Videos That Lift the Spirit

A curated collection of moments that remind us of humanity's capacity for courage, compassion, creativity, and grace.

Acts of Courage & Heroism

Extraordinary bravery in ordinary moments

Boatlift - An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience

RoadtoResilience • 11 min

Tom Hanks narrates the true story of the massive spontaneous maritime evacuation of Manhattan by ordinary civilians.

Malian Hero Scales Building

Guardian News • 1 min

Mamoudou Gassama scales four stories in seconds to save a dangling toddler in a raw display of physical courage.

The Man in the Red Bandana

ESPN • 13 min

Welles Crowther, an equities trader, sacrificed his life on 9/11 carrying others to safety.

Parental Love & Devotion

Unconditional love in action

Derek Redmond - Barcelona 1992

Olympics • 4 min

An injured athlete's father breaks through security to help his son finish the race, defining unconditional parental love.

Team Hoyt (Ironman)

The outcome • 5 min

A father pushes his son with cerebral palsy through the Ironman triathlon; a staggering display of devotion.

Compassion & Service

Quiet acts that change lives

Forest Man

William D. McMaster • 16 min

Jadav Payeng spent 30 years single-handedly planting a forest on a barren sandbar, saving an ecosystem.

The Good Cemeterian

CBS Sunday Morning • 3 min

A man spends his Sundays cleaning neglected veterans' tombstones to restore their dignity.

Mohamed Bzeek - Muslim Foster Dad

AJ+ • 6 min

A man exclusively fosters terminally ill children so they do not have to die alone.

Lord of the Books

AJ+ • 3 min

A garbage collector rescues books from the trash to build a library for his impoverished community.

Tim's Place

Associated Press • 3 min

A restaurant owner with Down syndrome serves breakfast with hugs, creating a community of love.

Recognition & Remembrance

The power of being seen and honored

Sir Nicholas Winton - That's Life

BBC • 2 min

A man who saved 669 children from the Holocaust is surprised on live TV by the adults he saved sitting around him.

Caine's Arcade

Nirvan Mullick • 11 min

A boy's cardboard arcade is visited by a flash mob, validating his creativity and hard work.

Teacher Handshakes (Barry White Jr.)

NBC News • 2 min

A teacher memorizes unique handshakes for every student to ensure they feel valued.

Music & Global Unity

The universal language

Playing For Change - Stand By Me

Playing For Change • 5 min

Street musicians from around the world are edited together to play one song of global unity.

Landfill Harmonic (Trailer)

Landfill Harmonic • 3 min

Children in a Paraguayan slum play Mozart on instruments made entirely from trash.

Sabadell Flash Mob - Ode to Joy

Banco Sabadell • 5 min

A lone cellist is joined by a full orchestra in a town square for a massive celebration of music.

Choir! Choir! Choir! - Hallelujah

Choir! Choir! Choir! • 6 min

1,500 strangers learn to sing Hallelujah in harmony, creating a spiritual sound.

Piano for Elephants (Beethoven)

Paul Barton • 5 min

A pianist plays classical music for blind elephants, creating a profound scene of cross-species peace.

Joy & Celebration

Pure, unfiltered happiness

Where the Hell is Matt? 2008

Matt Harding • 4 min

A man dances with crowds in 42 countries; the lack of cynicism and shared joy is infectious.

The Great Whale Rescue

Great Whale Conservancy • 8 min

Friends cut a whale free from nets; the whale breaches repeatedly in a display of pure joy.

Christian the Lion - The Reunion

Born Free • 3 min

Two men reunite with the lion they raised; the lion's affectionate recognition transcends species barriers.

Batkid Begins

Warner Bros • 3 min

San Francisco transforms into Gotham City to grant the wish of a 5-year-old cancer survivor.

Perseverance & Triumph

Overcoming impossible odds

Richie Parker: Drive

ESPN • 12 min

Born without arms, Richie Parker becomes a NASCAR chassis engineer using his feet.

Arthur's Transformation

Diamond Dallas Page • 5 min

A disabled veteran told he would never walk unassisted loses weight and eventually runs.

J-Mac: Autism Basketball Miracle

CBS • 3 min

An autistic team manager enters the game in the final minutes and scores 20 points.

Sportsmanship & Brotherhood

Competition transcended

Tokyo 2020 High Jump Gold Share

Eurosport • 2 min

Two athletes decide to share the gold medal rather than compete further, exploding in shared joy.

The Brownlee Brothers

World Triathlon • 2 min

A triathlete gives up his win to carry his collapsing brother across the finish line.

Wisdom & Grace

Lessons in living well

Mr. Rogers 1969 Senate Testimony

PBS • 6 min

Fred Rogers disarms a gruff senator with sincerity, defending emotional education for children.

Fred Rogers Lifetime Achievement

The Emmys • 3 min

Rogers asks Hollywood stars to take 10 seconds to think of those who loved them into being.

Mister Rogers and Jeff Erlanger

CA Academy • 5 min

A man in a wheelchair surprises Rogers on stage; Rogers leaps down to embrace him.

Every Kid Needs a Champion (Rita Pierson)

TED • 7 min

A rousing speech on the importance of human connection and love in education.

Wright's Law

The New York Times • 10 min

A physics teacher with a rare disorder uses his limitations to teach students about the universe and love.

StoryCorps: Danny & Annie

StoryCorps • 3 min

An elderly couple discusses terminal illness with humor and deep love, reframing death.

Human: I am not a poor man

Human the Movie • 2 min

An elderly man speaks with profound wisdom about love and wealth, defying pity.

Forgiveness & Reconciliation

The hardest and most powerful acts

Brandt Jean Hugs Amber Guyger

CBC News • 2 min

A murder victim's brother forgives the killer in court and embraces her in a stunning act of grace.

Steve Hartman: The Birthday Cake

CBS Sunday Morning • 3 min

A story about how simple acts of neighborliness can heal deep loneliness.

Shared Humanity

What unites us

TV2 Denmark: All That We Share

TV2 Danmark • 3 min

A 'social experiment' reveals shared humanity across social divides in a visual way.