Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
"THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH A LIFE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY. I SUGGEST YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT IT IS YOU WANT FROM YOUR LIFE."
With uncle Iroh hailing from the Fire Nation, his entire life was spent fighting a raging war for the nation's dominance. He knew the value of a time of peace even though he didn't often get to experience it.
This sentiment, meant for Zuko, was an acknowledgement that Zuko didn't have to spend his entire life fighting if he didn't want to. He could walk away from the fight and leave someone else to pick it up. The idea that the fight can be too much and one can walk away isn't a sentiment often broached in children's television.
"BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, ADMIRAL. HISTORY IS NOT ALWAYS KIND TO ITS SUBJECTS."
When most people think of phrases associated with history, they think of the quote that "history is written by the victors." While that sentiment is true, uncle Iroh also knew that just because someone was victorious didn't mean the future would look kindly on them.
There was no line Admiral Zhao wouldn't cross in his quest for power - and to make himself valuable to the Fire Nation Emperor. Uncle Iroh, for all the good he did during the course of the series, was similar in his youth. He knew that the things he did were not the kinds of things to look back kindly on.
"FAILURE IS ONLY THE OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN AGAIN."
While Iroh might not have looked back too fondly on his days waging war for the Fire Nation, he also knew not to dwell on his past mistakes. If he failed in a task, he tried to move on from it. Dwelling on the failure itself was a mistake, but starting over meant life went on.
To be completely fair, a similar sentiment is also credited to Henry Ford, so Uncle Iroh's words were likely inspired by the real life figure.
"SOMETIMES, THE BEST WAY TO SOLVE YOUR OWN PROBLEMS IS TO HELP SOMEONE ELSE."
Though uncle Iroh was the one who said this line, the sentiment played out numerous times in the series itself.
Aang gained allies with every person he helped, Zuko learned about himself when he helped a family persecuted by bullies who were soldiers, Katara grew more adept at her abilities as she trained Aang, and Sokka grew as a leader when helped the Kyoshi warriors. Iroh even made this line come to life when he decided to help liberate Ba Sing Se. The series made it clear that every time someone helped another, their actions had far reaching consequences.
"GOOD TIMES BECOME GOOD MEMORIES, BUT BAD TIMES MAKE GOOD LESSONS."
Iroh experienced his share of good times. He seemed to have fond memories of his experiences with different game players and tea drinkers. He also, however, experienced his share of tragedy.
Much like his belief that failure allowed someone to begin again, Iroh knew that he could learn from his mistakes and the tragedy in his life. He bad experiences became learning opportunities, striving to become better. He wanted the same for his nephew, which is likely why so much of his wisdom was aimed at Zuko.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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