What happens when "Life Mate" dies??

[Taronu 'ewan]

Here is an interesting dilemma, what happens when your "Life Mate" dies??
Considering the time it takes for a Na'vi to find a suitable mate (sometimes months and even years). Once tsaheylu has been established and mating taken place before Eywa, the couple are now life mates and are forever more!!
Then through accident, natural occurrences, or murder, a life mate disappears!
What happens to the remaining mate / partner?? Although contact with the departed is still possible through the "Tree of Souls" or the "Tree of Voices", it is not possible to physically touch or feel the lost loved one!! This would have to be one of the most cruelest and painful feelings to have to undergo for any Na'vi, to have found and loved the "One" only to never be able to hold, caress, and make love to ever again!! Does Eywa allow the living mate to move onto a new mate?? Or do you have to suffer in silence until your day to go Eywa arrives?? The Na'vi love is from what I understand, so powerful it ties the two together for evermore, and they will go on within Eywa when they both leave the physical domain, but it appears to be a hurtful feeling when you lose your mate (as we feel here on earth).
Eywa Naghu

[iron_jones]

They probably understand that it's the whole circle of life thing and do what we as humans try to do, mourn, comfort ourselves with the love of our friends and family, and learn to accept and live with it.

[Human No More]

Find another?

Just being a lifemate doesn't necessarily mean only once off. Not everyone would want to or feel the need, but some people might.

[mikkowilson]

I don't think this question is too different for humans.

- Mikko

[Raiden]

Considering the fact that their bond is probably one that is biological and not merely emotional (i.e., something involving irreversible brain plasticity and a separate section of the brain dedicated to tsaheylu with that person), it probably wouldn't be nearly as easy to bond with a new person if one dies.

Not only that, but I'm sure that the loss of that person (and thus the loss of pleasure-causing neurotransmitters during tsaheylu with them) would cause an unparalleled amount of despair when/if that person is lost.

[Moco Loco]

I sincerely hope we do get some kind of real information about the na'vi brain in whatever mythical book JC was said to be putting out.

[Clarke]

Originally Posted by Raiden

Considering the fact that their bond is probably one that is biological and not merely emotional...

Could you explain what you're basing this on? The only explanation we have of the bond is by Neytiri, who isn't going to distinguish between culture and biology.

[Human No More]

Originally Posted by Raiden

Considering the fact that their bond is probably one that is biological and not merely emotional (i.e., something involving irreversible brain plasticity and a separate section of the brain dedicated to tsaheylu with that person), it probably wouldn't be nearly as easy to bond with a new person if one dies.

Not only that, but I'm sure that the loss of that person (and thus the loss of pleasure-causing neurotransmitters during tsaheylu with them) would cause an unparalleled amount of despair when/if that person is lost.

I tend to agree, but that doesn't make it irreversible. After all, the main idea behind neuroplasticity is adaptiveness, and being permanently in despair from loss would not be advantageous - it's very likely they could adapt with time and maybe take another mate, which doesn't necessarily mean forgetting the old one. I'd also say that with their outlook on life, they would still accept death as inevitable but not let that have too much of a negative impact on themselves. Mo'at seems to be doing fairly well by the end all things considered.

Originally Posted by Clarke

Could you explain what you're basing this on? The only explanation we have of the bond is by Neytiri, who isn't going to distinguish between culture and biology.

It's all speculation. I think the same; not that it's actually physical, but likely has some kind of neurological component considering the nature of the link.

[Taronu 'ewan]

Irayo!
That's deep, and I accept that as a plausible explanation.
After all, we really don't know the full aspect of how the Na'vi brain works with trauma and the: "Bond" Tsaheylu do we??
Maybe "JC" will give us some insight to the neurological workings of the bond, and what it actually feels like!

[Zrina Ni'awve]

Originally Posted by mikkowilson

I don't think this question is too different for humans.

But for Na'vi is. If I take a situation after assault in Tree of Souls, what have Na'vi to do? Many of people dies and many people stay "alone." Yes they're with Eywa, but children're without parents and next generation will be very thin. But if they can hear their dead mates... I'm confused.