So I’m off to the movies tonight, and not, as one might expect from my cute picture on the right, to see Alivin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Chipmunks are so fame-starved and vapid, anyway.

Nope, I’m going to check out Avatar, the movie megalith that is taking over the use of adjectives all across the media spectrum. It’s also causing a bit of an uproar in certain circles, as mainstream moviegoers are finding themselves saddled with a feeling of despair and loss after seeing the movie. Apparently this stems from a realization, subconscious or not, that we are playing the part of the humans raiding the natural resources of a beautiful planet. In this case Earth. This has caused some viewers such distress that it is inducing depression and even suicidal tendencies. No, I’m not kidding. Check out the post on the subject at MNN.com.

This is why I have to go. I’ll update you when I get back, if I’m not too depressed to type.

UPDATE

Wow. This was a theater experience unlike any other, a full immersion into a fantastic world created from scratch by some pretty imaginative folks, much like the Avatar experience depicted in the film. The story line and dialogue were simplistic and riddled with cliches and borrowed concepts. Corporate greed vs natural wonder, machine vs nature, boy meets girl, noble savages, etc.). Still,  you can’t overlook the pure beauty and detail of a virgin foreign world rolling out before your eyes. Afterward, getting into a car to drive on pavement seemed oddly off-putting, and it took a moment to make sense of all the stoplights and man-made contrivances around me (granted, it’s almost a three hour movie, so it was kind of late).

It seems that the quality of this experience, and the jarring return to our own world is  behind the feelings of despair felt by some viewers. This is a look at what might have been, maybe, if we had taken better care of our planet, or a nostalgic trip back to simpler times when man (or your surrogate, in this case) was more in tune with nature, and understood the interconnectedness of all living things.

The fact that so many people are going to see this picture is a good thing, if only for the fact that the quality of the rendering of this beautiful moon, and the obvious parallel to our own story of ecological destruction in the name of greed, sends people home with a clear message: Stop the destruction before it’s too late. Rethink your priorities. I would hope this would be a positive call for action, though, and not a reason to hide under the covers or think of checking out altogether. Turn those feelings of wonder, angst, despair and guilt, and turn them into action. Seek change where we can make it: in your community, here on Earth.

Tags: entertainment, mining, non-renewable resources