วันเสาร์ที่ 31 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
Avatar book 3 affiliate 21 everytime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3ql0YyJQvU&hl=en
วันศุกร์ที่ 30 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
The Saboteur: In the Game (Gameplay Overview) S2E20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=377dXfJl3MA&hl=en
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 29 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
A New Conversation With Men - How the Blockbuster Movie, Avatar Relates to the Men's Movement
For as long as I can remember I have always had a passion for movies. What began as a source of pure entertainment has now evolved into a philosophical and spiritual exercise in personal growth and awareness. I have come to recognize that movies are simply metaphors for life and when viewed from this perspective they can provide lessons and insights that assist us in discovering who we really are. This is the perspective from which I view movies. I see them as an opportunity to learn about myself and the world around me. I consider them to be divine teaching tools that challenge me to become a better human being. With my love of movies, I find it somewhat surprising that I have not written many reviews about them so I wanted to take this opportunity to share my interpretation of the latest blockbuster movie Avatar.
I can sum up the movie in one simple word. "MAGICAL" It really isn't just a movie, it's a visual and spiritual experience that has redefined going to the movies. From the very beginning to the climactic ending I was mesmerized by the pure beauty of the entire production. As a huge fan of computer generated imagery and science fiction,I was absolutely blown away by this film. Words can not come close to describing how technologically beautiful Avatar truly is. This movie has raised the bar and will be the standard through which future movies will be judged.
Of course it takes more than fancy computer generated graphics to make a great movie and this is another reason why I love this movie so much. The story works on so many different levels that it challenged me to really think about it's message and it's meaning. The primary message that I came away with is that this movie is symbolic of the transformation of men in society. Let me explain.
In the story, humans have traveled to a distant planet called Pandora. The planet has a very rare mineral called unobtanium that is needed to help save the earth. On Pandora, the natives are called the Na'vi people and they are ten foot tall blue colored humanoid type aliens. To help them secure the mineral, scientist develop a way to "grow" Na'vi people (Avatars) in a special facility and then they can connect human beings to a machine that allows them to transfer their spirits into the Avatar bodies which were developed in the lab. This allows humans to remote control the man-made Avatars on the planet using only their minds.
The primary character is Jake Sully who is a paralyzed former marine who volunteers to go to the planet to help retrieve the unobtanium after his brother is killed. His job is to use his Avatar body to become friends with the Na'vi people in hopes that he can convince them to move so that humans can extract large quantities of the rare mineral from their homeland. (I don't want to spoil the movie so if you haven't seen it yet you might want to skip the rest of this blog until you do.)
So Jake begins as a spy but he meets and falls in love with one of the Na'vi people named Neytiri and all of a sudden his priorities change and he decides to help the Na'vi instead of hurt them. That's a quick synopsis and I really don't want to give away the entire story so now I would like to share my insights and interpretation of the film.
First of all I liked James Cameron's choice of selecting a paraplegic former marine as the main character. What this symbolized for me was the fact that most men are "wounded" in our society and completely unaware of this fact. Most of us have some unresolved emotional conflict that keeps us from being our authentic self and this character really symbolized this point for me. In the movie, not only is Jake paralyzed from the waist down he is also grieving the loss of his brother who was killed in combat.
As the movie progresses, Jake is taught the ways of the Nav'i people and his heart begins to soften as he is exposed to the spiritual lifestyle of the Navi. He is taught how everything in nature is connected and that he should have reverence for all things. He is mesmerized by the incredible beauty of the planet and his relationship with Neytiri deepens as she teaches him to be more open to the beauty of the world around him.
Initially his love interest calls him stupid and naive but as he learns the way of the Na'vi she recognizes that he has a ""strong heart" which she finds very attractive and eventually she falls in love with him.
One of the most moving parts of the film is the expression "I See You". It is based on the Sanskrit word "Namaste" which means "the divine in me acknowledges the divine in you". In the movie it is used as a term of endearment which expresses that the person sees you and your true essence. As Jake is introduced to the way of the Na'vi, he begins to embrace all of the beauty around him and he develops a deep sense of reverence and respect for the environment and the people in it. Because of the love and guidance he receives from Neytiri he learns to open his heart and fall in love. Not only did he fall in love with Neytiri, he fell in love with the forest and the Na'vi people.
This is true transformation. He learned to open his heart and share his spirit. As the movie moves to it's climactic ending there is a scene in which Jake is transported back to his human body out of his Avatar form. When he does, he begins to suffocate because of the air on the planet. To save him, Neytiri locates his human body and gives him a gas mask that saves his life. This is the first time that she actually sees him in his human form but her heart recognizes him immediately as she calls him "my Jake". As he wakes up from almost suffocating he looks at her and says "I See You". As she caresses him in her arms she begins to weep and says "I See You" which for me symbolized that she loves the true essence of who he is and they were both expressing their authentic love for one another. They were true soul mates in every way.
I loved this scene! In summary, Avatar is a story of male transformation. It is the story of men learning to come to grips with how disconnected we sometimes feel and it provides us with an opportunity to reconnect.
The time has come for men to learn to heal their hearts and become authentic men. When they do this, they will experience what it truly means to be a loving, caring spiritually connected male. This transformation will allow men to experience the beauty of being alive and will provide the foundation for them to create loving relationships and passionate lives. This is the only way that we will see a reduction in the 50% divorce rate that currently plagues our society.
This is my intention with A New Conversation With Men. I am creating a resource for any man who is courageous enough to discover who they really are. My hope is that men use this resource to begin their own journey of transformation and eventually they will follow Jake's example in connecting with his authentic self and finding the woman of his dreams.
If you have not seen Avatar yet, run, don't walk to your local theater and check it out.
You'll be glad you did!
I See You!
วันพุธที่ 28 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
3-D special: Avatar review, Tony Hawk and Dante's Inferno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g79PDw4bhpI&hl=en
วันอังคารที่ 27 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
Avatar The Last Airbender - Mini Anime 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lSYhJWUnKE&hl=en
วันจันทร์ที่ 26 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
IGN Daily Fix, 4-22: MLB on PS3 & Happy Avatar & Earth Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyhGbRTxM_0&hl=en
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 25 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
Thoughts on Avatar
Thoughts on Avatar (A Native American's point of view)
Watching the movie AVATAR we are held captive by the technical advancement of the mind of man along with the aid of the modern computer. The sounds, the colors, the story line all combine to capture our imaginations and our spirit however does AVATAR represent more than simply a western taking place in the future or is it a "feel good" movie to rid our souls of the pain felt from the wrongs we have committed against nations that were too weak to defend themselves against the onslaught of modern warfare?
Some think the scenario is typically Hollywood where once more it is the "great white hope" that rescues everyone from a bleak and hopeless outcome. I have to admit that is true although our hero is transformed and accepted as a member of the clan. Don't we have countless stories of such things happening in our Native American history?
Others have talked of the strong female characters portrayed in the story, women that not only ruled but defended the others as warriors causing me to think that James Cameron the creator of Avatar, had either a good understanding of our culture or had very good advisors because the similarities didn't end there. I felt the movie successfully depicted the reverence the NA'Vi had for all living things as well as their connection to each other featuring clever symbols using Sci-Fi magic to explain aspects of our culture. In the end the only way the inhabitants of the planet Pandora could save their civilization was to unite with all of the tribes from the four corners of their planet.
Just as in the movie when the NA'Vi fought to save their Mother the planet of Pandora we must fight to save our Mother the Earth. After all, are we not facing the same enemy, a corporate society where greed and money are all that matter? Our war is more subtle but is it any less real? Is it too late? Can anything be done to change people's hearts and open their eyes to the inevitable? What are we willing to do to win? Are we willing to put away the poisons that have for so long rendered us weak and incompetent? Can we be disciplined enough to indulge only in those things that will strengthen our bodies and spirit? Are we determined to seek knowledge from any and every source that is available and help to provide others with opportunities to do the same? Will we earnestly ask of the spirits of the great ones to bless us with guidance, influence and inspiration recognizing that the "old" ways are no longer old but new and providing the path needed to accomplish this great feat!
Although injustice still prevails we seldom have to give of our physical lives to defend our people, our culture and this planet yet one could assume that doing so would be far easier than sacrificing those things this society uses to keep us bound in chains. Can we give up our SUV's, our addictions not only to substances but to the brainless entertainments of celebrity dramas and useless pursuits of what this so called "civilized" culture considers valuable? Can we exist without our regular trips to the mall, our latest fashions along with the poor body images they imbed upon our psyches? Most of all, can we come together for the common good and support one another as members of one great, united people?
Ah, there's the problem! There's the elephant in the room that no one wants to admit exists yet for as long as we continue to be separate bands, existing only to serve our immediate needs we will not prevail. Do we not believe in the words "mitakuye oyasin"? Can we really all be related and one in purpose when we have some of our relatives making obscene amounts of money through various casinos and from having negotiated better deals with the Government while others are literally freezing to death in subzero temperatures and subhuman conditions? Are these inequalities for anyone other than us to rectify and can anyone deny that until these ills are remedied we have no hope of having the unity necessary to save not only our people but our planet as well? Are we also willing to do as the NA'Vi and invite others to join our struggle or do we push them aside because they are neither full blood or enough part blood to be considered worthy not realizing that perhaps they are more Native in their hearts than we know and can be a mighty asset in a battle that requires all of those willing to give?
What I take from this movie is a hope that someday we can truly be one, that we can put aside our differences, our egos, our senseless dependencies and the desires this society dictates, leading the way for others to follow along a path that will create that more highly evolved civilization that has been proven to have once existed amongst our people.
Globally many people now dream of a way of life that would be in harmony with the earth providing all that is needed not just physically but spiritually and emotionally as well. There have been reports of widespread depression over the concepts portrayed in this movie, so much so it has been labeled the "Avatar Syndrome" where people morn the loss of thinking such a world can never be, that we have destroyed the very possibility of such an existence yet I have hope for our future and movies like this "AVATAR" is a very needed component stirring a noble desire within our hearts to want what the Great Spirit has always intended for us to have. Bravo to James Cameron for having the will to work so hard to create such a movie and my hope is that everyone can take from it the message that Pandora had once existed on this planet and it is within our power to create it again.