| Thursday, 28 February 2008 |
| wisdom from many places |
"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want.
Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.
Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!
Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything.
It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole...It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful." - Iroh, from "The Legend of Aang, Avatar:The Last Airbender"
Nevermind that the speech above was from an animated series created by the West to glorify ancient Chinese culture. I still think the series rocks and the themes expressed by it are very very true.
The wonderful thing about Chinese culture is that, as much as detractors deride it to be overly archaic and traditionalistic, it really is an ocean of knowledge that continues to have its place and great relevance, even in today's modern society. I learn so much about the finer things in life, from it. It has so many aspects and facets: it comes in so many different forms that it never fails to surprise me. Be it art, music, or calligraphy; the different schools of martial arts; or religion and philosophy, Chinese culture never fails to teach you something. Take the study of the elements in something Western people call Feng Shui (and you say that with a Western slang!): I think its more of a form of philosophy in life. Its something that I find highly enlightening and highly intriguing, because it not only can be applied to so many things in real life, it can also be link to Western astrology as well.
Air is the element of freedom, it teaches you to evade and avoid all forms of danger and attacks, to outwit and outmaneuver the enemy and thus achieve victory via non-confrontation.
Water is the element of change, it teaches you to redirect forces directed at you and turn them against the opponent, to turn your enemy's own offense against him, to achieve offense in defense.
Earth is the element of substance, it teaches you to stand your ground and endure, to tolerate and absorb all attacks, to be still and wait til the right opportunity before striking with an attack of your own.
Fire is the element of power, it teaches you to defend yourself using a pre-emptive first strike, to attack while the plate is hot, to strike before others do, because the best defense is in a strong offense.
If you think about it, you can apply this school of thought to everyday life and even personality. Just like astrology, which classifies different star signs into different elemental groups, Feng Shui also studies this as well. Each personality type (or elemental type) deals with problems or live life in different ways.
Air signs are more idealistic and contemplative, they live life in a rather pacifistic manner, avoiding conflict and maneuvering around life's constant changes, preferring not to care about earthly troubles, living life in their own carefree manner.
Water signs are more emotional and adaptable, they live life while dealing with their everchanging emotions, but are highly understanding, caring individuals who flow and adapt through life, taking whatever comes and modifying it for their advantage.
Earth signs are more materialistic and stoic, they live life rooted to things that give them purpose, standing their ground, letting their stubborn nature outmatch the changes around them, and forging their lives in slow steady steps.
Fire signs are more aggressive and enthusiastic, they live life in a rather fast paced, fiery way, driven by a strong sense of desire, will and enthusiasm to achieve things that they strive to want, to create that exciting life they desire.
See! Its just perfect. And I think its so true. Learning and knowing such things really helps you understand how people think and act and do stuff!
I think we have lots to learn from Chinese culture. There's still so much knowledge to share, like opposing elemental signs, more in depth analysis of each signs etc. And the good thing about 'Avatar' is that it makes all the four elements so different, but together, they are actually just the same parts of 1 whole, because you need to understand the nature of all 4 elements to achieve a kind of peace with the world.
Just in case you were wondering, I'm an air elemental kind of guy. Just like Aang, the protagonist of the animated series. Which means I should be a master of Airbending. But I think its quite true though, because I skirt through life without seemingly achieving anything at all. Just caught up in my lovely little air filled bubble.Labels: anime, fanboy, randomness, soul |
posted by voldemort33 @ 11:25  |
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