Everyone Needs A Master

The title of this post is a quote, an exceptionally potent one from Avatar Book 3 Episode 5 : Sokka's Master.

Sokka is feeling disheartened because of the inevitable contrast he (and, let's admit it, we the audience as well) draws between himself and Aang, Katara, and Toph.
Measured against "Team Avatar's" incredible Element Benders, Sokka is merely an ornament or, at worst, a hindrance.
This is a feeling which is ALL PERVASIVE in our own society : a spirit-draining sense of strangling inadequacy.

Sokka is fortunate that he has friends who have experienced a great deal in their short lives and have become strong.
When they all encourage Sokka to seek out Piandao, the greatest sword master of the Fire Nation, they all speak from personal experience.
Words supported by personal experience hold weight.

The Student-Teacher relationship is one of the great themes of Anime, indeed, of all quest stories.
It is an fundamental need of human beings to grow, and, a fundamental need of human beings to be taught by those with more experience than themselves.
In Anime, this is an experience undergone by young heroes.

"Ah, how I envy the young protagonists of Anime. To have a teacher to train you and guide you into growing stronger than you knew you could be..."
"...for me...and for so very many other young people (for so very many people), Anime is that teacher."

Piandao is an excellent master.

It was wonderful that the writers of the show gave Sokka a master who understood how unique Sokka is and saw that Sokka's unique approach to situations, could be turned into great strength (as Anime teaches that indeed, anything can).

The wisdom.
The patience.
The support.

Characteristics like these are what make the Master so important in the life of a Student.
Under the guidance of a true Master, a Student knows they can grow without fear of making mistakes, because a true Master understands,

"A mistake is simply a learning experience one does not recognize immediately. But, given time, a mistakes worth becomes apparent in the learning it imparts."

A Student flourishes under the hand of a true Master.

One of the great reasons why Anime is so pervasively popular is because of the forever repeated story of Students learning from Masters.
Our society is bursting with people seeking the same guidance.
It is a shame that Anime is tainted with economics and that so many people pay homage to their love of Anime through product purchase and limit their attachment to Anime to that and do not seek the deep meanings the creators of Anime seek to impart.
Anime must be recognized for what it is : not a money making enterprise, but an attempt to teach and guide a society which does not have the institutions, nor the traditions of providing the guidance, its members so avidly seek and so desperately need.

Sokka spends 2 days training with Piandao and emerges a promising young swordsman.
Fantasy?
I think not.
With the kind of recognition and understanding Piandao demonstrated to Sokka, coupled with Sokka's sense of keen need to gain a combat worthy skill, the sort of progress Sokka displayed is easily comprehensible.

Sokka needed to learn an ability which made him feel worthwhile.
That is what Master gives to a Student : the sense that the student is worthwhile and filled with promise.

"Ah...to have had that myself...well. I know what I have always needed, and I share it with everyone else, because : I think they need it too."

The Intoxicating Joy of Being Taught Useful Things

I just finished watching episode 55 of Naruto : Shippuden.

Naruto has returned to the Hidden Leaf Village after failing to recover Sasuke from Orochimaru.
The encounter with Sasuke has painfully demonstrated to Naruto the wide gap which exists in their level of strength : Sasuke is indisputably far, far superior.
The time with Orochimaru has made Sasuke unbelievably powerful, while Naruto has made only modest improvements under the tutelage of Jiraiya.

The need for Naruto to become stronger is urgent, not only because Naruto realizes that the only way he will be worthy in Sasuke's eyes, and actually have a chance of saving Sasuke from the dead-end path of vengeance against Itachi, is by becoming stronger than Sasuke, but, Naruto becoming stronger is vital to the safety of the Hidden Leaf Village because The Akatsuki desire the Nine-Tail Fox sealed within Naruto for their own power, and in his present state, Naruto has no chance of being able to resist their seizing him and extracting the Kyubi.

Kakashi is keenly aware of the need to make Naruto stronger. Kakashi is intimately familiar with the desire to return Sasuke home to himself and Naruto and Sakura, and with the strength of Akatsuki having confronted both Itachi and Kisame 3 years ago. Kakashi knows Naruto is the axle on which the safety of the village turns : making Naruto stronger is absolutely vital (and, it will make Naruto happy, and that is just as important to Kakashi because he cares deeply for Naruto, even if he doesn't show it as openly as Iruka-sensei).

Kakashi knows Naruto very well and understands that the type of training Naruto is suited for is very different from other Ninja.

This is something I find achingly wonderful to behold myself. A teacher who actually invests in their student. One who dedicates themselves to understanding their student's strengths and weaknesses. It is something whose lack in this world disheartens me greatly. The question to ask is why. Why is Kakashi willing and able to invest in Naruto? It's simple. Kakashi is strong himself and knows he has valuable things to teach Naruto, and, others (like the 4th Hokage) invested in Kakashi, so it is natural for Kakashi to invest in his own student. Our world must break the cycle of weak teachers grooming weak students. We need to make ourselves strong, so we can become strong, deep, caring teachers for our students.

Naruto is not inclined to heavy thinking; he craves action and stimulation. Naruto has great stamina and perseverence. He will never balk from a challenge if it is necessary for him to rise to it. Kakashi knows that the kind of training Naruto will benefit from is one which will require intense effort on a single task.

Kakashi does take the time to explain his training strategy to Naruto. He does so with a great deal of physical elaboration because he is keenly aware of Naruto's disinterest in word-intensive explanations.

Another thing I have always felt the draining lack of : the rich use of physical elaboration of ideas. I have always felt the need to understand and the frustration with a school system which relies almost exclusively on learning by book and rote. It certainly is cheaper, and, it certainly is a cheap, shallow education. Suitable to producing drones of production, not brilliant human beings filled with the fire of life. We must ask for more out of life from each other. We must. The frustration from the amassing unrealized potential welling up inside of us will rupture violently if we do not express it.

Naruto remembers fondly being taught by Kakashi; he comments on how happy it makes him to be being taught by Kakashi anew. Such a wonderful thing for a teacher to hear.

Kakashi's intimate understanding of Naruto's personality and his Ninjitsu strengths results in him devising the exceptional of plan of using Shadow Clones to multiply 1000 fold the speed by which Naruto learns his new technique.

I was just as happy Naruto. Shadow Clones are Naruto's greatest strength. They are as natural to him as breathing. I was thrilled that Kakashi had come up with a way of training Naruto which was so considerate of Naruto's character, and played so well to Naruto's strength.

I loved to hear Naruto exclaiming over and over. "Dattebayo!" "Yosh!" "Ikezou!" THAT is what learning is supposed to sound like. THAT is what is missing in education in our world. That excitement. That passion. Inimitable when a student is learning something they know is invaluable to them, taught, by a teacher who is immensely skilled themselves and is profoundly sensitive to their student's character.
...I feel the lack : painfully, in our society.
I am going to rectify it.
Believe it.

The episode concludes with Kakashi being amazed once again with the rapidity at which Naruto progresses.
This is a magical thing :
when a student surprises themselves with their own hidden ability,
and,
a teacher is confident enough in who they are and their own strength to be able to be delighted by the progress of their student.

Anime has so much to teach us.