I rarely go to the movies. In fact, it's been so many years since I had gone to one, that my children have all grown up. Why? Because I am rarely so interested in a movie, that I absolutely can't resist going. The other thing about movies is that they don't allow my imagination to go to work for me, and so I usually have no trouble waiting for a DVD to come out.
Very recently however, my usual attitude towards movies made an exception. I had heard so much about this movie and from so many people, that it actually sounded enticing and intriguing. There was more to it than that of course. For one thing I have been learning a lot recently about issues surrounding the environment and wildlife preservation. For another, I love nature and all that it entails, including learning from her creations and appreciating both the beauty and bounty that she provides. Then there is the fact that I have a rather philosophical outlook on life that comes with a twist of spirit, and I don't mean that in a religious sense.
So it is not really surprising that the movie which drew me to the theater like a magnet was Avatar. Avatar is the only movie I have ever seen, that delivered everything that it promised from start to finish, and then delivered more. It is a movie that addresses the spirit directly and to say I loved it simply doesn't cover it. The animation within it was fantastic, the scenery incredible and the characters..., well real.
More importantly, as I watched the movie, the emotions of the characters engaged my own, resulting in a conscious and unconscious understanding of the issues surrounding both them, and their world. These characters were very much in tune with nature and interact with the wildlife on their world in a very unique , harmonious, and common sense way. They live a simple life with an understanding of gratitude, that prompts them to take and utilize only what they need from the world to which they are both physically and spiritually connected. Their world, in turn, shelters and literally protects them. I wanted very much for the characters and their world to survive and triumph over the greed that was attacking them. In fact I wanted this as much as I do for our own world and my fellow inhabitants.
Naturally there is more to this movie than that and I wouldn't want to give the whole thing away to someone who hasn't yet seen it, but I found that it was quite simply,delightful, revealing, insightful, inspiring and moving. However, it also did something for me that has never been done by a movie; it set my imagination free to soar as high as the Turoks in Avatar's sky. Not only that, but it also whispered about a higher truth, high ideals, honer and faith; about connections, trust and gratitude; about true spirit, and finally, about hope. More than that, it served to remind me that all things are connected and therefore interdependent here on the Earth as well. In fact, this movie spoke to me on so many levels, that I found myself wanting to see it repeatedly to make sure I didn't miss something.
I have no doubt that this is exactly why climate change deniers hate this movie, and why in fact, they've begun to slander and attack it from all possible angles in the press. For them there is no profit to be had in preserving our planet, or at least none that they can see, and so of course it is natural that they would deny such things as global warming. The movie Avatar might portray the characters of another world, but the issues of greed, deception, interconnectedness and destruction that it addresses are very real for us today. Yet sadly, unlike the characters in this movie, many of us do not respect our earth and nature, never mind feel a gratitude towards her. This is, unfortunately, because we have somehow simply become unaware and disconnected from the nature of our world.
If the purpose of creating this movie was to make all of the inhabitants of this planet aware of our integrated connection to the nature of it, and to the danger of the poisonous greed that is raping, heating up and destroying our world, then I say lets make sure it will reach every theater and household around the globe. I also sincerely hope that all who see it have their minds wide open to receive this powerful and fundamental truth.
We have already lost too much of this world we call home, in terms of wildlife, habitat destruction, rising oceans, drought, and a poisoned atmosphere. Clearly we truly need to start working together, and soon, to heal as much as we can of the damage that has been done, so that all will not be lost in the end. In order to heal, we need to reconnect to our world and listen. The Earth is what gives us life and sustains us. Without her we would not; cannot, exist.
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