Everyone's heard of TED Talks, whether you were forced to watch them, or maybe even give them in school, they are something that everyone has viewed at least once. For those who have seen them, they are usually an incredible source of emotions. They are often funny, inspirational, moving and tear-jerking. As someone who had to write a TED speech in high school and who has continued to love these speeches, I have developed a list of favorites that inspire me to fight all the nihilistic urges that make us human. Here are my top 5 inspirational TED talks.

1. Mac Barnett: Why a good book is a secret door

I tell friends and my readers about this speech a lot, because I just love it. Not only is Barnett a great and talented speaker, but he also talks about the imagination of children. As adults, we nearly always forget what it means to be young and unafraid of the world around us. Watch until the end when you get to hear a voicemail a child left for his pet whale. It'll make you see the world as you once did.

2. Susan Cain: The power of introverts 

I was recently introduced to this TED Talk over the past week. I am an introvert, a creative like so many of us are. I never realized the way society seems to shun the quiet ones, the thinkers, and just how essential they are until I watched Cain's speech. It is funny and inspiring, but most of all it makes sense. And, she hates group projects, so she gets all of us college students. Seriously. Who came up with those?

3. Maysoon Zayid: I got 99 problems... palsy is just one of them

This was one of the first TED Talks that I watched in high school while being prepped to write my own. I didn't really know what Cerebral Palsy was until I saw this speech, and I thought it was one of the most inspiring things I had ever seen or heard. Zayid speaks with conviction and a character that many of us forget can be instilled in all of us.

4. Gary Lauder's new traffic sign: Take Turns

Here's a short and sweet one that is mostly funny and very true. Lauder takes the simplicity of a traffic ticket and the way stop signs and yield signs are used to talk about involvement and human nature.

5. John Hunter: Teaching with the World Peace Game

I found Hunter's speech when scrolling absentmindedly on Facebook one day. Not only does he remind me about how essential it is to have good teachers, but he reminds me that there is still hope for the future of education for our children. When I know there are teachers like him, the idea that our education system is failing doesn't seem so bad, because you realize there are people like him prepared to fight for it.