Talk:Bending arts/@comment-5204664-20120617104428

Here's my theory on bending for anyone who cares to read it:

Put simply, I think bending is like swimming, just a much more complex and mysterious type of swimming. Everybody is born with the potential to swim, but not everybody can--in fact, 54% of the world population doesn't know how to swim. This isn't because they don't have the potential, it's because they just never learned. Now before you call me an idealst, I don't think attaining a bending ability is close to as simple as learning or not learning in the avatar universe. I theorize that similarly to how the earlier you learn to swim the easier it is to learn, bending abilities are much more easily realized at an earlier age, (the "goldilocks zone" being from age 0-5, seemingly). Also, I think that in order for an individual to "unlock" his or her bending, they must have some kind of epiphanic contact with a bender, bending animal, or entity from the spirit world. I think that to some people, bending just isn't their "cup of tea," and would rather invent cars or throw boomerangs than "throw rocks around." The series suggests this by never really showcasing a non-bender who displays a deep remorse for not having the ability (I know I'd be freaking pissed). If anything, non-benders find bending to be a nuisance or feel insuperior and/or vulnerable because they never mastered a fighting style. So the remaining question is: What's up with this Amon guy and energy bending? If bending can be taken away, then it must be more than a learned martial art, no? I speculate that Amon is the first non-avatar energy bender--well, the first in a long, long time according to Mr. Lion-turtle. He's figured out a way to implant some 'permanent' chi-block that seems to sever the elemental spinal cord if you will. I don't think this is actually permanent, but let's let the series do the talking from here on out. ;D

"Believe in yourself, not only in swimming, but in life itself. You always have to have fun. You have to have an open mind. If you're not enjoying it, don't do it. Life's too short." -Debbie Meyer (Olympic Swimmer)