things we believe are true and Just How It Is.....are so, so new. It makes me feel a lot better about how I've always felt like society is made up and the points don't matter (except when people tell you the points are actually called currency and have decided the points very much matter a lot). Changing from this system is possible. Inevitable, even. I hope someday soon (anthropologically speaking) that your charity work will become useless--because everyone has the tools and resources needed to be able to live safely.

[@vlogbrothers]

"Changing this system is possible. Inevitable, even," is such a great observation! -John

[@3countylaugh]

+++ here's to inevitability!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

+

[@Archeosaurus]

This is my all time favourite takeaway from The Past

[@jaydonbooth4042]

I'm just sad I probably won't get to see it change like that. Born too soon probably, unless it goes really bad from here, then I guess this is the best we get and I'll take it.

[@eliw.1197]

This is fascinating. It makes me feel grateful.

[@mrmr446]

Since I turned forty I have been telling myself that I have outlived most of the people who have ever existed. As achievements go, it's a start and a way to tell myself I am fortunate indeed.

[@StefanVeenstra]

In regards to child mortality, there seems to be a misconception among some of the population who believe diseases common in childhood are part of “growing up” as if measles or pox is some mild infection, completely disregarding it doesn't affect adults because the child either not lived to see adulthood or survived and developed defense against the infection.

[@ABeiji123]

Great timing! I’m 20 today!

[@vlogbrothers]

Happy Birthday! -John

[@patch3002]

I truly thought I would be one of those humans who did not reach 18, let alone 20. After incredibly bad mental health episodes, I am 23 and becoming stable - this community has remained a constant positive force in my life since I started watching in around 2010 and I am tremendously grateful for the opportunities we have to create positive change together, in our own lives and in the wider community. Thanks for giving me hope and strength Hank, John and the Rest of nerdfighteria. DFTBA ❤

[@violetsb7000]

as someone whos about to turn 20 in a couple days this video made me feel both grateful and anxious

[@IncendiarySolution]

It's like I tell my kids; "Statistically, Everything Important Happened Before You Were Born" I've made peace with how I'm going to die.

[@baelenkaufmann802]

Just got this in my recommended on my 20th. Cheers!

[@yuriythebest]

the real question is, what percentage of all the people who had ever lived had watched the vlogbrothers?

[@vlogbrothers]

uh oh i feel a rabbithole coming on..... -John

[@son0fhobs-again]

never enough

[@jenskirschner]

@@vlogbrothers Which I immediately went down. I obviously do not know the answer, but I can give an upper and a lower bound: vlogbrothers has about 3.5 million subscribers, and just over 906 million views. At minimum, 3.5 million (out of 110 billion) humans have watched the vlogbrothers, at maximum 906 million (on the unrealistic assumption that each view was a unique person). Therefore, between 0.003% (subscribers only) and about 0.84% (each view is a unique person) are the absolute upper and lower bounds. Neither of which is realistic. I can think of two ways to estimate the real-person counts, though I do not have enough viewer statistics (Hank and John might) to use for this: 1. Make an assumption as to the number of views by the *average* vlogbrother viewer, divide 906 million by that. 2. Or make an assumption as to the share of viewers who subscribe. I would estimate the first number to be between 20 and 50. Many people (like me) watched a lot more than that, but many other people might only have seen one or two. This would mean somewhere between 18 and 45 million people. My estimate for the viewers vs subscribers would be a factor of 5-10, i.e. one in every 5 to 10 people who watch vlogbrothers videos subscribe to the channel. This would result in almost the same range of numbers, only slightly lower. If I am reasonably close to the mark, these numbers would mean between 0.015% and 0.041% of all humans who ever lived have seen at least one vlogbrothers video.

[@RoyMatzem]

Absurdly direct and informative, Well done sir!

[@bluetoes591]

I've been doing a deep dive on constructing a family tree recently. My ancestors have been making me ponder similar things. Many people died as children or young people, even just a hundred years ago, let alone 200 or 2000 years ago.

[@timothytimh4321]

Once again, John shows us how fortunate we are by very simply putting things in perspective.

[@priyabuddhavarapu]

I turned 20 right before the pandemic (and turn 23 tomorrow) so this is well-timed. Great video, John!!