Dumbledore versus General Iroh SPOILERS for Avatar the Last airbender LONG

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 184717

So in light of my increased unhappiness with Albus Dumbledore lately 
I started thinking about wise old men with the beards or without it. 
In particular I was trying to figure out if there are any wise old 
men in the literature or movies of this genre that I like more than 
him and why.

The obvious answer for me will be that I would like wise old man so 
much more if he would be doing more mentoring and less manipulating 
of the chess pieces, I mean people. But I am fully aware that there 
are not so many examples of wise old men like that.

And then I had an answer. Oh yes, I know wise old man whom I love 
without any reservation whatsoever, so I want to talk about 
differences between him and Albus Dumbledore as I perceive them.

Ladies and gentlemen meet general Iroh from the "Avatar the last 
airbender" I recently fell in love with this show, boy oh boy I 
really love this show. 

General Iroh is an uncle to the teenager who started the show as 
being the main antagonist, I guess.  So I do understand that in a 
sense his mentoring role and Albus' role is a little bit different, 
since in a sense Iroh' mentoring role is to force prince Zuko to 
choose the right side.

I just wrote this sentence and just realized how wrong it sounds. 
Iroh really really does not force Zuco to do anything, except to 
force him to find his own way, his own destiny.

*That* is what he constantly stresses to Zuco, to listen to himself, 
to listen to the best in him, to find what he wants, not what his 
father the warlord wants.

I mean, I don't know, to me the differences between Iroh's approach 
and Dumbledore's approach are huge and I like Iroh's so much better.

By the way, there is also a lot at stake on Zuco's decision - whether 
he will eventually come to the right side, etc and still Iroh never 
pushes him, except to think for himself.

And just as Dumbledore, Iroh did not have all that clean of the past 
either, and just as Dumbledore Iroh lost the dear loved one. Only 
funnily, that did not cause Iroh to become manipulative secretive 
bastard.

And it is so so interesting how Iroh loves people around him so much 
that they cannot help but return the favor and mind you he is not a 
monk, or anything, he is a fighter, a former war general, somebody 
who can hold his own in the battle very very well.

But he is, well, he loves tea and his nephew more than he loves the 
battles, it seemed to me.

I love Iroh and I really really cannot stand Albus Dumbledore.

Iroh stresses to Zuco that destiny is in many aspects a matter of 
choice, Albus Dumbledore makes sure Harry proceeds to fulfill the 
destiny as he sees fit.

Alla