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together.

2020-03-17 · letter vlog · John · 3:52 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Health (also: Philosophy & meaning, Nerdfighteria) · mode: Personal essay · tags: timely hook, heavy topic, civic or action cta, self promotion

John calls togetherness humanity's superpower, built on collaboration, and says the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly stops us from gathering; we must listen to experts and isolate, but also find ways to stay connected, because the only way through is together.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Togetherness as the human superpower; collaboration behind everything, from Hamlet to broccoli

  • ★★★ John says togetherness is the superpower of our species: humans are smart as animals go, but collective knowledge is what made us so successful. — 00:00:00 · collective action
  • ★★ John says no individual could build water sanitation, electrical grids and transport systems or write Hamlet, but together humans have done all that and much more. — 00:00:00
  • ★★ John says the systems we rely on depend on large-scale collaboration: his broccoli passed through growers, transporters, truck builders, grocers and centuries of agricultural science, as does everything we consume. — 00:00:29

00:00:58 — COVID-19 stops people gathering; self-isolation, new everyday language, listen to experts and isolate but stay connected

  • ★★ John notes 'together' comes from 'to gather', and says one surreal and terrifying facet of the COVID-19 pandemic is that suddenly many people cannot gather. — 00:00:58 · COVID-19 pandemic
  • ★★ John says communities have changed suddenly: children out of school, businesses closed, empty shelves, many job losses, and no gathering in stadiums, offices, classes or places of worship. — 00:00:58 · COVID-19 pandemic
  • ★★ John's family is self-isolating, a phrase that, like social distancing, he did not know a month ago but is now everywhere. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ John thinks one sign of a big, lasting change in the human story is specialized language entering everyday speech, such as case growth factor and transmission rate. — 00:01:27
  • ★★★ John says it is now clear the pandemic will put many people at risk of serious illness and death. — 00:01:56 · COVID-19 pandemic
  • ★★★ John says we must listen to experts and isolate ourselves appropriately. — 00:01:56
  • ★★ For the health and systemic risks of the pandemic, John watches Dr. Aaron Carroll on Healthcare Triage because he is an expert, and links other resources. — 00:01:56
  • ★★★ John says that while we must isolate, we must also find ways to stay together and connected, to keep humanity's superpower. — 00:01:56

00:02:26 — Ways to stay connected: virtual cocktail hours, Hank's Twitch streams, John and Sarah's livestreams, Tuataria, Life's Library, helpful videos and poetry

  • ★ John notes that in some places staying together has meant dancing the Macarena on balconies or nationwide applause for healthcare workers. — 00:02:26
  • ★★ John's family holds virtual cocktail hours with friends every evening, plays virtual board games, and reaches out to people most affected or most alone. — 00:02:26
  • ★★ John praises Hank's Twitch streams playing Stardew Valley with his son, which John's kids have loved. — 00:02:26 · Hank Green, Orin Green
  • ★★★ John says that starting tomorrow he and Sarah will host regular livestreams on Vlogbrothers and The Art Assignment channel, drinking a little wine and making a little art. — 00:02:55 · Sarah Urist Green, The Art Assignment
  • ★★ John recommends Tuataria, a Discord for Nerdfighters, to anyone looking for social connection. — 00:02:55 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John invites viewers to join Life's Library Book Club for free, with links in the description. — 00:02:55
  • ★★ John has found YouTube videos helpful, such as Grant at 3Blue1Brown explaining exponential growth and Jane Wong reading a poem on Ours Poetica. — 00:02:55 · YouTube
  • ★★ John finds poetry especially helpful right now because it gives language and form to much of what he feels. — 00:02:55

00:03:24 — The only way out is through, and the only way through is together

  • ★★★ John agrees with Robert Frost that the only way out is through, and adds that the only way through is together. — 00:03:24

    “the only way through is together”

  • ★★★ John asks that we work with and for one another and serve and help one another, especially the most vulnerable, and make it out together. — 00:03:24

In the description and comments

  • ★ John's comment says the video is early because he now helps homeschool two children. — creator comment
  • ★ In a comment John says his family is self-isolating because of potential exposure at one of the kids' schools before it closed. — creator comment
  • ★ The description lists resources for understanding the pandemic, including The Washington Post on why pandemics grow exponentially and Our World in Data. — video description

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: collective action · COVID-19 pandemic

Also: People: Aaron Carroll · Grant Sanderson · Jane Wong · Orin Green · Robert Frost · Sarah Urist Green

Projects: Healthcare Triage · Life's Library · Ours Poetica · The Art Assignment

Works: 3Blue1Brown · Hamlet (play) · Macarena · Stardew Valley

Organizations: Discord · Twitch · YouTube

Groups: Tuataria

Concepts: social distancing · systems thinking

Only in the description or credits: Our World in Data · The Washington Post

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