I told him that I love him.

Wait, are you ready? Wow. All I can say is that it feels priceless and immeasurable. The greatest gift one person can give another. Probably like all of you, I have profound moments of fear and uncertainty when I think about the future. And the latest version of this has been brought about by the arrival of AI, which is a new technology that I am super excited about. but also overwhelmed and scared about. But if I think about it, this is actually nothing new. I felt this way years before the arrival of AI. I felt this way my entire life. There's just something about looking into the future that has always felt like looking straight into an oncoming storm. Recently, a friend took a few photos of me and fed it into AI and turned those photos into videos. Videos that depicted me doing things I had never done before. And there was something about that. that I found quite destabilizing. It freaked me out. And I could feel a sort of pessimism arising. I don't like the idea of being replaced any more than anybody else does. What is my worth? What is my value? How do I make a living when everything can be generated so quickly? This stirred something inside of me. So I found myself thinking deeply about this and then writing about it. And to my surprise, I found myself writing a letter. It's a love letter, actually. And it is this letter that I'd like to offer as the answer to these existential questions. I'd like to read it to you. May I? Wow. So that's the setup. Are you ready? Yes, please. Yeah? Yeah. Okay. Dear Lucas. Wow. Look. Yeah, it's awesome. Okay. So things are about to get very emotional. I actually cried a lot. writing this letter, which is totally new to me. That's never happened before. And I had absolutely no idea how it would go when I'd read it to him. I want to briefly thank the sponsor of this video first though, because once we did get into the letter, everything took a turn in a direction that I could not have predicted. And that sponsor is BetterHelp. Both Lucas and I have done a lot of therapy and it's what allows us to be, to have exchanges like this. I know that for me personally, it is what is allowing me to continually push my own boundaries. in how vulnerable I am with the people in my life, which leads to the most precious, valuable interactions. BetterHelp is designed to be totally flexible and fit into your schedule. And you can keep trying different therapists and changing for free until you find somebody that you really match with. And you can communicate via text, phone call or video call, whatever makes you feel the most comfortable. It's easy to sign up and get matched with someone. You can check it out if you're interested with the link in my description or by going to betterhelp.com slash Nathaniel Drew. And checking out the link helps support this channel, but it also gives you 10% off your first month with BetterHelp. Okay, I think it's time for this letter. Dear Lucas. Wow. Look. Yeah, it's awesome. As you know, we met four and a half years ago. It's just so formal. Do you like this? In early 2021, I was feeling so overwhelmed with the work I was doing to run my YouTube channel. I felt a lot of weight on my shoulders, showing up in front of so many people. So I made a public call to the world for help. I was looking for a video editor. Someone who could help me do what I was doing. Who could work with me, not for me. Be patient with me as I can be insanely picky and a bit obsessive. No. I'm getting in a cold with Nathaniel in five minutes. Holy shit. Look at this. Truth be told, I also felt a bit lonely. I had struggled to find my tribe. Partially because I had been a digital nomad hopping around, unrooted geographically, but also for another reason that's harder to pin down. It's like an energy thing. A soul connection. That feeling you get when you run into someone and you're like, wow. It's really just super easy to hang out with this person. A person that you like to be around, that you can relax around. That, that hadn't happened much for me up to that point in my life. When I did that job hiring, I received many submissions. But by far the best one came from you, which was only more impressive after the fact when you told me you did it at the last minute, thinking it was probably too late anyway. Yo, Nathaniel, how's it going? I'm Lucas, I'm 22 years old, I come from Austria. It was scary for me to trust someone, to help me with something so sacred to me. And also, I think you were scared to let me down. Good luck, Lucas, sinking everything up here. But it worked. By some miracle, despite all the ways things can and do go wrong between human beings, despite all the ways we can misunderstand each other and piss each other off and let each other down, this somehow worked. I think the very first video we did together was when I shaved my head bald. And with each passing month, we worked on new projects. I trusted you more and more and you were super open to help me in my wild range of endeavors, always changing and evolving. All of this happened remotely. As you know, in November of that year, we met in person for the first time. It's going to be so interesting to finally meet him in person. We met in Nice. to help me shoot the video I did inviting strangers to the best restaurant in the world. I remember our very first hug. You joked that it was weird to see that I had a physical body after looking at just my head and torso speaking on your screen for such a long time. In Nice, something definitely shifted. We made each other laugh constantly. You're fucking hilarious. I think it's a good day to post a video today because also like the moon is in Libra today so... Yeah, totally. It's gonna help. Alright, let's go! But also I could feel that you had a really big heart. The sincerity with which you did stuff was so obvious and that matters a lot to me. What started out as a work dynamic very quickly became a friendship unlike any I'd ever had. So over the next four years on adventures we went. Oh look, damn, I'm getting footage of the man. Rolls reversed today. Being the first Austrian I had ever met and having never been to Austria before, I feel like that guy that won the gold the day after he fucking massively crashed. Hammond Maya. Hammond Maya. I'm channeling my inner Hammond Maya. I didn't know much about your culture. It was through you that I discovered a whole new world. the Alps and the beautiful city of Salzburg. We have bonded over something we both despise. Deutsche Bahn and its perpetually late trains that stand directly between Austria and France. Bro, I have to tell you one thing. Deutsche Bahn is really null. I love the TGV. The TGV, yeah. They're way better. The transport transport, ferroviaire. Wow, you did a lot of memorizing. But mostly we have bonded over our shared curiosities about the world. In London we interviewed people on their thoughts on death. We tasted and ranked different French cheeses in my old apartment in Paris. Fuck, that is really good. So good. Our chaotic journey to a ballet in Vienna. The sad truth is that we operate the best under chaotic circumstances. Sad truth you said? Yeah. I feel alive right now. I'm too. I was naked. You came with me on a road trip through Italy to meet a man in the mountains. In Norway, after days of trying, on our final attempt, we saw the midnight sun together. This is so cool. In what was one of the most otherworldly nights of my life, I felt like I was Neverland. And there is definitely no one else I would have rather. been there with me, Linneux. Tell me, how is AI supposed to replace all of those things? How exactly is AI supposed to replace the feeling of intense belonging I felt when I was bawling my eyes out in front of some of my favorite people after I ran the Paris Marathon? What about the raucous laughter? A shared fart? Borderline wet. I mean seriously. How about a very uncomfortable that super important conversation we had in the middle of Turin when both of us were triggering each other? Maybe in the future we won't need each other for stuff like video work. Maybe there won't be videographers anymore. Maybe there won't be weird people like me that make videos like this as a strange 21st century career. But we can still write each other letters, no? I think I'll still need people to do this thing called life with so long as I am alive. and I think I need them to do it as imperfectly as me. So Lucas, where is life going to take us now? Neither of us know. All throughout these last few years, I've learned so much about the things you excel at and struggle with, the fears that you carry within you, your evolving interests in trampolines, breathwork, cold exposure, and performance art. Even more significantly. I have almost never met someone as oriented towards their own internal world. So intent on learning about and slowly work through their emotional triggers. So committed to becoming more aware, more receptive to life. And because of that, the conversations we are able to have are so unique and so valuable to me. You don't just have a big heart. You're basically nothing but heart. You're 102% heart. What I have learned in the years that I have known you is that everything you do is with heart. It's really a stunning thing to behold an inspiration to me. I've seen you in low moments and you've seen me in some of my lowest. And you've been patient with me when I get a little stuck in my own hang-ups, my own fears. And how nice it is to know that you're going through it too. The guy that I met four and a half years ago is not the same guy I know today. He's finding himself. And now, he's getting married. This is a lot. Wow. Holy cow. We're growing up. I want to thank you for everything you have given me. Oh boy. This is going to be the hardest part. Really? Oh my God. You're so amazing. Oh my God. Oh boy. Oh boy. Jesus. I want to thank you for everything you have given me. Thank you for opening up your world to me. Thank you for your bravery as you explore your deepest fears. You have no idea how beautiful it is to witness. I see you and I salute you. Bro. It has been the joy of a lifetime to get to know you, to witness you do life, to feel your heart. and feel my heart in relation to you. I clearly get so emotional thinking about our relationship. Oh my god, dude. I am shocked to continually discover just how much I care about you. I feel lucky to get to navigate this fast-moving and changing world with you. I am not interested in doing it alone. Maybe as we get old, we'll become obsolete, no longer useful or in demand. Maybe this is a chance for us to focus even more on what it means to be human, to be alive, to learn to be aware of ourselves. Life may eventually take us in different directions, and if it doesn't, death will. We know that. That too is something technology cannot solve, or at least it hasn't yet, and I don't think I want it to, as it only heightens and emphasizes to me the preciousness of what is happening right now. Let us be young and foolish. Let us wonder together about the world. Let us rediscover corners of ourselves we had long forgotten, that we had long ago abandoned. Let us be bold. Let us scorch the earth. Let us become aware of ourselves. Let us remember that there is nothing out there that can actually hurt us. I know you feel called to this mission as I am. I wish for you all of the courage in the world as you learn about yourself. I can barely understand what you move inside of me. All I can say is that it feels priceless and immeasurable. The greatest gift one person can give another. I wish I could convey to you how much I love you. I will likely fail. And still, I will try. I love you. Bro. Oh, dude. There are certain lines in this letter that just fuck me up every time. I'm like so overwhelmed right now. Fuck. Well, that's the letter.

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Timestamps:

Intro - 0:00
Sponsor - 2:05
The love letter - 3:09