Ever been so tired of people putting you in a box? Have you ever thought that these people don't know me
They don't know who I am or what I'm capable of
Well, this is exactly what today's character felt like her entire life
Everyone thought she was just as helpless little girl just because of her disability
But man, did she prove them wrong? And of course, I'm talking about the blind bandit herself Toph Bayfong.
Hey, what's going on guys? My name is Nate and you're listening to the Otaku to the Otaku Liberation
A show where we help you break the chains that are holding you back in your life by connecting some biblical principles with themes for your favorite
and without further ado, let's get right on into
In today's verse I'm covering for this episode is 1st Samuel chapter 16 written and it says but the Lord said to Samuel
Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have
Humans do not see what the Lord sees for humans see what is visible but the Lord sees
And you know, this is just God saying don't judge a book by its cover
What he says is true we tend to judge others based on what we not
What we know all the time. We don't know everyone's backstory. We don't know everyone's own trials and tribulations and the things they've gone through
We don't
What they what they let us know if it's a personal relationship or for those that we see from a fee from afar we let see
you know the the outside you see the animal and
Unfortunately, how often time that's what we base all
You know ID they are and
That was that was a safe
But those of you don't know Toph was essentially she was born blind into a very wealthy family and her parents treated her like a China doll
which kind of so
Journey of kind of
type thing for Toph and
The first part of it was you know her her having some self-acceptance in her
Having some self-acceptance and defying these expectations
because again, like I said her parents thought she was a China dog just as a told this little girl be blind and
Let's be honest. You know, if you're a parent who has a blind eye
Oh you want to make sure they're safe and protected and from all these different things out in the world because again, you know and
But that didn't really gel to to own what's off because she sought to defy
basically the image of the helpless little blind girl that many people had about her parents and
Unfortunately for them this mindset pretty much with with her parents at home because again, they wanted to smother her and
even though she tried to be the
I guess a perfect ideal daughter for them. It was eating her up on the inside
So when Aang and the group offered her a chance to them
You know mainly to teach Aang earthbending but at the same time to help her
explore the world from under her parents took it and
It's off as a little rough around the edges
Not just because she's an earthbender
But just because of who she is and this often clashed with the rest of team avatar in the in the beginning
Because she saw their acts of kindness as pity for her blindness
And you know, I'm talking about, you know offering to help her with her her bags when APA landed when they better make
Not really understanding the whole team dynamic of okay, so somebody sets up a campfire somebody
You know tries to gather food things like that. He
she initially thought that long as she carried her own weight that everyone else will be good with that and that she didn't need any
help and that she didn't need to help else and
all that from
Again her upbringing because everything was done for her without really giving her the option or chance to do it for herself
she saw this
need to
Basically show the world that she's not helpless and that she could do anything she's to
Which is good, you know, that's not necessarily a bad thing
But in this type of context when you talk about being a part of a group you who care about each other, right?
they are they're always trying to come together and and
But she didn't really understand that whole mindset until he had a she heard a few kind words from you know
Iroh, you know, everybody's uncle right and that
His words helped her open her eyes to the fact that sometimes people mind
Isn't pity. It's just because they care they they want to do things
because because they care about and
it was after she had that conversation why he
understood the rest of the dress of team avatar and that she really became a part of the team at that point went on and
that whole thing is just
I want you to realize that it's important to not let be
Conformed to what other about you
You know, I mean, yes it is to take some input take some advice from people who are you know further up further off than you
Whether it's in your job just life in general right people that you look on who you can see as as mentors
But in the end it is your life and you have to live it yourself. You got to make your own decisions
so
You kind of take take it all with a grain of salt
you know take the advice that you wanted that you want to take that you do and
Apply what you feel like sway best thing for you in your life and they can't live your life for you. Oh
Yeah, don't be overly reliant on them, but don't just ignore them
so the next thing for top is
Her overcoming her
So again, she was born blind
I think that's pretty one of the biggest limitations that anyone can have is being born without a key sense that we all need and
But luckily for her in the world of avatar there was I'm that
Toph was able to gain her independence by overcoming her blindness by first learning earthbending from the original earthbenders
no less which were the badger moles and
You've ever said this before in these episodes, but yes avatar has some weird animals are all fusions of
Animals that exist in real life and they're pretty cool. I think you guys should check them if you haven't you know watch this master pro
Anyway back this off so
Toph was able to change patients
into her biggest strength which arguably kind of
solidify her as one of the best earthbenders of her time and I'd argue
Of all time maybe not the best but definitely she's definitely up there
And that was because she was able to see using the vibration from the ground using earthbending
So think about how bats you cation
Or if you're a model Marvel fan think about daredevil, right?
Basically how he sees Toph sees and just the only difference she uses her earth
And he just uses you know general
and
the important
aspect of that of this whole thing is the first
Recognize then overcome nations
Because that will open up some new doors to you to even know possible now for Toph it was
Finally gaining her independence because she was able to to see and do things herself
But you how can you overcome the limitations that you play off?
Or more importantly the limitations that out on you
You know anything is like oh, you'll never amount to this. Why are you trying to do that? Because it's not you know
I don't think that's on you
You know now there may be there may be some truth to it if you can't sing anger
But again, like I said earlier
Is your life and you got to kind of figure those that type of thing out
But part of that is understanding what your actions are and what can you overcome because some there's some things that can't
No matter how much we want to no matter how much you want to will it
Gonna change and that's okay. You just have to learn how to live with it. And what can we do to prevent it?
Right, maybe you can't maybe you can't change it by making better. Who knows?
So I just really want you guys to think about what are these limitations that you're placing on yourself?
that's on you that you feel like you can't overcome think that
That you can improve upon it that it can add more to your life and what you what you're trying to do
and
The next part is again tough getting her independence and self-reliance. So
Kind of like I was touched touched on earlier in this episode
So tough craved her independence and wanting nothing more but rely on herself for all the things that she's doing
It wasn't again wasn't until she learned some earthbending from the batter moles that she was finally able to gain some independence
And that was at the beginning and then she was I guess finally free. I guess for the most part after she
Left to go with team avatar and to help truth-bending
Now the
important thing to know that being independent is
Doesn't mean that you have to leave your family and never talk to them again or you know, just being cut off
It's just being off on your own in the world
No one no one around to help you in things like that
All that really means that you can take care of yourself like you may you're a function. You can take care of yourself
But you aren't afraid to ask or help when it's needed
So you can take care of yourself. You can take care of yourself. You can take care of yourself
When it's needed
And I mean that's the key part being independent doesn't mean you have to be a lone wolf type
Hey, I can take care of my um of what I need to take care of
You know, and i'm not afraid to ask if I need it
But i'm also not afraid to give the help if it's needed as well and this whole
You know this whole episode can be just summed up in
self-awareness being aware of what you can do and
And working within the confines of that, you know strength that you strengthen your strengths
If you can overcome your limitations and turn them into even more strengths off to it then
but if not
Know that you can lean on other people who?
Genuinely care about you who care about your well-being and want you to succeed
To help you get to that next level to help you overcome the shortcomings that you get through by yourself
And it's the same thing
For them too. You need to be somebody that they can rely on that they can trust that they can on for
For that type for that type of support
and
honestly
People kind of grow complacent
and comfortable being taken care of
and
That there's a lot more prevalent now than it ever was to be honest
And because again, we we have a lot more comforts than most people have known every lifetime. So you know
The fact that I have I have I can have three or four different platforms all at once
I can should never never be be out of a show to watch or things like that
I mean youtube's all the rage now and all these things. There's so many things that just kind of
Can make you a vegetable be careful and
And it's kind of taken away from going out and exploring different things
and
and just really getting out of the house to to even attempt to be a functioning person in society and
Eventually, we're all gonna have to grow up, you know even grow up a little bit what we think so far and
Honestly, uh
Is we had a 12 year old child
Shows more initiative than some people who are you know in their 20s and 30s nowadays
Because I'm tough basically just illustrates what to be self-reliant like she she just goes out there and
And tries to get it done. She's not constantly looking around for someone to help to help her out
but she's actually getting her hands dirty and doing the work and
that's something I think we all model and try because
To be fair outside of your family
Whether by blood or by choice outside of your family if it's out of those who you know care about you
The world is about you. The world is not going to try to help you out
so it's important for you to have
some sort of self-reliance for you to know how to
do the things that you needed to do and
In not only having that support system having that
You know, even if just one person it was just that one person that you know
You can confide in who can who's always there who all I can that that that's what is
Can you that's so?
Under appreciated but it the value can't be stated
And again, just remember that getting help isn't a bad thing, but we can't let ourselves become
the whole
If you if the only thing out of this whole episode is that
Yes, it's okay to go wrong to do your own thing to
Need to do and to be able to do it
But it's also important to know that you will that you can rely on that you that can help you can help
And it doesn't have to be one of the other
Actually, you know
That yeah, one of the other didn't really come until it was holidays. But anyway
So what I want you guys to know is that it had to be one the other you can be independent while still, you know
Being being a part of a pack, right?
You don't have to go off on your own and you know
There's a whole lone wolf training montage type thing you can
You can still be a part of a pack be part of a group part of a family and still do what you need to do
That's pretty much all
So if you like what you heard today and you want to take a deeper look into today's episode
Head on over to the otaku liberation.net where you'll find a blog article this episode in a little more detail
And join me next week as we're talking about soon is a lot of people's favorite character
Is a lot of people's favorite character and again, there's a lot. There's a lot of those in this show
But his journey shows us what happens when your life when your purpose in life isn't exactly what you thought
And of course, that's the set the fire nation himself zugo
So always remember guys you are the main character your story and that story doesn't end until he says so
So, all right, thank you guys