Separation Is An Illusion

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother Sokka and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. Although his airbending skills were great, he had a lot to learn before he was ready to save anyone. But from the day I first met him, I believed Aang would save the world. And you know what? I was right. With the help of his friends, Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai and ended the Hundred Year War. Zuko, Ozai's son and our ally, became the new Fire Lord. Together with Earth King Kuei, Aang and Zuko promised to restore the four nations to harmony.

Avatar Roku: "Previously on Avatar ..."

Huu: "See this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles. Branches spread and sink, take root, and spread some more. One big, living organism. Just like the entire world."

Aang: "I get how the tree is one big thing, but the whole world?"

Huu: "Sure. You think you're any different from me or your friends or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together. You can feel everything growing. We're all living together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots and we are all branches of the same tree."

Guru Pathik: "The sixth pool of energy is the light chakra, located in the center of the forehead. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one in the same."

Aang: "Like the four nations."

Guru Pathik: "Yes. We are all one people, but we live as if divided."

Aang: "We're all connected. Everything is connected."

Guru Pathik: "That's right! Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one. Four parts of the same whole. Even metal is just a part of earth that has been purified and refined."

Yu Dao, Earth Kingdom

Sitting at the rooftop of the city gates of Yu Dao, Aang was waiting for both The Freedom Fighters and Earth King Kuei's Earth Kingdom Army, led by General How. Just 4 days ago, Katara and Aang went to Yu Dao to talk to Fire Lord Zuko about his withdrawal support from the Harmony Restoration Movement. While walking around Yu Dao with Zuko, explaining to Aang that the Fire Nation Colonies are older than him by well over a century. After touring Yu Dao, Katara wanted to set up a meeting with Earth King Kuei and Zuko, to which he agreed to meet about Yu Dao and the rest of the Fire Nation Colonies, which they rejected the Harmony Restoration Movement.

While Aang was meditating about how to peacefully remove Yu Dao from the Earth Kingdom territory, Katara waterbend stairs made out of ice to reach the rooftop where Aang was sitting at. As she was finished walking the stairs, she asked, "Any sign of General How yet? Or Smellerbee?"

Aang moves his head from left to right, "No."

Katara walks over, sits, and places her left hand on Aang's right shoulder, "You okay?"

Aang sighs as he leans forward a bit. "My head hurts."

"I think I figured out why the nations have to be separate for harmony. Whenever two nations come together, the stronger one can't help but hurt the weaker one. They'll conquer or burn or, at the very least, make a joke of the weaker nation."

"You once told me that separation is an illusion. Guru Pathik taught you that. The four nations are really one and the same."

Aang turned his head to Katara, "But I don't want them to be the same, Katara! I love being an Air Nomad! I love our philosophy, our temples, our holidays, our food-- Everything that makes us different from the rest of the world! And now that I'm the last one left, it's up to me to preserve our way of life!"