Why Do Things Exist?

[@vlogbrothers]

Learn more about the Awesome Coffee Club here: awesomecoffeeclub.com From the biodegradable packaging to the farmland to the compensation of the farmers, Awesome Coffee wants to be a different kind of coffee company--one that makes awesome coffee that is also awesome for the people who farm it and for the world. And best of all, 100% of the profits go to improve healthcare systems in impoverished communities. -John p.s. We don't know why anything exists!

[@piaest.6456]

not knowing the answer to "why do things exist?" is kind of a bummer when you also wonder what their purpose are (which reminds me of): In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in His cosmic loneliness. And God said, "Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done." And God created every living creature that now moveth, and one was man. Mud as man alone could speak. God leaned close as mud as man sat up, looked around, and spoke. Man blinked. "What is the purpose of all this?" he asked politely. "Everything must have a purpose?" asked God. "Certainly," said man. "Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this," said God. And He went away. [fucking love vonnegut - a.y.]

[@pedratorta7061]

Hi! Phat clone

[@myladycasagrande863]

But why does coffee exist?

[@SpikeTheDog84]

+

[@PanikaMCD]

would like a light roast. until then, I'm sticking with Fara since they're Rainforest Alliance certified and that'll take y'all another 4 years to achieve. the only difference is that all of your proceeds go to charitable efforts while only a portion of theirs does and that you don't have light roast as I guess you're the type of people who wake up from the taste and I'm one who wakes up from the caffeine.

[@spectrumspectre]

John is just casually giving a five year old his first existential crisis, as all good uncles should

[@dawson3089]

Bringing a whole new meaning to the "But... why?" phase.

[@felixrobertson534]

Mixed with an advert for coffee, of course

[@thombruce]

Kid's definitely gonna need that coffee.

[@RainaRamsay]

"Baby's first existential crisis" would make an awesome book series, actually

[@nitfens6863]

Well I need to be giving my nephews and nieces more existential crises...

[@jacoL8]

even though I know that this video is not just for hank's 5-year-old kid, but the fact that you don't ever talk down to the person you're addressing even if you know they are a kid and they won't understand half the things you are talking about is honestly the best part of the vid... as a kid I loathed adults that talked down to me and now I try my best to never do it, even if a child doesn't understand what I'm saying all that means is that more questions will be asked and they'll learn more!

[@vlogbrothers]

Thanks. This is also how I talk to the chickens. -John

[@Hi_Brien]

Orin is a very smart kid, there is no evidence he doesn't understand this video.

[@RainaRamsay]

Yes! Let kids learn at their own pace, which means not holding them back to what you think they "should" be capable of!

[@miriamrosemary9110]

@@vlogbrothers Good, because those chickens are sick and tired of being spoken down to! Side note: While that is meant to be a joke, I also was amazed a few years ago to find out first hand how intelligent and social chickens are. So odd that they're depicted so often as the dumbest bird in stories and media. They're truly incredible creatures. I wonder if we've depicted them this way so that we don't feel bad for eating them?

[@a_pyrple]

@@vlogbrothers genial

[@amyberger9559]

I have a toddler who is endlessly clapping for himself, delighting in every tiny discovery. When Hank shared the stat that we are currently only about 0.01% of the way through the lifespan of the universe and that it is still so young, I realized that the universe is a lot like a big toddler, continuously clapping for itself, as if to say, “Isn’t this wonderful?!? More, more!!”

[@whimgarden]

Gorgeous thought!

[@rosengrenj9]

If you measure the lifespan of the universe from the Big Bang to the evaporation of the last black hole, the universe has actually been through about 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of its lifespan (btw I didn’t just spam 0’s, that’s the actual number 🤣🤣)

[@Danuxsy]

*looks at all the suffering in the world* yea.. wonderful...

[@NoOneCaresJSYK]

I want you to know that your comment has really helped me tonight. I’ve been severely grieving the love of my life/best friend for 6 years. It’s been extra, extra difficult lately. Lots of questioning and a massive existential crisis. I was having a bad panic attack like 10 minutes ago bc I was overthinking everything. So I decided to watch a video so I could pay attention to what someone else was saying instead of what I was thinking. Your comment really put things into perspective for me. I’ve never thought about it like that. With time we’ll be able to understand. The universe’s brain just isn’t developed all the way yet and it can’t because we haven’t experienced enough. We have to keep learning and growing bc it’s not physically possible for us to understand all the things that we have to learn over time. That makes so much sense to me. Absolutely love that. Thank you 💞

[@SophieHartstein]

"we are made out of the universe" is exactly what i needed to hear today

[@Mine-jm9sq]

+

[@karlhenke91]

+

[@StellarSpell]

+

[@vlogbrothers]

We're just the universe doing its best. -John

[@StarlightJosh]

We're all stardust baby!

[@727Phoenix]

*Please* make more videos for your nephew _PLEASE!!_ This is the kind of thing many of us adults never got to hear when we were that young. And far too often the answers we did hear came from within a mind-constricting and sometimes frightening religious context. And... Well, it's going to be just plain refreshing to all of us if some of what you & Hank tell _us_ is really for _a small child._ *Thank you!*

[@727Phoenix]

I hope that heart from Vlogbrothers means yes!

[@miriamrosemary9110]

+

[@kashiichan]

+

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Vlogbrothers, featuring Vlognephew

[@Alexander_D_Shaffer]

Teaching children is kind of like catching someone up who starts at the most recent book in a series. You have all the answers for getting them caught up but you're just as in the dark about what comes next or any questions that remain unanswered so far.

[@chrissik3102]

That is a GREAT comparison!

[@alissa6380]

+

[@WenzelSays]

+

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

++

[@cbpd89]

This is one of the best comments to ever appear on this platform.

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

Snazzy new glasses, John!

[@Dalenthas]

I spent the first minute trying to figure out what was different before settling on "new glasses" 😅

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

@@Dalenthas Yea for me it was that the glasses are blue not black.

[@daevans315]

The real question is, why when discussing questions like this, I'm fixated on if John got new glasses.

[@fyorarules]

I was thinking the same thing 🤣 started squinting at the thumbnails of their older videos to see if I can tell the difference between then and now

[@tegalto]

YES! I was so distracted! 😅

[@jobriq5]

He did (I think he mentioned on tiktok)

[@jessicaonymous4352]

I noticed last week, pretty sure they're new

[@Calvero52]

I was also distracted by that 😅His glasses look fab though! 🤓

[@huburgalula4031]

So cute to see John make a video response for Orin! Used to be their thing with Hank and now they get to share it with little hank!

[@turdl38]

I remember Hank doing one for Henry back in the day. Love it.

[@aadisha6621]

Hey John, I have been reading Anthropocene reviewed recently and honestly it is my comfort book. I know you say that thinking of a human to be more than a human is a treacherous thing but your writing is like a comfortable blanket for me. I guess its good to know someone out there feels the same way you do. College entrances have been scary. Your videos keep the sanity intact. Thanks for what you do. I am so glad that you exist :)

[@vlogbrothers]

I'm so grateful that you've found reading the book a comfort. I hoped it could be. -John

[@akshatdubey7904]

I went through the same self-image-shattering process. Glad to see you're here on the other side with me.

[@danielisozaki7500]

Oh my goodness, yes! And yes, John's book is one of the main things that got me through. Thank you so much John

[@joshgoldenberg4398]

This made me tear up a bit. Thank you

[@SueSolberg]

Same. I still haven't read it cover to cover, but I like to open it up and read whatever essay comes to hand. We had a chalice circle recently where the topic was book and it was one of the books I took to recommend to everyone.

[@JaredTakesTime]

I don't know why things exist, but I am glad those glasses exist.

[@RainaRamsay]

I love that 5-year-olds regularly come up with questions that the answer is so obvious, you have a hard time remembering that there was ever a time you learned this... and also with questions that all of humanity has struggled with for all of our existence.

[@untappedinkwell]

same. ^^

[@ERowe-fs2zr]

Four minutes of reasons to be generally in favor of humans. Man, I love us! I love that we question things. I love that we make awesome coffee. I love that we are the universe trying to understand itself.

[@vlogbrothers]

+++++

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Additionally, a few seconds of reasons to be generally in favor of chickens.

[@MarcosProjects]

My son's name is Sagan because his eponym Carl popularized the idea that "we are a way for the Cosmos to know itself" :)

[@MikeGraceJediDad]

Well said. I was a bit more wordy and thinking of another author, but well said.

[@MichaelSchwarzbacha]

couldn't have named him Carl, huh?

[@hexeddecimals]

Today I learned what an eponym is

[@v1ntagecassette]

When I was really little, I asked my dad why water freezes into ice. His answer was that it gets cold, which makes it solid, but I wanted to know why cold made it solid in the first place. That's how I learned about molecules at age 3, and did a science fair project about them at age 6

[@rejithkumarg]

I just end up teary eyed every single time hank or John talk about the universe in such a beautiful manner

[@whimgarden]

Me too Rejith, it's absolutely lovely.

[@messyhair42]

John's monologue combined with puff levels are giving me some early Vlogbrothers energy, like 2009 Vlogbrothers

[@cbjgirl23]

the slight change in glasses shape towards the 2009 glasses in my mind also help it

[@jennifercampbell2512]

Here, here! Also: +

[@gennaslists]

The glasses is giving me “I am not a pornographer” era

[@ivytarablair]

SAME! (Long Live the Puff!)

[@DawnyPotter]

The jump cut and new angle and tone at 3:10ish is extremely brotherhood 2.0

[@jaretanderson]

Hank and John gonna be in the textbook for how to nail midroll ad production in Content Creator University courses in 10 years

[@talia9525]

Those glasses fit exceedingly well with your newly established fancy coffee-drinking persona. I’m a fan.

[@tass466]

They are new glasses, right??? Came to the comments trying to figure out if I was the only one who thought they looked different...

[@splash__]

@@tass466 he made a comment last week (I think) saying something about new glasses. Last week's video was one pair and this week's was another

[@dianeb.8242]

I think you mean fancy nauseous puddle water-drinking persona :)

[@talia9525]

@@dianeb.8242 oops definitely meant that!

[@TheBeccabus]

Yes! Strong agree!

[@greencellist]

From "The Books of Bokonon": Tiger got to hunt, Bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder, ‘Why, why, why?’ Tiger got to sleep, Bird got to land, Man got to tell himself he understand. *Man I miss Kurt Vonnegut

[@Beligol]

It was thinking about questions like this that pushed me to physics. I can remember when I started asking smaller bigger questions to myself and being able to piece together the answers from what I had learned. Now I get to teach college students the wonder and the glory that is physics.

[@elliottmcollins]

Whenever I hear questions like "Why do things exists", my first thought is "is this a physics question or a story question"? Because is "why" means "what's the goal/purpose?" then I've got some stuff to say about how things don't do stuff for reasons like people do. But if you mean "why" like "what happened that made it like this?" then I've got some awesome physics to tell you about.

[@hopewilliard6781]

That’s so cool!

[@laurapeterson5158]

Love when John wears Green.

[@amberbydreamsart5467]

Did I know you have chickens? I don't think I knew you have chickens. Congratulations on the chickens!! I hope to have chickens someday but right now I live in an apartment, and nothing about an apartment is conducive to chickens.

[@johnarbuckle2619]

You have chickens !?!? You are full of surprises, John...

[@KristenRowenPliske]

That is a beautiful thing to tell a child. “You ARE the universe” Because it’s true, from a parent’s perspective. And it’s also true that adults don’t know everything & it’s ok to tell a child that. “I don’t know but let’s find out together.”

[@an__ant___anakahqjq]

Interrupting the existential crisis for chickens and coffee is the best thing I’ve seen all day

[@joshuasims5421]

A lot of this video is a great answer to “why does matter exist” or even “why does stuff exist.” But a ‘thing’ is an abstract grouping of ‘stuff’, a clump of matter we treat as a unit because of its behavior or other qualities. So I think the answer to “why do things exist” is also because humans categorize the things they see according to their uses and properties, and we require this abstraction of an infinite universe of matter into a discrete array of ‘things’ in order to function. From a certain point of view, ‘things’ do not exist, they are sort of an illusion of human perception. Why do things exist? Because we call them names.

[@pintpullinggeek]

Everything is a thing, that's how every things get! (With apologies to Bill Wurtz)

[@waynemv]

I like your answer, and if I correctly understand the philosopher Kant, I think he would have agreed with you. I think it's very premature to ask why things exist, without first deeply exploring how and whether we even know that "things exist", but I rarely find philosophers making that prerequisite investigation. Maybe existence versus nonexistence is not even a concept that reality itself would "care" about? (Please, excuse the anthropomorphism. I'm just not sure how otherwise to say that.)

[@InefficientCustard]

" 'things' do not exist they are a sort of illusion of human perception" Does that mean we are ourselves are an illusion of our own perception? :) In all seriousness get your point that to make sense of reality we divide it into digestable slices. But it seems even if we saw everything as only one thing that would still entail the idea of nothing. When we say anything exists at all we slip in the assumption that it is possible for it to not exist. So ends my ramblings (I am very tired right now so perhaps I'm just spewing nonsense and am too exhausted to tell.)

[@_nicolefwong]

fantastic video as always

[@TheRosielikesvideos]

I adore that John's voice goes up when addressing Orin - he is such a Dad (I also laugh that it goes down when he talks about awesome coffee as his cantankerous side shines through)

[@Kate-dk9yv]

I'm always torn between freaked out that we will never know why we exist and content to know that it just means we get to choose why we exist.

[@smhill818]

Love this!

[@sn0wflake]

That last line, addressed to Orin, is so wonderful that I couldn’t help but tear up. (Not the coffee one. Although the club sounds great.)

[@marieeveduchesne]

" You, my 5 year old nephew, are the universe, trying to understand itself", is such a beautifully phrased sentence.

[@AA_21861]

Hey John! What gives me comfort is that not being able to answer "Why?" is only temporary. 500 years ago, we didn't know "Why the earth rotates around the sun" but along came Newton and Einstein and all those smart people who told us about gravity. It is not *the* answer, but it is *an* answer that works for us right now. So let's keep looking! One day, we may be able to give at least *an* answer to your nephew's question, if not *the* answer. Thanks as always!

[@clairevanstolk7903]

My grandma is dying rn and it’s got me thinking about all the little things she’s leaving behind: old newspapers, leftover ice cream bars in the freezer, dried up concealer, fuzzy blankets, the contacts of all her family stuck to the wall in the kitchen, etc. Some items are just things that probably will be thrown out or given away and they have no “value”. But they had to come from somewhere and now are gonna end up as the remains of someone’s life. It doesn’t really matter where or how they got here because the person that carried meaning for will be gone. This is not at all related but I can’t get past the fact that you shaved your beard. Maybe it’s just one little detail to focus on when everything feels so big and existential. So thanks for that

[@bouncingbean]

Hoping for peaceful moments for you and your grandma and other loved ones, during this liminal time. 💜

[@theawesomesaucelady9]

John's really good at writing in the second perspective. Like, if I were teaching a class on different narration POV's I'd certainly pick something written by John Green to demonstrate how useful and beautiful it can be.

[@cassaroooo]

The end of this video made me cry. I don't know why. Maybe it's that my son is turning 2 on Friday and just the act of telling a 5 year old that he will make discoveries in the future makes me more optimistic about a future. Maybe I wanted to remind myself that I'm also part of the universe. Idk. thanks John.

[@polyanima]

+

[@DeathlyTired]

Reminds me of the MItchell & Webb sketch about the fictional quiz show, 'Nobody Knows'; in which, the answer to every question is, "Nobody knows".

[@riiiuh]

What I appreciate most about this is that it shows you can tackle big, hairy, audacious, and controversial questions and just give the simple, humble, and true answer which is this: "I don't know."

[@DanielFlailed]

I never thought that John Green would become the modern day Steve from Blues Clues, but here we are. I could watch a whole channel of this.

[@myinternetidentitystill]

I gotta get on the anthropocene-reviewed-praise-train. Lately, I sat in a train towards my home town. German trains are quite crowded at the time, so a seat is already Something exclusive. Re-listening to some of my favoutite chapters (like Sycamore trees), read by you.. It always does something to me. Thank you for all the emotions you help me process, it shows me that there is so many nice things around me, like a stranger offering me a seat for my bandaged leg. ~Christoph

[@cholten99]

As Hank's often right to point out, Aristotle was wrong about most thing but I still love this quote : "All men (people) naturally desire to know (things)" - best description of humans that I've ever heard.

[@InefficientCustard]

To be fair to Aristotle it is exceedingly hard to be right.

[@sebastianlopez9433]

John! Be careful about using coffee grounds as garden fertilizer, you can put it in your composting bin, sure... But when on the soil it releases caffeine, which affects the development of seeds (it's an anti-competition strategy that the coffee cherry uses) Of course, caffeine is water soluble, and it will wash out, but it can affect your seedlings if you put it directly on the soil

[@bouncingbean]

Thank you for this comment! I did not realize I needed to know what evolutionary advantage the coffee plant derives from caffeine, but that makes sense! AND… when I was a kid, my dad used to tell me I shouldn’t drink Coke because it would stunt my growth. Later, I always thought he was making it up because he didn’t want to share his soda. But maybe he was actually basing it on this information about caffeine’s effects on seedlings. (Or possibly he was conflating with the idea that carbonated beverages can interfere with calcium absorption, which can be a factor in osteoporosis.) Either way, I never did get much into the habit of drinking soda on a regular basis. So, thanks dad - love ya! 🙂

[@francescakyanda9182]

You differentiating between “how” and “why” made me so happy as a person with a lot of questions

[@rosepetal0208]

The way you popped up and screamed "WE DON'T KNOW" was so like Hank it made me smile

[@TheShaleco]

Okay but I would pay money for an hour video of the chickens just being chickens. I don't know why I find watching chickens to be so soothing but it is something I have discovered in myself.

[@shinjisan2015]

“In the beginning the Universe was created. This had made many people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.” - Douglas Noel Adams.

[@TotalTimoTime]

Hey John, I love how you encourage children with these wonderful questions. Wonder in the literal sense of „desire to know“. Adults to me seem less wonderful and I always had to fight hard to keep my sense of wonder on the midst of „dont worry about it“ or „it doesnt matter“. This video reminded me of the little prince which is still comforting to this day to me. Stay awesome, ~Timo

[@secretforreddit]

Sometimes certain videos just hit you in a different way and make you seriously reexamine questions you had put out of your mind long ago, when you were still a child. This is one of those videos. John, thank you for not only speaking to your 5-year-old nephew, but for reminding all of us that we can still ponder those questions that we annoyed adults with as kids. They were annoyed because they didn't have the answers, so we kept asking (until we stopped), but not having the answers makes them more interesting and important, in a way.

[@polyanima]

+

[@lynkbaugus1265]

Just had this sudden thought that vlogbrothers has been a formative force in my life since 2008. I met my best friend because of vlogbrothers, I started writing because of vlogbrothers, I became invested in helping the world suck less because of vlogbrothers. I've been experiencing the universe alongside 3.5 million other nerdfighters, whom I do not know personally, and I will continue to do so twice a week until otherwise unable. Thanks John.

[@Karishma_Unspecified]

This is such a gentle way to answer an existential question... thanks.

[@aidanclyens3899]

It's such a human experience to try to find meaning in places where there isn't necessarily any. And the fact that we start asking these huge questions at such a young age is amazing! Thanks for the inspiration John!

[@HamzaSayedAli]

This last couple weeks of responding to the new space images by talking about how we fit into them has made me feel really weird. Its so amazing but at the same time it feels like I wasn't meant to be able to see that far out into the universe. The fact that we didn't even know about other galaxies till like 99 years ago,, it really is a lot to process without even asking the "Why does any of it exist?" part

[@SinHurr]

I try to think "why not" instead. Which as a scientific question is all but useless but as an existential foci is much more comforting.

[@sarahgayle6079]

Oh my gosh, I didn’t know I needed Chicken John but the universe did! I’m gonna need more Chicken John content!

[@thomaswburkhart]

i think the craziest thing is being able to ask these questions-to be so advanced and be able to comprehend these impossibilities (wondering about things we probably won’t ever learn) to me is beyond fascinating. the ability to ‘think’ and consciously acknowledge these ‘big questions’ is so astounding

[@t3hsis324]

Petition for more of these 'answer kids questions' in vlogbrothers, because it's so wholesome and I want to know, too. Also, that is so AWESOME John has chickens. Farm fresh eggs are the best and it makes me SO happy to see HAPPY HEALTHY CHICKENS in a small, clean enclosure and I'm sure they get to do some roaming around out there as well, which makes them equally happy (PS they love fruit and vegteble scraps - try to give them watermelon rind! It's a hoot!!)

[@levis1956]

Just casually tackling the ultimate philosophical question in a 4 minute video. Why am I not surprised?

[@trbz_8745]

One of my favorite descriptions of identity is by Alan Watts -- to paraphrase, you aren't a thing, you are an action. In the same way that an ocean waves, the universe yous. You exist because matter is youing.

[@jrt4927]

I get such "Jor-El" vibes from this even though it's uncle/nephew. Such a plea to maintain the purity of curiosity without telling what we have done with such questions that will likely doom us.

[@northlakeghost]

Reminds me of one of my north star quotes. From EM Forster's A Room with a View: "Make him realize that by the side of the everlasting Why there is a Yes--a transitory Yes if you like, but a Yes." Always makes me feel good when I get a little spun out on the "why" of it all.

[@juliaconnell]

personally I think that answers the question perfectly 3:35 "you... [we] are the universe trying to understand itself" - THIS is *why* we exist

[@nitfens6863]

The thing about the idea that humans trying to understand the universe is the universe trying to understand itself, is, as I believe it was Zack Weinersmith who pointed out out, while it is a true statement, it is also true about any other biological process, like how people going to the bathroom is the universe's way of pooping itself...

[@InefficientCustard]

We are indeed the hearts, minds, eyes, ears and intestines of the universe.

[@MFCI_Orange]

"the Love that moves the sun and other stars" Dante says its Love that keeps the universe in motion not because it's the "how" force involved but because it's the why of motion. That's how I see it, we exist by Love for Love.

[@dianeb.8242]

This was really lovely, and made me smile. So many people brush off children's questions as silly (especially because kids tend to ask the same questions over and over - and of course you're going to do that if Mom and Dad ignore you!) I love this channel because it is genuine, thinks complexly, and isn't afraid to confront bigger topics. This video felt like it could fit perfectly into The Anthropocene Reviewed (my nephew's accidentally existentialist question, 4.5 stars) and I loved it.

[@azx9995]

"This may be the biggest mystery of all the ones in which we dwell How the universe created a tool with which to know itself"

[@julies_reading]

john talking to orin has me so 🥹🥹 also “like good 5 year olds everywhere” had me rolling

[@unvergebeneid]

"Why is there something rather than nothing?" is the more common way of phrasing this question. I just thought I'd put that out there for your googling convenience, random stranger.

[@pipmacrae]

Thanks for always being uplifting John. Glad to be part of this universe with all of Nerdfighteria.

[@Smidge204]

I think the question "why do things exist?" is fundamentally flawed since it implies, perhaps unintentionally, that there is a purpose. Purpose is a value proposition that we impose on things, not something that exists independently. Of course the other way to parse the question is one of causality, as in through what mechanism did we come into existence. I think it's better to frame that question as a "how" though, since it avoids that ambiguity. Remember; There is no "Y" in "Science," but there is one in "Philosophy!"

[@hughcaldwell1034]

Okay, but if you give the mechanistic answer, you're kicking the can down the road. Then you have to explain by what mechanism that mechanism came to be and work the way it does, etc. There is another way to interpret the question that doesn't rely on purpose but which still gets at the difference between how and why - necessity. We're essentially asking whether the universe necessarily exists, or whether it was contingent. Certainly it seems intuitive that there could have been nothing rather than something, and our everyday experience of nature is that it's lazy. If there's no particular cause for something, it generally doesn't happen.

[@Smidge204]

@@hughcaldwell1034 I feel there's folly in wanting an "ultimate answer" - there's nothing wrong with kicking the can down an infinitely long road, in my opinion. Science is about understanding what is, and if that means chasing an infinite regress of causation then so be it! Richard Feynman would certainly have strong opinions about that. Asking if the universe is contingent is also kicking the can down the road: If the existence of the universe is contingent upon something, then should the existence of that something also be contingent on something else, etc? This doesn't really get us anywhere scientifically, and I'd argue cosmological arguments are more philosopher's metal masturbation than anything else. Perhaps the universe exists simply because there is no other alternative; existence itself is inevitable. Or perhaps it's coincidence, and by pure happenstance we, who presume ourselves sentient and intelligent, are merely Douglas Adams' puddle trying to justify ourselves to ourselves. That's for the philosophers and theologians to fritter away their lives on...

[@jeannettegaidawirth]

Children have the BEST questions and we should look to them to help shape the future.

[@waffles3629]

Please do more videos like this. And I love that you don't talk down to him like so many adults are in the habit of doing. I hated that as a kid, people assumed that just because I was young, I was also stupid. And it sucks. As well as stunting your desire to learn.

[@Omni0404]

“The big questions are really the only ones worth considering, and colossal nerve has always been a prerequisite for such consideration.”

[@genericuser1454]

You've just made me realize that A Wrinkle in Time was right about Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Ms. Which. They were all literally stars at one point, as were all of us.

[@km1dash6]

W.T. Stace, who was the world's academic expert on mysticism, argued that "why" is a religious or philosophical question, while "what" and "how" is a scientific question. I can only speak based on my faith in Nichiren Buddhism. The universe exists to be happy. We exist to be happy. Happiness is the ultimate aim for all things.

[@quintingell]

John delivering the line about the universe expanding with such confidence and no question is amusing to me knowing he still has no clue how it’s possible

[@isaac9343]

“You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean.” -Alan Watts

[@offthedeepend1375]

Thank you captions for making it look like John said 'We don't know why thighs exist' it was the extra dose of serotonin that I needed today.

[@timmcgee34]

John, you created Awesome Coffee Club for many reasons, but it feels like a big one is that you get to create adds for Awesome Coffee Club whenever you want - keep up the good ad copy!

[@shadowofthecandle]

John, YOU HAVE CHICKENS??? SINCE WHEN??? Tell us everything!!

[@aina3203]

I don't know why things exist but I just finished a book that made me feel things and I'm so glad books exist.

[@ggourhan]

3:27 made me think of what Carl Sagan said: “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”

[@Blananas2]

1987 U.S. Mail Truck Hot Wheels is one of my favorite objects now.

[@IceMetalPunk]

To be fair, although we don't know exactly why the Big Bang resulted in "stuff" (matter) instead of "nothing" (equal parts matter and antimatter that canceled each other out), we're not *completely* clueless about it. There are a few processes in particle physics related to matter and antimatter transformations that occur asymmetrically. A particular example (heh, puns) are kaons, also known as K mesons. A kaon will convert into an anti-kaon, and likewise, an anti-kaon will convert into a kaon, causing an eternal oscillation between the two until it decays. But, in violation of previously assumed symmetry, antikaons decay about 0.7% faster than normal ones, leaving slightly more matter behind than antimatter. And this sort of thing happens with other particles, too. I may be getting those details wrong -- this is particle physics, after all, it's complicated stuff that I don't *fully* understand -- but I think the takeaway is that we do know of several processes in nature that favor matter over antimatter, which together could all explain why the Big Bang resulted in "something" instead of "nothing". Now, you could, of course, ask "why the asymmetry in these particle decays in the first place?" and the answer to that is... I don't know, and I'm not sure anyone does yet. But the best part of science is that you can always ask "why?" infinitely, and you will always hit an "I don't know" wall, and that's where the science gets done: moving that wall back a bit every day 😁

[@Xiassen]

This is the real answer to this video

[@garylythe5438]

At one point there, you almost recited the first few lines of the lyrics to the Big Bang Theory: Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started, wait The earth began to cool, the autotrophs began to drool Neanderthals developed tools We built a wall (we built the pyramids) Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries That all started with the big bang (bang) Since the dawn of man is really not that long As every galaxy was formed in less time than it takes to sing this song A fraction of a second and the elements were made The bipeds stood up straight, the dinosaurs all met their fate They tried to leap but they were late And they all died (they froze their asses off) The oceans and Pangea, see ya wouldn't wanna be ya Set in motion by the same big bang It all started with the big bang It's expanding ever outward but one day It will pause and start to go the other way Collapsing ever inward, we won't be here, it won't be heard Our best and brightest figure that it'll make an even bigger bang Australopithecus would really have been sick of us Debating how we're here, they're catching deer (we're catching viruses) Religion or astronomy (Descartes or Deuteronomy) It all started with the big bang Music and mythology, Einstein and astrology It all started with the big bang It all started with the big bang

[@misscurls101]

I love seeing a vlogbrothers title pop up every now and again when I can IMMEDIATELY be like "ah...this is about that thing that Hank tweeted"

[@tbella5186]

Puff levels are high. You good John? You have got to be the Universe's best Uncle

[@dwtardisallonsy]

5 year olds have a way of asking questions that trigger extreme existential dread in me. The only thing worse is when infants silently point at me and laugh. What do they know????

[@MattPalka]

I also love that we can play and have fun and not need to understand why everything is the way it is. Knowing adds to wonder and doesn't lessen it al ALL

[@philipsullivan4885]

"We might never know why we are here, but we can still proclaim in hope that we are here."

[@nechma13]

"you are the universe is such a gorgeous quote"

[@Sonia-cb8dj]

Thank you for taking us outside to the chickens. It is quite hot here today and it felt refreshing to see some nice fresh greenery.

[@kathygardnermsrd876]

Thanks a lot John. Last week I sat and cried at the pics from the Webb telescope because those tiny specks (entire galaxies) were giving my 48 year old self a huge existential crisis. Now I’m going to do the same thing next time I see a Hot Wheel. 😭

[@dvckduckgoose]

“you, my 5 year old nephew, are the universe” why am i crying in the grocery store rn

[@kat6613]

new john glasses? THE FABRIC OF SPACETIME CAN'T HANDLE THIS CHANGE

[@dragonflies6793]

John's glasses are changing. Like the purple!

[@sagebiddi]

I am not able to even pretend like I was not scared to click on this one at first. Knowing my homeskillet J Geezy was on the other side and had some more brain stimuli for me gave me the strength 💪!

[@willswardstrom]

Been watching for over a decade...this may be one of the top 5 videos on this channel.

[@pgraterol]

Have a great day everyone!

[@Dyslexic-Artist-Theory-on-Time]

Because we have a process of spherical symmetry forming and breaking that forms the potential for entropy. This process also forms the potential to form greater symmetry as in cell life and the potential to form evermore abstract maths.

[@tayhuzzahn]

I think "bud" or "buddy" might be my favorite term of endearment because (regardless of its actual origin) it reminds me of flowers, but those sorts of pre-flowers that acknowledge that we are always on the edge of blooming in one way or another.

[@laurasosnow7507]

Listen up, bucko, I didn't come here to cry ok?