My top 5 inspiring videos on YouTube

Posted byMarkusPosted inBlog, Life, philosophy, Recommendations, wellnessTags:, , , , , , ,
Inspiration can hit anytime, anywhere.

Thanks to its many excellent content creators, YouTube has been an invaluable source of inspiration for me over the years. Looking back, there are five things in particular that stand out to me personally. Five videos that had a deep impact on who I am today. So I thought I’d share – and if there are videos that have had a similar impact on you, I would love to hear about them, too!

1. The transformative power of classical music.

At first glance, this talk looks like nothing special. But right from the start, Benjamin Zander shows that he is different from most people who give presentations, or even from most people who give TED-talks. The theme of the talk is classical music, but the message is one of compassion and a deep sense of humanity. Mr. Zander delivers this message with an incredible authenticity and effortless wisdom, which is why I keep coming back to his talk even years later. Give it a watch, you will not regret it!

2. The Psychology of Self-Transformation.

How can you make a change in your life? What does it mean, to become “better”? This video gives great answers to both these questions. The entire channel is filled to the brim with amazing content, but this video stands out as the one that invested me with unceasing inspiration to this day. It helped me give a meaningful answer to the question of “why?” for the first time in my llife.

3. This Exercise Is All the Help You Need.

Meditation techniques, ways to access some “higher self” and other misty-eyed ideas abound on the internet. In this short talk, Mooji offers a succinct and effective explanation to see what all of this is aimed at. It really is worth listening to – whether you have any love for spirituality or not. For me, this talk worked like a sieve that filtered out everything redundant in my head and left me with a relieving sense of effortless clarity.

4. Optimistic Nihilism.

Millions of people are struggling with Nihilism, trend rising. Sleepless nights, waking despair and a good dose of wallowing in self-pity about the meaninglessness of it all; I’m no stranger to any of it. Until a unique perspective came around, a perspective that this video conveys perfectly. Kurzgesagt’s beautiful sound and artistic design certainly help bring it across. If anything, “optimistic” seems almost too modest a word. How about “Inspiring Nihilism”? This perspective really did a lot for me, so I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone – even if a soul-wrenching struggle with meaninglessness is not part of your daily routine.

5. Stoicism in The Shawshank Redemption.

The Shawshank Redemption tops favorite movies lists around the world for a reason. It is raw and uncompromising, but life-affirming and human at the same time. This channel offers a great perspective by relating the movie to the ancient traditions of Stoic philosophy. This video is a striking testament to the human capacity to bear and overcome suffering. It always helps me center my actions around what is constructive and authentic, dropping everything that is not. If that is not inspiring, I don’t know what is.

48 thoughts on “My top 5 inspiring videos on YouTube”

      2. i believe the gospel which is Jesus died, was buried, then rose on the third day, by this He took away the sins of the world, and that by Grace thru faith you have been saved, not of yourselves, it is the free gift of God, not of works… and if you try and work for it you’ll only mess it up… bad. and that Jesus is the Savior of the ENTIRE world, He was successful at doing that. there is no ‘hell’

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          2. did you know, that since you believed… you are saved? 🙂 now Jesus took on your sin, and you take on His righteousness, and it’s as if you have never done anything wrong… gotcha! xoxoxoxoxoxox see you on the other side 🙂

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  10. I don’t consume YouTube content much, and even when I do, I mostly watch what my friend terms ‘cheap’ entertainment. I will check out some of these videos that you have recommended here. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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  11. Hey Markus!

    Matt in Hong Kong again. I just finished watching the classical music video you recommended. Very inspiring! I taught college music for most of my career and perhaps there were a few moments like this. I hope so! What a great manner and positive attitude he has! Thanks!

    School starts here in a week, on Zoom. I’m in my newer gig, teaching English. I’ll see what I can do!

    Matt

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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    1. Hi Matt! Always impressed by how versatile you are as a teacher. Do you play a music instrument, too? Good luck with the start of school in this unusual way, I’m sure it’ll be an entirely different experience once again.

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