Iroh, or Uncle Iroh as I think of him, is an all-time character from the anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Who is he? I don’t mean in the context of the show, but who is he? Why is he an idol? The concept of ‘doing the right thing’ resonates deeply within me. I don’t claim to always know what the right thing is, though. Often, it’s not so clear. At moments like that, one must lean on a deeper wisdom, experience, and perspective. Furthermore, to see any sort of action in the world, wisdom cannot remain an abstract thought. Yes, I think it is true that ultimately the actual doing of the right thing is not so complicated, but to decide to do it can require tremendous mental strength and an unwavering compass (perhaps moral but not necessarily). So far, we have gotten to good intent, the deciding to do the right thing, but proper execution still requires an additional step of real world strength to see it all through. Iroh embodies this whole chain from start to finish, and that is the reason he is an idol – plus he’s very likable.
The world Iroh lives in is divided into four nations according to the natural elements: fire, water, earth, and air. The fire nation is the ‘evil’ nation terrorizing the other three with the ultimate goal of exterminating the Avatar (only one person at a time that can bend / manipulate all four elements). Where we meet him, Iroh is advising his young nephew Zuko on a hunt for the current Avatar – so technically he is on the evil side against the protagonists. We never sense any fire nation allegiance type malice from Iroh though, which says a lot. He is open-minded and generally wants to treat people with respect regardless of their nation. The comparison to our world is not to be so nationalistic, populistic, etc. that you act based on some pre-given ideology instead of considering the effects of your actions on specific people. Iroh also belongs to a secret group called the White Lotus which is basically a group of old wise guys from all nations whose mission is to promote peace among all nations. He is a cosmopolitan man. Iroh has an immense curiosity in people and is friendly and welcoming to all strangers. He’s the good kind of good.
That being said, he is still on this very obvious fire nation expedition helping his nephew Zuko who at first has a single-minded fury to be a great fire nation citizen (and clean his name as a banished son of the Fire Lord). He knows Zuko is ill-guided by passion, so he is there with a longer term view of watching over him and slowly changing Zuko’s worldview with his presence and thoughts. Iroh isn’t jumping in and trying to ‘fix’ everything all at once. He takes the situation as it is, and pokes here and there to get Zuko to change through his own actions. I think he knows maybe he shouldn’t help Zuko do some of the stuff since it’s counterproductive to a peaceful world, but he does it anyway because Zuko is family. Family that he cares about. When wrong, sticking by those you care about at your expense is perhaps one of the closest wrongs to being excusable. Coincidentally, I came across a blurb from Nietzche sort of saying the same thing, “That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.”
Eventually though, Iroh becomes a full on traitor as he actively helps the Avatar, Aang, on his journey to defeating the Fire Lord. Iroh didn’t teach Aang firebending, but he taught Zuko, and Zuko eventually became Aang’s teacher. He had many opportunities to capture Aang, but did not take them. He did not consider taking them, because it simply was not the right thing to do. Once a prisoner back in the fire nation, Iroh submits himself to secret, rigorous physical training, building up his power. When it comes time to escape and fight, it’s just a matter of choice, he is too strong to be held back by chains. Incredible.
You wouldn’t necessarily think Iroh is amazing if you came across him during day-to-day life. He’s a fat old guy that likes to sit around, drink tea, and play strategy games. Basically useless. I think it’s cool that so many people can miss a diamond, yet by them missing it, they diminish none of its value. He is still a diamond, it’s really their loss. While most of the time he is doing nothing, he can do that because he knows when is the right time for him to speak or provide advice – otherwise he is totally fine being silent and enjoying life. His love for brewing tea just right and taking care of the smallest detail is indicative of someone that doesn’t just do things, but someone that is truly invested in what they do. Action becomes art. I share the spirit of that in some of my pastimes such as reading, coffee drinking, and writing. It goes far beyond that I do it, and deep into how I do it. Even if the how is only important to me.
Iroh understands that life is precious and should not be wasted. It’s great that he thinks this way, but we also need to consider why he thinks this way. He’s old and wise now, but in his origin story he was a mighty fire nation general. A man in that station doesn’t have the liberty of being so open-minded. You have to do what you are ordered and do it very well to gain the renown that Iroh had. So we can guess that he must have done his heavy share of creating suffering in the world, a path that in some way culminated with his slaying of what was thought to be the last dragon. Hence his nickname Dragon of the West. He viewed himself as powerful, as conqueror. It was about him. He killed the dragon as more proof of that, and it was not until after, when the dragon is already dead, that he connects the dots that actually the dragon is the original fire bender and ultimate source of the power he claims to hold for himself. I could say he killed the hand that fed him, that figuratively birthed him. What is important and commendable is that Iroh himself realizes this. Yes, he feels terrible. He also knows it can never be undone no matter how much good he does, but at least from now on he can choose to do good. I believe being good is a choice, and not a one-time choice, but a recurring choice. Iroh has shown his consistency in choosing good, and learning from his past without asking us to forgive it. I respect that.
