Putting my reaction to Avatar into words *spoilers*
I saw Avatar today in 3D. I approached it with anticipation yet doubt, expecting a plot close to nothing but a lot of eye candy. I knew the whole "Dances with Wolves by ways of Thundercats/Smurfs" rep it had gotten, the ridiculous budget and hype it had gotten, and thus I felt guilty to want to see it. But I did.
I left speechless.
Understand this. Within my spiritual foundations, I have a very strong connection to the earth, I often get overwhelming emotional reactions when I've got even one foot in nature, and I actively believe in a connecting flowing energy/The Force/chi/awen/whatever you wanna call it. All discussions of gods aside, I consider myself pagan in part because I'm an animist. And I'm forever a tree person.
This movie, for all its flaws (and the conversation I witnessed following the movie cited many), it spoke to me. It said "we're gonna make a movie just for Jenna, that'll pick her up, shake her, and call her home." Although the movie took the connections between all beings and made it literal (and sort of electronic), it spoke of a spiritual philosophy of interconnectedness with nature that completely resonated with mine. And cultural practices... being a hunter/warrior and yet being completely mindful and thankful of what you kill, having trees as sacred ground, tribal society, even the system of development into adulthood I really appreciated. Very very pretty bioluminescence. And ooooooohhhh the trees. I've wanted to get a tree of life tattoo on my back, but hadn't found the right design that combined realistic, ancient, big strong roots and great big branches (and utterly climbable). The Home Tree is about as close to what I'd been thinking as I've ever seen. (P.S, if anyone knows a good artist to design me a proper World Tree, I'd be interested in getting references...)
I know it's not practical to even think about having that life, and I know I'm gonna sound like a whiny privileged urbanite who's head is stuck way up in the clouds, but I want it, I left the movie yearning for it. I had this feeling leaving that movie that I was afraid to let go of, afraid to forget what it felt like... that I needed to keep the perspective, values, ideals, and apply them to life in this society, to not get submerged in today's culture and forget. It reminded me to live, be in the now, let go of the pointless or harmful in the mundane. It reminded me of why we're so sick in this life. I can't drop everything and run into a forest, but I don't have to let society's expectations dictate my life.
So even as I had to get right back home and get to my medicine course work, I do so with awareness. I return to my apartment with awareness. I approach people with awareness of my preconceptions and my tongue with all the frivolous things it wants to say (on the ride home I was very quiet). And if I get a chance to go live in a tree, you will have awareness of the footprints I leave in the dust.
I left speechless.
Understand this. Within my spiritual foundations, I have a very strong connection to the earth, I often get overwhelming emotional reactions when I've got even one foot in nature, and I actively believe in a connecting flowing energy/The Force/chi/awen/whatever you wanna call it. All discussions of gods aside, I consider myself pagan in part because I'm an animist. And I'm forever a tree person.
This movie, for all its flaws (and the conversation I witnessed following the movie cited many), it spoke to me. It said "we're gonna make a movie just for Jenna, that'll pick her up, shake her, and call her home." Although the movie took the connections between all beings and made it literal (and sort of electronic), it spoke of a spiritual philosophy of interconnectedness with nature that completely resonated with mine. And cultural practices... being a hunter/warrior and yet being completely mindful and thankful of what you kill, having trees as sacred ground, tribal society, even the system of development into adulthood I really appreciated. Very very pretty bioluminescence. And ooooooohhhh the trees. I've wanted to get a tree of life tattoo on my back, but hadn't found the right design that combined realistic, ancient, big strong roots and great big branches (and utterly climbable). The Home Tree is about as close to what I'd been thinking as I've ever seen. (P.S, if anyone knows a good artist to design me a proper World Tree, I'd be interested in getting references...)
I know it's not practical to even think about having that life, and I know I'm gonna sound like a whiny privileged urbanite who's head is stuck way up in the clouds, but I want it, I left the movie yearning for it. I had this feeling leaving that movie that I was afraid to let go of, afraid to forget what it felt like... that I needed to keep the perspective, values, ideals, and apply them to life in this society, to not get submerged in today's culture and forget. It reminded me to live, be in the now, let go of the pointless or harmful in the mundane. It reminded me of why we're so sick in this life. I can't drop everything and run into a forest, but I don't have to let society's expectations dictate my life.
So even as I had to get right back home and get to my medicine course work, I do so with awareness. I return to my apartment with awareness. I approach people with awareness of my preconceptions and my tongue with all the frivolous things it wants to say (on the ride home I was very quiet). And if I get a chance to go live in a tree, you will have awareness of the footprints I leave in the dust.