From Avatar the Last Airbender

I know that this thread topic is likely from way out in left field, but it is something that made me think for a little bit. That being said, there is one scene from Book 2: Earth "season 2," episode 23 in the series, that made me reflect on the nature of coming out to others as a part of the LGTBQ+ community. The scene involved some dialogue between the characters Aang and King Bumi regarding the concept of jing, or how you direct your energy. The three mentioned included positive jing "attacking", negative jing "retreating" and neutral jing "watching and listening" as examples.

The way that I connect the concept is with actively coming out as positive jing, retreating into the closet for a time as negative jing, and waiting for the right moment to act as neutral jing.

I wanted to share this idea for awhile and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the matter. I'm a little curious

 

Thank you for that Altruistic blue. I love Avatar the Last Airbender as well. I recognized the scene that you mentioned, and went ahead to look up the episode. It is episode 39 near the end of season 2 titled "The Guru." I can certainly see where you are coming from with regards to unlocking chakras as a comparison. I agree completely with you on that point.

 

Well. I knew that my comparison was pretty out there at best. I understand your point. I was just quoting the show at that point. It is always challenging to come out to others as you mentioned. The main idea was as you mentioned that you have to steel yourself some before getting started.

 

Uncle Iroh is one of my favorite characters in the series to be honest. Very often he serves as the voice of reason for Zuko and I remember when he openly admonished Zuko for not thinking things through after tracking down Appa in Ba Sing Se. I remember when Zuko did an impression of Iroh to get a hint as to what he should do. Only for Zuko to angrily state that he doesn't know what his uncle means even when doing an impression of Iroh. I very much agree with you. It is important to think carefully about what you really want in regards to coming out. Everyone's situation is different, and we have to consider for ourselves as to what to do in life.

 

I certainly agree. Iroh has been through a great deal in his life but has largely found inner peace. Zuko was struggling and trying to find his own path in light of everything that had happened to him. Furthermore, Zuko is a teenager. Even if his life had turned out better thus far, he still would have to discover who he truly is over time. He may not have been able to achieve self-actualization and become the firelord at the end of the series if he hadn't gone through the experiences that he did.

 

Zuko certainly comes into his own over time. The differences between his characterization and Azula's really give a better picture as to how important personal experiences are in life. I have to agree about Iroh lol. He would probably have his own tea shop in England just like he did in the series during season 2 for a time if given the chance.

 

Azula was a very interesting villain to be sure. She had certain charisma about her and was always laser-focused on her goals. I feel that it was indeed necessary for her to go insane at the end for the reasons you have stated. It was also interesting to see the interactions between her and her friends. Ty Lee was my personal favorite character of the three of them from a personality standpoint. I always liked her perky nature.

 

It's quite a funny end result for her character. I was happy to see how things ended up for her.

Avatar wasn't my first series of the sort, but it is certainly one of my favorites.

I think that Ty Lee was happier that way because she got to shine on her own without the influence of being among her siblings for once. That and being with Azula and Mai allowed her to pursue a very different path in life then anything she or her fellow family members could have had the option of before.

 

I can certainly see that. They had shown good chemistry with each other at the end of the series for sure.