why i love the movie avatar

You know, I really love the movie Avatar. I know a lot of people call it “Pocahontas in Space” or “Dances with Aliens” and say that the science is bogus and all of that. But I love it for the little nuances in the story, like the referral to a bad economy back on Earth or the mean bush of Venezuela, as though we should know what they are talking about; and the social aspect is expertly written. I also love it for the use of CG; the details and the movement, it all looks so real! But above all I love it for its approach to nature.

Now don’t go calling me a PeTA activist or a die hard tree hugger because if you know me then you know that’s not me. I love their respect for the forest and its occupants and the way they talk about a flow of energy that goes from their food, to them, then back to the Earth… Haha, I just realized that is The Lion Kings Circle of Life. But in all seriousness, I feel like that is how it is.

As the highest evolved creatures on this planet I believe that we have a responsibility to the other inhabitants. I believe that we need to have respect for the Earth's wild places and the animals that rely on them. I don't condemn loggers, as long as they replant and don't log so fast that the animals are hurt by the lack of home space. I don't detest commercial fishing so long as they leave enough to breed for next years. I don't despise the study of animals so long as we do only what is necessarily and don't torture the poor thing. I don't believe in hunting or fishing for sport, but for food is okay so long as people don't kill more than they need. I don't believe in unnecessary confinement. And I absolutely abhor any form of animal abuse.

Those animals who are in our care, those we have domesticated, such as cows, horses, pigs, dogs, and chickens, rely on us for food, shelter, and often times companionship and I believe it is our duty to supply that. Cows would never survive in the wide because we have bred most of their natural instincts out of them, including mothering. Horses would never survive because they don't know how to find water or nonpoisonous food; they didn't have a horse to teach them. We need to be kind and show respect to the animals that are in our lives.

And to add a spiritual point here, the Pagans of old (and maybe now a days too, I haven't checked....) believe that the Earth is our mother (hence the term "Mother Earth") and the Sky is our father. I have heard it said that the reason Mormons kneel when they pray is so that they have a connection to their Mother. So maybe the reason Mother in Heaven doesn't get mentioned is because it's just too far fetched of an idea for the public to accept. If the Earth is our mother then as her children we should be responsible stewards over what she has supplied us with.

Let's keep the green spaces and wild places. Let's keep our pets and take good care of them. Let's not litter or unnecessarily pollute. Let's stay in touch with nature.