Why is there a PAD?
 

Hey all. I`m new to Avatar, I`ve watched it just recently (I know I`ve missed a lot by not going to see it earlier) and since then I was lurking here and there, gathering information. And I was wondering:

Why is Avatar causing the oh-so-famous PAD? I`ve read articles stating medical opinions and similar, but I really want to hear it from you, who have experienced it. I, myself, wasn`t affected in that kind of way, on the contrary, I felt happy and I`m still very happy about it. And I`ll give you my reasons:

1. The people who have invented and created it -JC and his team. I`m really glad there are people like them in the world, true artists and geniuses.

2. There are a lot of ideas and points of view incorporated in the movie that I have followed for years and it was really nice seeing them in a movie.

3. The movie was more than that, it was an experience that have affected a lot of people, all around the world, so different from one another and yet united by the same experience.

So I was wondering, what are your reasons for being depressed after watching the movie and not being happy?

It's called PAE, and it's just the opposite of PAD. It stands for Post-Avatar Euphoria.

And we've passed through it too, hey ;) After watching the movie it's not all crying and weeping.

Hello, welcome to the forums! :D

Writing a reply to you right now, so hang on and I'll post it in a moment ;)

Well for me, it was because Pandora and all the beautiful qualities it represents were intangible, and I would never experience them in my lifetime. I think I just got so deeply involved, it felt a lot more like an experience rather than just a movie, almost felt like I was there, and an emotional bond was formed. Then I stepped outside, back to 'reality' and felt sad, because it wasn't real.

I don't feel that way now however (hence the past tence). PAD seemingly doesn't affect me any more, and now I just feel elated after watching, but I still have a strong connection with Avatar, and I don't think it will ever leave me.

PAD has been caused by numerous things, sometimes different for different people.

But in almost all cases, the largest cause is that we have been showed something to incredibly beautiful - Pandora - and then having it taken away before our eyes.

It's not just about the world itself presented in the movie - it's about the whole way of living that we see in the movie.

A lifestyle like the Na'vi people - where living life to the fullest, where living in a society where every individual is well known, matters a lot, and shares life experiences with other people every day. This kind of living is something we do not have in modern society - and for some people, this lifestyle is what they really want in life.

So seeing this lifestyle in a movie like Avatar, being able to completely immense ourselves into the movie, and then having it taken away again, when returning to normal life (you always have to wake up...) has made many of us very depressed.

However, in many cases, this depression is gradually replaces with happiness, and greater respect for life, and a deeper understanding for what's happening to Earth.

In other words, this depression is not always something permanent, but rather one of many steps towards a larger understanding... and all this happened, and still happens, because of the wonderful masterpiece Avatar, and the community that has sprung up from it.

I hope this explains if well enough - if not, feel free to ask me anything. I have went through this myself (as you might know), so I can tell you everything about it ;)

Really, I`ve never came across this term before. But I really don`t think I`m feeling an euphoria. I`m not extremely happy or anything. I`m more like glad that there are masterpieces like this one. Like, for example going to the Louvre and see all the pieces of art, that the man has created. You cannot feel otherwise but proud and glad there were (and still are) people capable of creating such things.

Hey Eltu, thanks for the welcoming. I hope I didn`t repeat a thread by this one, I couldn`t find similar thread. And thanks, I`ll wait for your answer, it would be a pleasure to read it. I`m really trying to understand as much as I can about Avatar and people affected by it (in any way, positive, negative, neutral).

EDIT: Eltu, Leyra, thanks for posting. I`m going to read your posts right now.

Nope, there are no similar threads, so no worries! :)

Also, replied - look above ;)

Hey, Leyra, Eltu, your posts helped me a bit understand the situation. I actually thought it was mainly because of the world/nature Pandora represented and the thought that this world is not existing and is not our world. You know, there was a moment I felt that way, but then I realized the world is beautiful and not every place is polluted. I`m trying whole my life to be as "green" as possible and to teach others what they can do about the nature, and I know that on Earth there are places even more beautiful than the ones Pandora have.

But now I see what you mean about the society.
And I wonder, does this has something to do with people living in big cities?

Because I know from personal experience, that people who live in little towns and villages live some kind of life similar to the one the na`vi live. I can give you an example: my grandparents used to live in a small village near a big city. But life there was so different. Everyone knew each other, they were all friendly and always willing to help the other. My kitten got lost one day and the entire village went in search for it. Everyone was greeting each other, they were having fun, and were often gathering to dance or eat together. And they respected the nature, because they knew they were depending on it.

ANd I have to tell you, it is still like that. But in the mean while, in the big city things are so different, everyone is so stressed out, they don`t have time for their families, let alone for others. I`m a teacher and I see how lonely the kids feel when everything their parents are thinking of is the job. Job is important, but family is as important.

I never heard about this. This is exactly what i was experiencing after watching Avatar.

Unfortunately, the kind of Na'vi-like ways of life you described, are becoming more and more rare.

I think that living in cities can contribute to PAD - however, I have lived outside cities my entire life - and I still got very heavily affected by PAD.

If you want to know more about my particular.. experiences, follow the link I gave in my previous post :P

I think that PAD, in a way, often is something good in the end - it helps getting a whole new perspective on life. It's the darkest just before the sunrise ;)

I`m reading the article right now. And I feel really bad, I hope you are feeling ok now, this is something way too serious. But now I can understand a little bit better why people have such strong affection after Avatar.

Yes, unfortunately this kind of way of life is becoming a rare thing, but there is still hope, and that is one of the reasons why I`m so glad Avatar have changed peoples lives. Because now we can change for good.

I saw just today a single , what a lot of people may call even insignificant, act of good: an old man was sitting next to a teenager on the bus. She was doing something on her mobile phone. And he suddenly asked her if she could help him change the melody of his cell phone, as the one he had was silent. At first I thought she will just ignore him, but the girl actually helped him. So, even now, there is still hope.

(As you may have already noticed, I`m kind of positive person, trying to avoid depression and always searching for the good)

Regarding that article... it's a long story really, but in short, some of it is a bit... well, it's CNN, it's the media. You know how they always make things sound worse than they really are :P

The things they quoted, the things I said, are very correct - but don't trust anything *they* say :P

And I am feeling much better now. As I said in my previous pose... it's the darkest just before the sunrise ;)

Avatar has, very literally, changed my life. And the life of many others! ;)

Yep, that's pretty much what I experienced, PAE. Maybe I felt *a little* PAD, but mostly it was PAE. :)

I Have PAE after every time I watch the film because the battle is won and It's the begining of Jake's new life. I Get PAD A few days after when I come back to reality Knowing that I am stuck as a Sky person and realizing the bad things of human socity in the past and present. Belive me I didn't Know what to call the way I was feeling before I discovered tree souls.

And by the way, Welcome

I didn't get Euphoria or Depression. Geez, I didn't even know what P.A.D or P.A.E meant for ages!