I recently re-watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I have re-watched multiple times since it first aired from 2005 to 2008. From my initial watch I knew that this Nickelodeon show intertwined a lot of spiritual truth into episodes that are also filled plenty of action and comedy to entertain all audiences. The story centers around four nations that live divided due to the attack of the Fire Nation as they attempted to overtake the other three nations. Throughout the show, we notice that Fire Nation is not only attacking the rest of the nations in hopes to expand their empire, but the Fire Nation is also teaching their children a version of history that paints the Fire Nation as heroes that are sharing their way of life with the rest of the world. Since the children are being lied to, they grow to believe that the Fire Nation is the greatest nation and that the actions of the Fire Nation’s armies are justified. This is not only true for the average Fire Nation child, but it is even more relevant in the life of Prince Zuko, who is the first-born of the Fire Lord, the ruler of the Fire Nation. Prince Zuko fully believes that the nation that he born into is superior to the rest of the world and therefore they are entitled to overthrow the other governments that govern the other three nations. Throughout Zuko’s journey to capture Avatar Aang, a task that was given to him by his father, the Fire Lord, Zuko begins realizing the negative impact that the Fire Nation has left on the lives of the rest of the world. As He travels around the world, Prince Zuko encounters many families who have lost family members due to the attacks of the Fire Nation. He also meets entire people groups that are destitute due to the Fire Nation’s actions. In time, due to his own personal experiences, Zuko learns of the Fire Nation’s true motive and he takes a stand. When he finally returns home to the Fire Nation and confronts his father, he states, “We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.” This is an incredible revelation for Zuko, one that I believe we can apply to ourselves as well. When one group of people or political party with a single set of morals controls the government and uses that influence to isolate specific groups of people or even creates a nation that physically, mentally or emotionally harms specific groups of people, then that nation is unjust. I believe the Fire Nation in Avatar: The Last Airbender is a mirror of how the United States government has been acting throughout our short history. The older that I get and the more that I learn over the years, I see that U.S history has been watered down and adjusted to reflect a specific set of views and morals, views and morals that do not benefit all of the residents of our country. It has become even more evident that those in power remain in power through a variety of fear tactics. There is very little kindness and compassion within the leaders of our government. This is a time when we, the American People, need to focus our attention on replacing fear with peace and kindness. We must be kind and compassionate to our neighbors and even strangers as a way to offset the fear tactics that is being used by the government. In another pivotal moment of the show, Avatar Aang meet a Lion Turtle, which is an ancient creature that is filled with a wisdom that helps save the world. In their meeting, the Lion Turtle tells Aang, “The true mind can weather all lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. From beginningless time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light.” This is another incredible quote from the show. Even though it seems encrypted. I believe this quote speaks to the heart and find of the individual. When we can keep our heart pure and our mind clear, we have a clearer view of the world around us. We can see through the lies and the fear tactics that are often used to keep an unbalanced order and we can combat the lies through peace and kindness. This is the challenge for us at this point in human history; would we rather be known for the fear that we impress onto others or would we rather be known for the kindness that spread in action and word? A kindness that promotes understanding and creates peace for all not just a few.
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Avatar: The Last Air Bender was a Nickelodeon show that originally aired from 2005 to 2008 that created a world consisting of four nations. Each nation was named after one of the four natural elements: water, earth, fire and air. Within each nation there are individuals who can manipulate and control the element that corresponds to their nation. In the show they call this “bending.” Along with the benders there is the Avatar, who is the bridge that connects mankind to the spirit realm connects to their ability to bend their elements. The Avatar is able to bend all four elements with the goal of bringing and keeping harmony amongst the four nations. When the Avatar dies, they are reincarnated; where they will be born and grow in a new nation. As they grow, they will learn of their destiny and learn to bend all four elements and grow as the leader they are destined to be. While this show has plenty of action and comedy to keep the attention of the young audience; there is plenty of thought-provoking life lessons for older audiences to latch on to as they grow and evolve. As stated, the four nation all connect to one of the four elements, but each of these nations also displays societies that live a variety of lives and have vast differences in theology and spirituality. This is the aspect of the show that I always felt a deep connection to. When I first watched the show at the age of 19, I was amazed at how seamlessly the writers intertwined life lessons that I could think through and apply to my own life. As I re-watch the show as a 37-year- old pastor, I am even more amazed at the depth of this show. One of the biggest themes of the show is the theme of connection. At the start of the show, it is established that there was a time where the world and the four nations lived harmoniously. Yet, through the action of the Fire-lord, the leader of the fire nation, decided to overthrow and gain control of the three other nations. This caused division and separation among the nations. When Aang, the current Avatar met with a Guru named Guru Pathik, it was revealed to him that the entire world is meant to live in harmony because all things are connected. Guru Pathik states, “The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same. We are all one people, but we live as if divided.” This is eye-opening. Often in churches we identify aspects of life that creates separation instead of promoting oneness and harmony. We will villainize other religions and ways of thinking instead of promoting curiosity that would allow us to ask questions and gain understanding. We would rather talk down to others who are living a lifestyle that is different than our own so that a sense of superiority is established instead of building a friendship. As I re-watched this moment, I began to think of the American church and the different ways that they divide instead of unite. Through this moment between Aang and Guru Pathik, I begin to realize that we too need to understand the harmony of our world and the deeper connection within our experiences and our cultures. I believe that we are meant to bring harmony to all by understanding that “we are all one people.” Even though we are different people with different lifestyles, beliefs and traditions, this should not divide us, but unite us. Our human bonds should allow us to stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow humans in the moments of difficulty and injustice. It is our differences in culture, tradition and belief that makes humanity interesting. And it is our quest for understanding that creates harmony amongst humanity. It is my hope that throughout my pastoral career, I will be able to remain curious about other religions and other cultures as well as build relationships of understanding that strengthens humanity as a whole instead of promoting division amongst humanity. |
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December 2024
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