There were many scenes that struck a chord inside me the first time I saw Avatar. One of them was the part immediately after Jake started to fly for the first time, and Neytiri rushes into the air to join him. The exact shot I'm thinking of is of her with her head turned as she's flying, and she's flashing an ebullient grin at him.

In that moment, I had a thought, and it goes something like this: Jake and Neytiri may be physically only a few meters apart, but culturally there are light-years that separate them. Vast distances that have kept them apart with the lives of their respective worlds on either end. Yet all the things that Jake does shortens that vast distance between them, and when he (and also us, the audience, who have been living through Jake in the movie) sees the smiles Neytiri gives him, the distance is further shortened.

The point I'm trying to get to here...is eventually they both come to know each other enough to see that there are some aspects of their souls that are not confined within the species boundaries of human and Na'vi. They tap into each other's characters and see that there are some things that are universal between them; they have transcended such petty physical differences. The cultural distance is gone. (And then the audience can see that the alien Na'vi are really not so alien at all.)

And then I thought, I have felt this way too. I have spoken through the internet with people across the world and have discovered much in common with them. I have traveled to far-off corners of my home country, to places that are much more different than where I grew up, and I was able to find things to love within the people that I met. All the smiles I exchanged in these interactions diminished the distances between us. And I hope that in my future travels around the world, I will be able to share smiles with other people and that we can tap into something universal between us, something that goes beyond the nationalities that are thrust upon us when we are brought into this world. If there's anything that positively affects every person on this planet, it's the giving of a warm, honest, genuine smile (and then giving it back!).

I may have rambled a little bit and sounded somewhat vague but I hope no one minds me trying to explain my thoughts here...

wow man, taht is some great writing there! i love what you have writen! i am not a guy who can write alot of text in reply, i suck at doing so, so forgivethis short reply :/

No worries, Loverofnature, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks!

I understand.

Spirit is all that matters

YES!!!! You just completely and perfectly summed up everything I was trying to say!

That quote just needs to be in the re-release.

Agreed, and well said!

I believe that was said by Neytiri in the deleted Tree of Voices scene. Idk if that is gonna be i the re-release next month though.

Wooo drinks to everyone! haha

Well said, Empty Glass

In a way the same thing is taking place here. This forum is made up of people from all parts of the world who may have a completely different culture and language than the next person, yet somehow it doesn't matter and we come together as a community

Just another reason to eat cheddar and get drunk.

Thanks, Helicoradian! I was actually thinking roughly the same thing myself as I was typing, how we're all brought together and we connect with each other's innermost spirits... But if only all the physical distances between us were diminished! Someday...I hope to meet ToS members IRL.

And then we can all really have cheddar and drinks together.

"i see you"

Easy. Love. That's the special ingredient in those smiles.

Very beautifully put Empty Glass.

Also, HNM and Advent, I couldn't agree more.

Love conqures all.

Thank you, Fkeu'itan. And I also agree; as simple or banal as it may sound, I keep arriving at the conclusion that love really is the answer after all.