I’m at that point in life where you binge watch one series and when its over your life feels pointless, again. This time it was Avatar : The Last Airbender(Not the movie, I like to believe it doesn’t exist)

While watching it i had to defend myself against question upon question from various sources. “How old do you think you are?” was popular among the oldies(read parents) and “Is that a cartoon?” among the babies(read younger sister who is in high school). My responses were pretty mature and ranged from using headphones to singing the national anthem loudly. But inside i was grappling with a bigger question “Is it awesome or depressing that a cartoon can teach you more about life than life itself?”

You might argue you know more about life than what a cartoon can teach you. But i urge you to watch it. Keep an open mind and you’ll finish it a more wholesome man. I’ll tell you why.

Lets start with some simple lessons most of us already know. The most obvious thing you can learn from the series is that your greatest enemy can be your strongest ally( I know!!! Right? We all have that one person who you used to pick fights with through school but ended up becoming the only person you talk to regularly.) And having friends will always be hand(Remember that time you skipped class and went for a movie but got the attendance because your friend was good at mimicry). I can go on and on but since your time is pretty valuable i’ll cut to the chase and tell you the best thing you can learn from the series.

It’s something we’ve always known but chose to ignore. Maybe its possible only in a universe with flying bison and talking cats. Its the realization that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. That we must find the strength to forgive those who did wrong to us and to those close to us. Forgiveness is not cowardice. It’s the ultimate act of bravery. Its the courage to say “i will not stoop to your level”. Its something we all must keep in mind in these days of rising atrocities and call for blood. Its a time for introspection and learning to find similarities in our differences.

Let us all try to be Katara and Sokka and Toph and Sukko who battled their personal demons and came out victorious. But let all try to be more like Aang who had the power to do something terrible but also the strength not to.

I wonder what i’ll watch next.