"Avatar" made Conrad Elisson cry like a baby.
What is Heartsgaard, if not the promise that we are more than what we're made of? In his own eyes at least, Conrad is a warrior rendered obsolete by time, and by the evolution of war itself. How does one forge a sword into a plowshare, when your sword is no damn good anymore?
Jake Sully, the hero of Avatar, faces the same question. While I'm not about to spoil the movie, the answer to this ancient warrior's dilemma is always the same. Acceptance and openness are what the warrior needs to embody when glory and war finally divorce. Attaching to the old, sure ways of doing things makes the warrior easily manipulated by others, and leads him or her down a road chosen by people who aren't paying attention to the here and now. In short, it leads to suffering.
When a warrior opens his or her eyes, the world can offer untold riches and a place in the new. With all the passion, discipline, and fervor of a berzerker - or a marine - the warrior seizes their role as a leader when they let go of their convictions as a soldier.
While Heartsgaard is about facing all the nuances, fear, and pain of making that decision, Avatar's scope obviously allows it to place the story in a larger context. Seeing that journey so fraught with peril and then so richly rewarded... It made Conrad cry. We're talking about Conrad here.
See, for someone like Conrad, it's not all that obvious that these choices he's making will pay off. While we may take issue with war, our culture loves a soldier. Leaders, we're not so fond of.
Who can't relate to the safety of knowing and doing what works, and the terror of realizing that what works won't last much longer? When do we face the need for change? How bad do things have to get? When we finally leave the old behind, who will abandon us?
Ok. I admit it. Avatar made me cry like a baby too. Bless James Cameron for making a movie with everything I wanted to see.
People have called the story of Jake Sully derivative, and certainly it's based on an archetype we've seen before. Perhaps we're seeing it because it's especially relevant right now.
To all the old warriors, to the veterans, to the children in warzones, and to anyone who has seen too much war and is ready for the new, I pray that you find it this holiday season.
Yours truly,
T
Jake Sully, the hero of Avatar, faces the same question. While I'm not about to spoil the movie, the answer to this ancient warrior's dilemma is always the same. Acceptance and openness are what the warrior needs to embody when glory and war finally divorce. Attaching to the old, sure ways of doing things makes the warrior easily manipulated by others, and leads him or her down a road chosen by people who aren't paying attention to the here and now. In short, it leads to suffering.
When a warrior opens his or her eyes, the world can offer untold riches and a place in the new. With all the passion, discipline, and fervor of a berzerker - or a marine - the warrior seizes their role as a leader when they let go of their convictions as a soldier.
While Heartsgaard is about facing all the nuances, fear, and pain of making that decision, Avatar's scope obviously allows it to place the story in a larger context. Seeing that journey so fraught with peril and then so richly rewarded... It made Conrad cry. We're talking about Conrad here.
See, for someone like Conrad, it's not all that obvious that these choices he's making will pay off. While we may take issue with war, our culture loves a soldier. Leaders, we're not so fond of.
Who can't relate to the safety of knowing and doing what works, and the terror of realizing that what works won't last much longer? When do we face the need for change? How bad do things have to get? When we finally leave the old behind, who will abandon us?
Ok. I admit it. Avatar made me cry like a baby too. Bless James Cameron for making a movie with everything I wanted to see.
People have called the story of Jake Sully derivative, and certainly it's based on an archetype we've seen before. Perhaps we're seeing it because it's especially relevant right now.
To all the old warriors, to the veterans, to the children in warzones, and to anyone who has seen too much war and is ready for the new, I pray that you find it this holiday season.
Yours truly,
T
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