This clip is from the hit TV series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” one of my favorite childhood shows. The show has a very intricate story about another world where certain people are able to control certain elements based on their nationality.  The show takes place in a time where the people who wield the element of fire, the Fire Nation, are trying to take over the world. There is only one saviour capable of stopping this madness, the Avatar. The Avatar is a soul reborn throughout the generations who is able to wield all four elements (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire) but this generations Avatar is a 13 year old child named Aang (the bald kid in the video above).

Another important character is the Prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko, who is trying to capture Aang. He has been exiled and the only way to redeem himself is by capturing the avatar. Zuko’s uncle, a wise old man named Iroh,  accompanies him through this journey. He acts as father to Zuko throughout their journey and eventually helps Zuko heal and turn good. The seen above depicts a big shift in Zuko’s character progression where Iroh yells at him in this speech.

He asks Zuko what his plan is? Why is he doing it? What does he expect to gain? Of coarse Zuko has no answers to any of these questions and he seems lost.Then Iroh hits him with the big question

“Who are you and what do you want?”

This is a huge statement. Up until this point, Zuko has been determined that catching the Avatar is his destiny because that was what his father decreed. He never questioned it and ended up dedicating his life to it, not until his uncle Iroh asked him this question. He was following a destiny that someone else created and not his own. This represents a turning point, because for the first time Zuko doesn’t know what his purpose is. He realizes that this may not be his destiny.

We can learn a great deal from this. Just like Zuko, a lot of us are prone to live the lives that our parents want us to and we end up neglecting our desires in order to accomplish those goals. I’m not saying that all parents are evil but most parents do want what they think is best for you. The truth is parents are human too and they don’t know everything. They could be right and they could be wrong but the only one that will be able to figure that out is you. You have to decide what is best for you as an individual.

As I’ve said many times in this blog, chasing your dreams is necessary for your well being. You need to do what makes you happy but that’s easier said than done. Figuring out what you love is hard enough on its own. There will always be people out there telling you what they think you should do or what is best for you but in this case it’s your opinion and your opinion alone that matters. You have to create a destiny that you will love and not look back upon a life you led that was not your own.

I feel that every person at one point in life needs to sit down and ask themselves the big question “who are you and what do you want?” I could tell you from multiple experiences that the answer won’t be easy to find. It will take a lot of soul searching and thinking. You probably won’t find it the first time or the second time. It will take multiple tries but once you find that answer you’ll be happy because now you have a goal of your own to strive towards, a destiny that you created for yourself.