On Sunlight

Or, the visible reminder.
In which John looks out at the horizon from the shore of Lake Michigan. This video is part of a weird series of horizon videos I have made over the last few years. The others are:
The Horizon Line: • The Horizon Line
Our Capacity for Wonder: • Our Capacity for Wonde...
Civil Twilight: • Civil Twilight
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And join the community at nerdfighteria.com effyeahnerdfighters.com
Help transcribe videos - nerdfighteria.info
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Hank's twitter - / hankgreen
Hank's tumblr - / edwardspoonhands
Listen to The Anthropocene Reviewed at www.theanthropocenereviewed.org
Listen to Dear Hank and John at www.dearhankandjohn.org

[@vlogbrothers]

This video is part of a years-old video series I have been making involving the Lake Michigan horizon line. The previous ones: The Horizon Line: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ26g32gpLOAo8k Our Capacity for Wonder, Reviewed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip-3laeGjr1soZY Civil Twilight: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZm6mYN4m9iVgZI Thanks for watching the horizon line with me. -John

[@camelopardalis84]

You may wanna pin that comment for it to be easily found in all eternity. (Or until youtube changes something about pinned comments that really shouldn't be changed.)

[@Davis_237]

“I've begun worshipping the sun for a number of reasons. First of all, unlike some other gods I could mention, I can see the sun. It's there for me every day. And the things it brings me are quite apparent all the time: heat, light, food, and a lovely day. There's no mystery, no one asks for money, I don't have to dress up, and there's no boring pageantry. And interestingly enough, I have found that the prayers I offer to the sun and the prayers I formerly offered to 'God' are all answered at about the same 50% rate.” ― George Carlin, Brain Droppings

[@amberbydreamsart5467]

I was about to say, I could've sworn you've made other excellent videos from this exact view

[@earth2bob]

The day I started worshiping the sun.

[@magnuspeacock5857]

Thank you for showing the horizon to us!

[@oh_no_martians]

I kept expecting him to say “I give the sun four and a half stars.”

[@WorldWideWong]

well, don't blame him for not saying it...the fault is in our stars

[@vlogbrothers]

Best star ever. Still not perfect though. -John

[@PARPLEpeep]

+

[@annariordan2801]

Same!! I'm so ready to listen to the next episode!!

[@andreimoga7813]

The sun is not speaking to us while driving us on our trip around it, so it gets five stars.

[@gabby4558]

"I'm on a ball heated by a distant light' - a new quote from John Green's new novel "More light than heat"?

[@linak.6041]

My first thought as well ... :)

[@brianrubin2069]

+

[@desotaku5202]

Its such a basic statement that i believe he individually could come up with it

[@james4thedoctor482]

+

[@moonwisdom8988]

+

[@KetieSaner]

This is like a mini Anthro Reviewed. I give the sun 1/1 star.

[@georgplaz]

smart comment :o)

[@james4thedoctor482]

+

[@dubhlinn2]

+

[@Stipopedia]

Or Anthro reviews are longer thoughts from places

[@MK.5198]

In a way, the idea of the anthropocene reviewed has been a long time coming.

[@pairofkingsfan1]

Damn if only you wrote books, John

[@sneakerbeef6949]

+

[@cmeflywva]

+++

[@rozempire2843]

Garik Johnson Maybe he could cast some movies

[@monkiram]

Definitely. Books about stars, ideally

[@andreimoga7813]

*insert gif of Varys saying "If only..."

[@alexandral8894]

The phrase "breathgivingly beautiful" is really poetic and makes me feel something.. i don't quite know what but something

[@mitchellcaponigro4475]

Alexandra L for me, it’s the thrill of being alive, of having been given this beauty and this breath to experience the world

[@joox1184]

Alexandra L It just made me smile in a very calm and relaxing joy when I got what he meant by it. So good.

[@bobthebuilderday6leader]

The feels. +++

[@thefrogsbif]

Feeling it too, pal!

[@jillnelson7]

+

[@taliafore1578]

“You are not just in the universe, but also of it” really stops to make you think.

[@AlexAzureOtaku]

there's a sanskrit aphorism, अहं ब्रह्मास्मि, literally, I am the universe. basically this.

[@ShadyForest]

r/im14andthisisdeep

[@TheGingey]

You are the universe experiencing itself

[@BearsThatCare]

You are the universe, in its entirety

[@MattPalka]

Most Astounding Fact video by Neil deGrasse Tyson. I immediately went there after.

[@taliafore1578]

This reminds me an awful lot of a thoughts from places video

[@fraidarahbaran6076]

+

[@cubeofcheese5574]

We need more thoughts from places!

[@Azzarinne]

Thoughts from The Sun

[@WaseemYusuf]

+

[@kellycrawley4861]

I love this new format. Keep enjoying the planet unironically

[@treymedley]

My goodness those words were painfully beautiful. It's like you're an author or something.

[@edconnolly5097]

treymedley +

[@Sasie44]

Yeah he should write a book

@@Sasie44 yeah. Since he loves the universe(s) so much, he should name his book The fault in our stars.

[@abdullahabukashef9728]

Actually he is

[@RyanStorey1231]

Abdullah Abukashef - Wooooosh

[@evelunn8410]

"How wondrous to be here in the first place"

[@thomasbuckley6999]

Glad to see a call back to my one of my favorite vlogbrothers videos. I guess lakeshore sunsets are John's preferred time to muse about existence

[@johannesbrahms3322]

John: "The sun is breathtakingly beautiful" Sun: "YOU ARE BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL!" sorry

[@andreimoga7813]

No no, this is very welcome, thank you

[@flam1ngicecream]

YOU'RE ALL BREATHGIVING

[@rethinkOURreality]

I'm not sure why @vlogbrothers hasn't liked this yet #keanureeves

[@elektrotehnik94]

this is what the comment section was invented for

[@melissa1985]

I could and would listen to John Green read anything and everything.

[@malaikarose2985]

Same

[@Phoenix_7568]

Listen to anthro reviewed!

[@lauradftba4653]

I literally gasped at the sunset footage. Thank you John for the beautiful scenery and the beautiful thoughts.

[@jamesbrixey8102]

Somehow I expected this to end with 'I give sunlight, four and a half stars'.

[@vlogbrothers]

Hard not to give sunlight five stars. Why did I put myself in this box of not giving anything five stars?!?!?!?!?! -John

[@robprop4575]

I dunno, I feel like sunlight is exactly one star.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Sunlight gets four and a half stars. It didn't make me do any laundry again, but I'll probably get up tomorrow to see it. ;o)

[@rachelfountain1052]

But sunlight can give burns and such, so I feel like it shouldn’t get a perfect rating

[@belindaweber7999]

@@vlogbrothers 😂😂😂 perhaps bc perfection is kinda an illusion?

[@ravendangernavy3575]

OMG I love these types of videos. Also new nerdfighter!

[@camelopardalis84]

You were a nerdfighter all along. You are just newly aware of it.

[@georgplaz]

@@camelopardalis84 that is such a cute thing to say :D it takes the whole cult thing of "proving yourself to be a worthy member" out of the equation. love it :)

[@milicakrunic4898]

Welcome friend, make yourself at home! And may i suggest, if you want to get a better idea of Nerdfighteria as a whole, that you start watching the videos from 2007 onward, that is if you have the time :) It's quite a long road but deffinetely worth it. DFTBA

[@ravendangernavy3575]

@milica Krunic That's what I've been doing! it's so cool!

[@RhondaKL]

Welcome new Nerdfighter! We’re happy you joined us! DFTBA

[@pyperpaddock6078]

I absolutely love how John is being so philosophical and poetic and Hank is talking about a really weird fish. I love it so much how they are such a contrast, it's perfect

[@rozempire2843]

I really really really love this channel. Thank you so much John, Hank and all of Nerdfighteria.

[@lauradftba4653]

+

[@teppi5119]

❤️🤗🤓

[@andreimoga7813]

That's the point

[@MineplexOfficial]

I love your view of the world, and I appreciate you sharing it in such a way.

[@chrisschuck2974]

Parkers hardcore philosophy?

[@hollynesbitt8173]

There’s enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America in 2 inches of water

[@speedy01247]

What if you add the rest of the lakes?

[@hollynesbitt8173]

speedy01247 one big ass ocean

[@frank4page]

Holly Nesbitt that’s surprisingly a lot and a little at the same time. Only 2 inches?

[@hollynesbitt8173]

Francisco Casillas I see what you mean but it’s still crazy

[@Random3716]

@@speedy01247 Somewhere u der 4 inches. Superior is about equal to Huron Ontario, Michigan, and 2 Eries put together.

[@pamelarojas7754]

I was just listening to the last episode of The Anthropocene Reviewed before this video was uploaded, when I realized how big of an impact you, along with Hank, have in my life and thoughts. Your videos never seem to let me down 😊 I absolutely loved today's video and the thoughts it sparked in me.

[@vlogbrothers]

Thanks, Pamela. And thanks for listening to TAR; I really appreciate it. -John

[@pamelarojas7754]

Honestly I should be the one thanking you 😊 have a wonderful day

[@sarahann7023]

John Green makes me cry yet again. This is just about sunlight.

[@hollynesbitt8173]

John this is ASMR right here

[@francoisrd]

* John posts a video * Me: hello existential crisis... wanna dance?

[@oswenaisla4016]

+

[@ApequH]

Fascinatingly enough, this lessens my anxiety. Like, I don't matter in the grand scheme of things, so maybe it doesn't matter so much if I don't do things perfectly. Very calming to be a blip on the timeline of a one in a giant heap of stars.

[@hayk3000]

@@ApequH just enjoy doing those things. You'll do them better

[@lil_rotini]

as a michigander who grew up on the fresh coast, this makes me incredibly nostalgic. thanks, john

[@arguchik]

Same and same. :::pointing to my hand to show you where I'm from:::

[@Vardagaladhiel]

Thank you for sharing something beautiful. I needed it after a long day at work which has ended with my mother who has cancer having to go to A&E (or the Emergency Room) as she’s running a temperature and there is the constant fear of infection during chemo. It helps to remember that there is beauty everywhere, and that I can watch a sunset and just breathe.

[@Carina5707]

My favorite thing about you guys is how sincere you are. You're both very funny too, but your humor is genuine and comes from a happy loving place. It's not sarcastic or mean spirited or too self deprecating. You're able to gush without being cringey. You're able to be separate from the young internet culture but still be relevant and interesting. Thank you for your contribution to this tiny speck in space time. You're lovely.

[@MattPalka]

I love this comment section so much. This lil corner of the internet.

[@thomasblyth7539]

John you have a way of appreciating that which seem so easy to take for granted. Thank you for consistently teaching me, and all of us, not to take the universe’s beauty and complexity for granted.

[@battousai9795]

Whenever I feel lost, I know I can count on vlogbrothers videos to help me regain a sense of self, to make me feel less lost. Thank you for that, I needed to watch something like this right now.

[@amandapaule9202]

I feel this

[@kelseymiller7634]

I spent my four years in college in Duluth MN. Everytime I would drive down the hill and see the mighty Lake Superior, I would cry, usually a few tears thinking everything will be ok, I am ok and I will be ok. Now I am crying again, the great lakes are magical

[@Kirby.Burgess]

We are blessed to have your unique perspective, John. Thank you for sharing your ability to recognize and describe beauty. ♥️

[@reginabedgood1799]

"In us, the light has made a way of understanding itself" officially added to my this to my list of favorite quotes, many of which are already yours and Hanks. Keep being you John, you are amazing.

[@elizabethsmith6477]

“There are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth. I am so inconsequential-a footnote to a footnote to a footnote-but how wonderous to be here in the first place, to bear witness to the setting sun, to know you are not just in the universe but also of it.” I’m going to remember that for a long time.

[@sarahp6512]

I love the phrase "breathgiving". This video is so full of breathgivingly beautiful phrases.

[@SA-ny5th]

John: nature is breathtaking Nature: you're breathtakinggg!

[@ShivaniSingh-dl3pe]

"To know you're not just in the universe, but just of it." Thank you for making me wonder about things I never thought I'd wonder about... DFTBA

[@vinicius99157]

A video about the microverse, followed by a video about the universe. You guys did plan this, right?

[@MattPalka]

I hope they didn't, but even if they did, it's breathgivingly wonderful

[@skyemiddletonx9006]

Well they do interact with each other via videos so I don't think it's a bad thing or strange. I think it's a nice companion video that can be enjoyed alone.

[@vinicius99157]

@@skyemiddletonx9006 Yes, and to be clear, my comment is in appreciation

[@kazz2319]

Holy crap, thank you for verbalizing my feelings about the sun more eloquently than I ever could. The transition from day to night and back again are my favorite times to reflect on the sheer scale of the universe and our tiny contributions to it. It's searing heat mid-day in Florida can be uncomfortable to say the least, but I can still appreciate its power.

[@Emma-hs3gt]

One time at a camp we were standing around the lake singing songs and admiring the stars during the last night at camp, and the view was breathtaking. It was so peaceful and calm. And then a counselor fell into the lake.

[@milicakrunic4898]

Thanks John, this video was very calming in a sense, i didnt know i needed it until i watched it. Now i feel strangely serene....

[@sebastianisakovic8434]

These videos from lake michagan are always my favourite. John has a way of putting things I've felt and found difficult to explore myself into such concise and digestable wording. Love it

[@liara3248]

These videos are so beautiful and poetic and make me feel at peace.

[@mikew1332]

My mom lives in South Haven. I visited her this past weekend. Her house is very near the lake, close enough to hear the surf roar when it's windy. Whenever I visit there's a first time we drive up Monroe Blvd toward downtown. At a certain point the trees part like curtains, the lake emerges, and I feel exactly what you've so beautifully described. Every time. Thank you, John.

[@dj586858]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the "There is nothing you are not" conversation from last night's podcast & then there's this. 😮

[@hanabarrett6046]

It sounds like John is still thinking about that to

[@dj586858]

I was referring to the latest "Dear Hank & John" podcast. I also love John's "The Anthropocene Reviewed" & Hank & his wife Katherine host "Delete This" about Hank's Twitter feed. Check them out.

[@krystgenson3182]

This channel constantly reminds me of this planet's capability to make us happy. Thanks, John and Hank

[@casey-mu7tn]

Thoughts from Places will always be my favorite Vlogbrothers videos

[@TheRandomView]

I adore your soul John Green. Thank you for these videos.

[@JamesyHerald]

As Carl Sagan would say, "We are made of star stuff." I think the things you discussed in this are thoughts that lead down a path to some form of the meaning of life. Great video, John. ...and thanks for a much needed reminder that "we are not just in the universe, but also of it."

[@kalikevin432]

I already know I'm going to enjoy John's consciousness dump

[@Thompers]

John you continue to have a profound impact on my life. Thank you.

[@gotri]

These videos where John reflects on things are some of my favorites and I would love a book filled with reflections from John like this. I find it very calming. This morning I'm a bit extra emotional so I teared up a little. "You are not just in the universe, but also of it."

[@Wallflowersera]

wow my mind is blown. i LOVE these videos. it really makes a person sit down and think for a while. love you both and the community you’ve created 💕

[@strange2684]

I'm packing to head to a long weekend on Lake Huron. This helps set the mood I want to be in during this weekend. I needed this. Thank you.

[@travisarcher23]

I've lived on the coast of Lake Michigan my entire life. It truly is a beautiful place.

[@DiamondDogVenomSnake1984]

Thank you so much for giving us your writing. I don't know if words can ever truly capture the beauty of something, but at the very least, yours are the closest I've found in achieving it.

[@mikereslie3389]

Wow....just....Wow! Absolutely beautiful prose accompanied by a video that is totally mesmerizing. I'm still tearing up. I will save this one to watch whenever I need inspiration.

[@franciscamoena6666]

John, today there was a total solar eclipse in chile, as it happened i was so aware of everything you said, and really, your words couldnt have come at a better time. As people came together and the sky darkened i was reminded again and again how lucky we are

[@lua_ferraz]

This series is my favorite. These videos always make me feel like everything is somehow right in the world. And these shots are beautiful!

[@ItsMe-sx9ck]

I work in a port. I am grateful that I can see sunrise and sunset. Thanks John for reminding how small I am in this universe.

[@chocfudgebrowni]

We're here because of the sun and are made of star matter. We are the universe experiencing the universe. Thanks for making these videos and the Anthropocene Reviewed. I love getting to think about the world differently because of you.

[@qwertyTRiG]

"A footnote to a footnote to a footnote" is where Terry Pratchett puts his best jokes.

[@SamanthaRichardsonWP]

I remember reading an article on the math approximating how many grains of sand on earth vs stars in the universe and it was mind-blowingly exciting. This was before the Hubble Tellescope discovered there were even more solar systems than previously thought. I also like to reflect on the marvelous fact that we exist on this ball of rock in a universe containing 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000+ stars. Tremendous.

[@beaumcmurray8558]

That’s it. That’s my home. Thank you for appreciating it and reminding me of the beauty I miss so much.

[@DarkDevildog]

This has a very Carl Sagan feel and I LOVE it

[@BhagyashreeGajra]

'I am so inconsequential, a footnote to a footnote to a footnote but how wondrous to be here in 1st place, to bear witness to the setting sun. To Know u r not just in the universe, but also of it.' - This is so beautiful :').. P. S. JOHN YOU SHOULD REALLY VOICE UR AUDIOBOOKS 🖖

[@shaunaaaah]

I grew up by Lake Ontario and the horizon across it really is something special, so quiet and constant.

[@delaneyvanwey]

I saw a beautiful sunset over the Finger Lakes tonight and, as we all are, was inexplicably drawn to it. I think what you speak to here is what gives our soul deep yearning for the sun and what makes us so happy basking in its rays ❤️❤️

[@aakashrajaraman3460]

This begs the question: how poetic yet realistic can one stillframe video with voices over be? Answer: very

[@victoriaswindle2258]

Another video that touches me so deeply. I just came back from spending time in Yellowstone National Park and I just felt this moving with nature just like you did John. DFTBA ❤️

[@superschmolz]

Yellowstone is incredible!

[@PeaceGirl7100]

Thank you for teaching me awe and gratitude, Hank and John. Some of the best gifts a person can be given. Much love.

[@KatBaumgarten]

This video filled me with a pure, unadulterated sense of peace and quiet. Not many things have the power to do that these days. Thank you for this amazing gift, John.

[@mkultra21]

Well that was one of the most beautiful statements I have ever heard I am thoroughly in awe good job

[@DisgruntledHippo]

Damnit John where are you? I'm on Lake Huron. Damn opposite sides of Michigan. Ugh. Great Video!

[@lauren19333]

I grew up on Lake Michigan and recently moved away, thanks for bringing me home

[@eikawithac]

So beautiful. This took me back to my childhood summers spent surrounded by a dozen cousins in a beachfront cottage on Lake Ontario. My husband was brought up on a Wild and Scenic river, and my closest friends were all raised by the Pacific, but I'm a Great Lake girl at heart.

[@MushiProductionsInc]

These always make me tear up. Amazing video, John.

[@bluebrightstar1117]

I've been having a hard time in life ,but this made my day ,thank you ❤

[@alisaied4958]

Thank you for spending time to share such beautiful thoughts with us.

[@Hypernova87]

John is so poetic in his vids alot of the time. He makes beautiful ideas and objects even more profound.

[@bethanylevesque8290]

These are some of my favorite Vlogbrothers videos 💛

[@Tundra-ec3ii]

Sitting on a beach with stars blazing above. You sit and look out on the endless unknown of ages long gone and, just above that, the endless unknown of the ages that shall come.

[@TroyEagan]

"Look at what the sun has made from its energy" hit me real hard. I appreciate your words, John.

[@elizabethblack7945]

I love it when you guys make these types of videos. Simple, beautiful, thought provoking and as you said, breath giving. Really just makes me slow down and think on a hard day.

[@cameronnorris6758]

"In us, the light has made a way of understanding itself."

[@xiahkixiri]

Cameron Norris that made me gasp.

[@samueljenner1528]

As much as I love this I do want to say, "John's on about the horizon again." As though he were a drunk uncle at a party

[@laurensomething1899]

I’m going to a cabin on Lake Superior in the coming weeks and now I’ll remember to just sit and think for a while

[@lostleviathan2352]

Thanks for your thoughts, John. I hope you enjoyed the contemplation that is evident in them :)

[@charliedetweiler4298]

Great job John! Now read all that back in ASMR Whispers

[@in.other.words_]

OMG yes

[@doctorwhors]

Dammit John, you made me cry. Just a little bit, when you were talking about the breath-givingly beautiful sun, and of the beauty in being small in its light. I needed that, just a little. So thank you.

[@TheMaplestrip]

I love footnotes inside footnotes inside footnotes! It's so fun when a piece of writing goes that deep into the minutia of a single sentence, and nested footnotes have a habit of standing out more than any other writing in a book.

[@BhagyashreeGajra]

John.. You Should Release An Audiobook of your Thoughts From Places.. Some of them will amplify our existential crisis and some will help us through it. 😅😅😅

[@belindaweber7999]

Great P4A perk perhaps? All digital downloaded so that all the money raised goes to the channel. Although my car still has a CD player in it, so I'd love it as a CD to listen to on the way to work etc.

[@BhagyashreeGajra]

Yes great P4A indeed 😀

[@Astrochimp88]

That was kind of beautifull kind of humbling and kind of scary all at once

[@zoyafatima9874]

The beauty of of these videos make me fall in love with general existing life all over again.

[@aditigupta1569]

This scenery is so serene and picturesque... We are very very tiny as compared to the sun , and the universe... Nature has it's own beauty and the ultimate power after all.

[@timsarianidis6796]

At this beach i would wonder where's the best spot for a jump. John however makes up a universe inside a universe inside a universe.

[@gcmarisienka]

Awesome video Nature is incredible! Btw I'll watch an eclipse today from Argentina ^-^

[@TallBison]

I've lived on the west side of Michigan all my life, and I love these videos. Possible topic for a future one: the sunset never gets old. It's beautiful and breathtaking every time. I now work on several beaches in lake Michigan, and the smell of it as the wind blows in across the lake almost brings me to tears, every time. But even something that is so consistently beautiful can change in profound ways, the water levels have risen drastically in the past few months and show no signs of stopping. A road that connects the north and south side of pentwater is flooded, forcing residents to make a 20 minutes detour just to get to the other half of their city.

[@thehellomoto19]

These John videos are some of my absolute favourites to listen to. John, you are an incredibly articulate individual and a master of story telling.

[@linak.6041]

This video is so inspiring to me and makes me look forward to the journey I am going to go on the next week's. I hope I will encounter and observe some of earth's beauty as well. DFTBA