Avatar: more than a movie review, a revelation
A little over a week ago I saw the popular movie Avatar in theaters. Sadly, I was unable to see it in 3D as I had hoped, but it was still something to behold even in its 2D form. The superb graphics in this movie convey the beauty and emotion of the piece like none other. It is worth seeing it for the visuals alone, but the story line (although predictable) is pulled off in a convincing way. What moves me the most though, was the underlying message, and that is what I want to address here…
Please be aware that this post assumes you have seen the movie. If you have not yet seen it, I don’t want to spoil anything for you so you may want to bookmark this page and come back later.
As one gets engrossed in the telling of the Na’vi ways, one of the first things to become apparent is the parallel to Native Americans. Well, Native Americans from a few hundred years ago. I think the ones running energy-sucking, environment-destroying casinos in modern times have lost their way. But that subject is for another day. The people running the show on the “human” side of things seem to believe the Na’vi to be superstitious savages. Hmmm, sound familiar? When in reality it isn’t that the Na’vi are underdeveloped and backwards, in some ways it is the other way around.
What makes the modern person, one born in an industrialized nation, believe their ways to be correct and the ways of others to be primitive and uncivilized? How civilized are our own power nations? Sure we can call it civilized, mostly because we can morph the word as our needs change. But is it really? In the spirit of the word? What is civilized? Do we even remember? To civilize is to educate and enlighten. Are we the ones most capable of doing such a thing? What education and enlightenment can we offer? Sure, we can regurgitate things told to us by scientists, “proven” using their own manipulation of “facts.” Does their saying something is so make it so? Have we all forgotten, or maybe some of us never learned, that much of scientific “fact” is often theory that has not been refuted… yet. And what is “scientific method?”
scientific method (1)
n. The principles and empirical processes of discovery and demonstration considered characteristic of or necessary for scientific investigation, generally involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis, and a conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis.
If you look closely at this definition of the “scientific method,” can you tell me how it differs from what people have done in every culture, religion, region, time in history? Let’s see if we can invesigate a (hypothetical) rain dance using scientific method.
1. Observation of phenomena. Today we held a ceremony in which we danced. During the dance it rained. Last week when we danced this same dance, the same thing occured. However, when we danced a different dance nothing out of the ordinary occured.
2. Formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena. Perhaps when we dance X dance, it brings forth rain.
3. Experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis. We tried different dances, under different circumstances, and observed the results.
4. Conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis. When we do X dance under X circumstances or with X words, it rains. When we do other dances, or under other circumstances, it does not have an effect.
Ok, so we can validate a so called “superstition” using scientific method. Do you honestly think that this isn’t how “superstitions” occured in the first place? Someone, or many someones, saw something, observed it, formed an opinion (or hypothesis,) tested it, then decided it was true. These things that “modern man” calls superstition were validated using the same method his own hypthesis was validated by, so how can he claim his to be superior? Although they may appear conficting, they may not always be. Perhaps one just needs to be open minded enough to see the similarities, instead of just drawing a line in the sand. Even if they do in fact conflict, you need better proof than “nah” that the other theory is wrong.
With this in mind, let us consider one of the main themes of the Avatar movie. The interconnectedness of all things. Although I am sure that some scientists and some theories agree that this is possible, I believe that most of science perceives humans and current technology to be the pinnacle of evolution to this point. As such, many of the people living in nations influenced by these “civilized” men and women, believe these things to be true as well. It is undeniable, is it not? When in history has a civilization surpassed our own? Oh wait, we can’t even figure out how some previously civilations did the things they did, built the things they built, or knew the things they knew. Oh well, we are more advanaced anyway. We have nothing to learn from the past, nothing to learn from the uncivilized, our knowledge will come from exchanging knowledge amoungst ourselves, even though greed prevents us from doing even that well. We are above nature, we dominate it, we are not one with or connected to it.
But what if that is wrong? What if the legacy handed down to us by both ancient and surviving civilizations, the message of Avatar, is true? What if we are connected? Not only to each person, but to every thing? Our scientists have “proven” that everything, including us, is made of the same building blocks. Everything contains energy. Why is it so hard to believe that we could be connected to all these things that we share so much with?
Easy. If we admit that, we will have to admit and correct our wrongs. If animals are our brothers and sisters in survival and in life, how can we abuse them before the slaughter? If plants are our brothers and sisters in survival and life, how can we destroy them with brutal force and neary a second thought for little reason? If uncivilized humans are our brothers and sisters in survival and life, how can we walk all over them to get what we want? Honesty is a hard thing… if you have already done something wrong. And honesty brings consequences, modifications for the future that maybe we don’t want to face. Our civilization is like a child, trying to get away with everything it can, denying that mom will be home any minute and she will be baring a punishment when she sees the mess we have made.
Which brings me to my most crucial point, one raised by this movie as well as others. What are we going to do when mom puts her foot down? Toward the end of Avatar, Jake beseeches Eywa (the Na’vi goddess, like the idea of a mother earth) to intervene in the war. And when she does, nature itself falls on the enemy with an undeniable force. What happens when our mother earth decides it is time for her intervention? Can we survive it? Or maybe the better question is… has she already started?
Viruses and bacteria are getting stronger, more resistent to our attempts to keep them at bay. Is this an attempt to erradicate the destructive disease called humanity? The plants we choose as our food, some are attacking our systems. They are evolving to protect themselves from humans, we are only beginning to understand the toxitity of some. Natural disasters, although always a force to be reckoned with, seem to be increasing in their force, frequency and destruction. What if we have gone too far, done too much, ignored for too long, and we are in the middle of a spanking that will only get worse? Is the question how to stop it, or how to help it along? Are we due for a global cleansing? Or are we on the brink of an opportunity for enlightenment?
Here is what I propose. Let’s not fight nature, but not just let bygones be bygones either. Maybe we can’t change the world on our own, but maybe we can change it with help. Why don’t we join hands, those of us who believe in the interconnectiveness of life, and ask mother nature to gather her children? Show them miracles, make yourself known. Today’s humans are not, for the most part, enlightened enough to understand the way of things. Take us by the hand, show us the way, in clear and decisive ways. Rather than letting us destroy ourselves and our world until the world can’t take it anymore, step in and work with us. Help those with an open mind and an open heart bring others to the understanding of what is, and what needs to be. Yes, there will be those too selfish and greedy, too full of themselves for the truth. But there are others hungry for the truth like a babe hungers for his mother’s teat. Maybe we are not beyond hope. If we can join together, and elicit the help of nature herself, maybe we can save ourselves from extinction.
~Anyanka
Please add your own opinion on this subject to the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!
(1) Modern Language Association (MLA):”scientific method.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 15 Jan. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scientific method>.
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2 Comments on Avatar: more than a movie review, a revelation
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I was jumping up and down (figuratively) while reading this saying, “Boooyah! Thats what I’ve been sayin’!”
… and well before Avatar came out. Thankfully, your communication skills far outweigh my own. Brilliant article.
Sometimes I start to think Mother Nature needs to start using a bigger stick, sometimes I think its just no use and Humanity is a failed experiment… but mostly, I try to hold on to hope that some day, we can become civilized. Avatar is one of the many things that help give me hope.
This was a very enlightening article, thank you for sharing you opinion… I felt the same when I saw this movie, and I was moved to tears in certain scenes, as the tree was felled and as Nature rose up in its backlash… I could feel the plight of the Na’vi as our own in so many ways, and loved how the layers were intertwined with our own. A message I am passing on to my children, to respect one another, and Nature, and to do right by the others around you…