For the readers among you who know me well, I am not the biggest movie buff and usually hesitant about movies like Avatar who are hyped to a great degree. So, how I ended up watching it, was because of my mother-in-law's birthday wish to see it with us. My husband had seen it already, and told me that the technology behind it was amazing and very advanced, only that the plot in his opening was not as exciting and new.
No worries, I am not planning on spoiling the movie for any of you who haven't seen it yet. I just want to mention a few things that were striking to me, and feel very important to share. I would certainly love to hear your comments on this.
Interconnectedness: We are all connected, through the environment we live in, the communities we are part of, and the invisible source of energy that brought all of this about - name it God, the higher being, whatever term you prefer - the movie shows the power and beauty of being strongly connected with each other
Community: The sense of community is certainly strong in the movie, and there is the interesting contrast between the interaction between the humans and the interaction between the Navi, the "aliens".
Environmentalism: Yes, the movie is about protecting your environment and appreciating the beauty of nature. Not because that's the thing to do, and it's cool to be green. No, because it's a basic necessity for us to appreciate our nature as we need it for survival on a physical, spiritual, mental... level. We are meant to nourish ourselves from nature, and at the same time care for it, appreciate it, and understand its value to our lives. Just from a basis of common sense, how can we survive with our oxygen or clean water? We can't! And we still continue to pollute the air and the water and all these great resources that were given to us in such abundance.
Feminine Power: Ok guys, this has to be said from a female perspective. The women in this movie are awesome - in the human and the Navi community. And again, in order not to spoil the movie for some of you, let me just say that the power of the Navi community lies in empowered status of both the women and the men. They might have different roles but they complement each other. How can we human beings really thrive if part of our society doesn't live their potential? This concerns not only women, this concerns any people in our societies who are disempowered and have less access to resources than others.
I did not expect this movie to evoke these reflections for me but I am so glad it did, and I hope it will make you think about your life as well and the way you have created it for yourself. Know that you have the choice any second to change the course of your directions. We can always be more connected, more loving, caring and trusting, and life gives us the chance to do so anytime.
Thank you reading this,
Anja
