240401 – Avatar, The Last Airbender
Though I finished watching this series in just 2 nights few months ago but I got time to review my notes and write this blog today.
As expected, the storyline was matching the movie that came out 2010. Though the movie didn’t receive a good rating, the series got better reviews and rating. That made me to be curious and hence watched the series in two nights.
To be honest the original anime is a in a different level but between the movie and the series I didn’t find much of a difference. The choice of actor for the role of Aang could’ve been better and sadly he couldn’t deliver the emotions well; however, the remaining cast didn’t play bad.
But going to the story, I like to base my learning of this series as a reminder of a person’s journey towards success and maturity on the book of Dr. Carol S. Pearson entitled “Awakening the Heros Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World.” She is considered a Jungian (who follow the teachings of Dr. Carl Gustav Jung)
This legend and story clearly show the journey of a person as he goes through life and its challenges, growing to be stronger and better in facing challenges and solving them as he faces them. Presence of both dark side and the light, also support of friends and presence of enemy’s are different constant parts of a person’s journey in life.
Each person’s journey is different from another and I believe it is when a person becomes courageous enough to go through his journey that he taps his potentials and realizes his/her purpose in life. This (taking the journey) is our responsibility, and we must learn as much as we can along the way, the lessons life teaches us. It is with those life lessons that we grow and succeed in life, even if we face big challenges. Also to mention, that if we refuse to take the journey of our life, may lead to pain for those who love us and care for us. Imagine when a young adult still stays at his/her parent’s home and is fully dependent on them. This lack of independency which also shows lack of self-confidence will cause parents to worry about the future of their children. When one is equipped with principles and values (usually based on the teachings of parents) it is better to start the personal journey, individually.
Aang: I have to figure it out myself?
Avatar Kyoshi: This is part of the journey.
Aang: But what if I hurt someone along the way?
Avatar Kyoshi: And how many have already been hurt because you haven’t been here? Run away from your responsibilities again, and even more will be hurt!
this journey actually begins when one loses everything (or at least the important thing in his/her life. In Jungian 12 Archetypes mentioned by Dr. Pearson, this stage is called becoming and Orphan. And like Aang when he loses his tribe and becomes the last of Airbenders, he starts his journey and carries whatever he has learned before.
Aang: There’s so much I don’t know. The monks are gone, and I’m all alone.
Katara: You know, the thing about losing everything is that that’s when you learn how strong you really are. It’s when you learn to fight.
Aang: They made the ultimate sacrifice for me. I need to make sure their deaths weren’t in vain.
One shouldn’t be afraid of loss in life and should be emotionally and mentally prepare himself/herself to continue his/her journey despite the loss in life. It is then, when one can grow and learn from life. Personally, I too suggest parents, to let their children to start their journey alone and stop controlling them and let them learn from their losses and wins. This could be a great gift of experiencing life individually.
The other point in the series that caught my eyes was the importance of potential and its comparison with desire and discipline that one shows by taking actions in life. Everyone is born with talents and as a person grows, he realizes the potential he/she carries. But as shown several times in the series, having potentials alone is not enough for one to flourish. It is when a person taking actions that turns his potentials into power that one can move towards his/her goals and dreams. For that to happen one should have a burning desire (as also emphasized by Napoleon Hill in the first chapter of his famous book “Think and Grow Rich”) and keep the act until his/her goals are achieved.
Suki: Not being a bender means we have to be even better than benders. We can’t reshape mountains and burn forests, so we have to fight with what we have. What matters is not the power inside. It’s the will and desire.
This story (Avatar: The Last Airbender), is actually a great example of one’s journey in life where a naive young child becomes a mature strong person who can influence and leave a mark in his/her surroundings and the people around.
To be honest the series had many valuable quotations and life lessons. The story is a life learning visual seminar with much anecdotes, symbols and quotes. I truly recommend watching it specially with the eyes and ears that go beyond entertainment. Nevertheless, at the end not to forget to watch it without being hard on yourself. Enjoy watching it and enjoy learning from it.