Since it debuted in December, Avatar has been a
massive ship that has arrived in every port with
record-breaking success. Ahoy mateys! Almost
everyone has been on board and even I who rarely
goes to a Hollywood film, went to see it. But
when i left the theatre on Boxing day, I felt
different than my partner and my friends. And I
continue to feel different about it than most
people I know.
Before you read on, remember that i am not here
to rock the boat nor do I fancy a mutany. Arr, I
am simply raising a sail from a slightly
different angle.
Successful Graphics?
Yes, I can wholeheartedly recommend Avatar as a
visual feast. I really appreciate the incredible
time, energy and innovative craft that went into
the visual design of this production. Hollywood
is so good at hiring the best visual effects
artists, animators and designers! But, Hollywood
often misses investing in better writing,
characters and deeper storylines...
Successful Formula?
Yes, some filmic formulas are pretty effective
and can be powerful templates but I was
surprised by how predictable and superficial the
storyline AND characters were in Avatar. For me,
it was a 3D visual experience with 2D plot and
1D characters. I guess I expected a bit more
depth and intelligence from the world's most
expensive film. Spectacle is not a replacement
for content.
Yes, this box-office giant has touched upon the
heartfelt values of environmentalists, activists
and Gaia
supporters. It showed the reverence that the
Indigenous culture of Pandora had for its land,
animals and its literally "connected" way of
life. The concept of "Eywa" force or mother
energy of the planet Pandora is clearly aligned
with "Gaia" and even reminiscent of "Aya" (ayahuasca
= the great mother plant deity).
Also in the aesthetic design of Pandora, it
feels like the graphic artists have been
influenced by the aesthetics of "visionary art".
Anyone who is not familiar with this genre of
art can google it to see some visual examples.
For me, it is art that is inspired by an
expanded consciousness that allows visionary
sight or awareness of other dimensions. This
state can often be reached by spiritual practice
or by the intake of entheogens. It feels like at
least one lead designer on the crew of Avatar
had been exposed to visionary art, maybe via
intentional dance culture or events like Burning
Man. Perhaps James Cameron was also inspired by
something of that ilk?
However, I cannot ignore that the film is still
touting the formulaic use of Violence as a final
heroic way to resolve conflict. And no, I am not
against the presence of violence in film. When
cinema uses it with conscious intent to reveal
its devastating consequence, then violence is a
powerful teaching and reflection. e.g. The
Godfather is violent but very intelligently
written and it does not suggest that violence is
the means to an end. The violence is not
glorified.
In most wars, the soldiers on each side believe
that they are fighting a righteous battle. They
feel that they are doing the right thing when
they kill their enemy. The concept of Enemy or
the Us versus Them paradigm is the consciousness
that continues to propagate war and violent
conflict. The Military-Industrial complex is
made up of our sons, daughters, friends and
peers. The corporations are also comprised of
our own...they are brothers and sisters from
another mother. Granted, this is a very complex
issue and I don't necessarily expect a Hollywood
film to address the depth of it. But we can
strive to be aware of this faulty paradigm and
see how to address it in future works. Yes,
Avatar was evolutionary in its 3D filmmaking,
but for me, it was not revolutionary in its
story or thinking.
"The significant problems we have cannot be
solved at the same level of thinking with which
we created them." - Albert Einstein
Successful Bridge?
Despite my critique, I am appreciating Avatar's
popularity as evidence that the mainstream world
is increasingly tuning into Gaia consciousness.
Avatar is a pop culture stepping stone to help
bring the masses into the dialogue. I am always
interested in how pop culture phenomena affect
collective consciousness. This film is being
celebrated by new fans of Gaia theory AND by
long-time activists.
But the final evolution of a collective activist
mentality will be to approach our planet's
issues with Love Consciousness instead of War
Consciousness. The next revolution in filmmaking
and conflict resolution is not going to be from
high technology, it will be heart-technology.
When we can see beyond the one dimensional
concept of the villain, and see instead a
multi-dimensional human being with a heart, soul
and complex history, then we can use our
brilliant artistry to find common ground. In
that space, we can awaken each other's humanity
to co-create a new reality on this planet.
I've heard about many people longing to be on
Pandora. The good news is, our own Earth is
really THAT beautiful and THAT miraculous. True
Evolution and Revolution is happening as we
individually move towards mutual understanding,
compassion, win-win strategy for the pursuit of
Happiness, Peace and Environmentalism here on
planet Earth.
Successful Dialogue?
I am glad that this film has evoked such
dialogue and even this tiny article has caused
some great online discussions of high concepts.
Of course, "non-violence and compassion" are not
merely intellectual or new-age lingo. These
concepts are living and breathing commitments
that we can work with daily. I've been studying
and transforming the various forms of violence
in my own consciousness since childhood and am
continually evolving into further depths of
Love. I have also worked with hundreds of peers
to examine and transform the violence in their
lives. I have experienced and witnessed many
miracles along the way and can attest that Love
is not a passive state. It is not a wimpy,
simplistic, idealistic cop-out. That is a
stereotype that exists because of our fear and
misunderstanding. Love is a complex, real and
powerful force that inspires brilliance and
innovation. It requires tremendous courage yet
heals fear, separation and violence.
In my private and public work, I aim for
tangible application of these concepts. I really
get my hands dirty when I practice and I must
use all my creativity to overcome blocks.
Non-violence and compassion must be lived, not
just discussed. Only as we practice it, can we
get a visceral understanding of how to engage it
in real situations. Embodying compassion does
not mean that we don't duck or block an attack
if it were to come. We can choose the best
possible response but the key is to do so
without hatred in our hearts. Yes we can disarm
our brother but we do not hate him. He has
simply been under the influence of Fear (hatred
is fear in drag). Our continuing efforts to
understand the fears of our brother clans will
bring healing and true solutions. But if my clan
destroys the other clan, the ashes of that
victory will rise in another war one day. As a
species, we HAVE used violent force ad nauseum.
If it was truly effective, Peace would reign.
But we have not fully exercised and examined
non-violent creativity and strategy. Many of us
have heard the definition of Insanity: doing the
same thing over and over but expecting different
results.
In the end, even the most eloquent dialogue can
end up in the Ivory Towers of our intellect so
we must keep it real by transforming the subtle
violence in our everyday lives. It is the tiny
seed of fear in each of us that contributes to
the manifestation of war. Yes, maybe we will
create great movements, artworks and foundations
that will benefit thousands or millions. But we
must always be faithful to our own inner work
for that is the truth of our vibration and it is
our final legacy after all is said and done.
Much love to all species...
xox little woo, January 30, 2010
P.S. I'm enjoying the curious permutations of
the word AVATAR:
1) Ascended master manifested in
human form
2) 3D or 2D body, icon or image that
represents you online
3) Genetically engineered
alien body controlled remotely by a human
navigator in Cameron's film.
