Am I the only one...?

[Ngiyakubona]

I feel a bit odd reading through some of the topics around here, as well as back on AF, because it occurs to me that a majority of people on these boards suffered from PAD, as they call it, at some point.

Is it weird that I've never experienced any sort of emotional rattling from this movie, and just found it to be very exciting and entertaining, with fantastic and immersive settings and animation? Granted, visiting Pandora would be a lot of fun if I had an Avatar, but I certainly have no desire to transform into a Na'vi or move to Pandora.

I guess I just don't understand PAD and it makes me feel like odd man out. Does anyone else out there feel the same?

[txen]

No you are not. I don't think I ever felt true PAD. For me it has been almost exclusively positive. I still have the effects of PAE to some degree from time to time.

The thing is though I feel that I had already been through PAD earlier in my life. I worked through the "is this all there is" kind of issues that typify the PAD as I have seen it. I had what is known as existential depression bad when I was a teen. While PAD has more to it than just existential depression, it is an important component. So while I didn't suffer from it, I understand it very well.

[Eltu]

There are a lot of different people here. Some have had a feeling of depression after watching the movie, and some have not.

You are not alone.

[ISV Venture Star]

I guess some get that effect and some don't. For me it was as if seeing the film had leached the colour out of the real world- not that there was much colour to begin with in the depths of a miserable UK winter. That's when I knew I had to go back to Pandora.

[Ngiyakubona]

Glad to know that I'm not strange in this respect. I suppose some of it has to do with my personal life. I love to travel and get outside, so I'll always say that planet Earth is pretty cool and bad-ass, even when compared to Pandora.

I suppose my perspective is that if the real world seems lacking in color, I should go in search of its color.

Not to mention, when I was a boy, I always wanted to be an animator. I would watch cartoons and Disney movies endlessly admiring the talent and artistry behind it. I suppose Avatar has a very technical appeal for me in that sense. It's like the ultimate rotoscoping, and it makes me wish that more people would take this kind of animation more seriously, rather than seeing it as a gimmick.

[ISV Venture Star]

Originally Posted by Ngiyakubona

I suppose my perspective is that if the real world seems lacking in color, I should go in search of its color.

.

I moved to Australia

[Ngiyakubona]

Originally Posted by ISV Venture Star

I moved to Australia

Ha ha, there's one way of doing it. I'd be the type to move to Alaska probably. Any place rugged and cold does it for me.

I remember that scene where Jake and friends were climbing up the Iknimaya to tame a banshees, and the first thing I thought was, "wow, I really need to go hiking again soon." The best of Pandora reminds me what I like so much about Earth; the ruggedness and the variety, and how much there is to explore and see. It makes me get excited and pepped up more than anything.

[Isard]

Nah, I never felt sad over it either. I quite liked it, but that too has kinda flared and died down to an ember.


Such is the way of things.

[Nulkrr'zo]

no real PAD for me, it just opened my eyes that we have our own "pandora" here, its called EARTH! it has made me more aware of the world's beauty and wonders and made me want to take more pro-activate roles in preserving and protecting it.
So no PAD, just shifted my perspective on things

[Elyannia]

I never had PAD, but I did feel a strong emotional connection to the movie. It was a more uplifting one than a depressing one

[Tsyal Makto]

I had PAD, though it was mainly existential, similar to txen. I saw in Avatar a people that were living life to the fullest, and enjoying every minute of it - hunting, swimming, Pa'li riding, flying, exploring the forest, etc. Basically making everyday the adventure it should be. I see that, and then I compare it to the modern human world - so restrictive, so bureaucratic, so boring. Everyday could be the same kind of adventure here, too. Why do we choose to fritter our time away being workers and consumers? This honestly
can't be the pinnacle of human existance, it just can't be.

Well, that's pretty much PAD to me.

[Fkeu'itan]

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

I had PAD, though it was mainly existential, similar to txen. I saw in Avatar a people that were living life to the fullest, and enjoying every minute of it - hunting, swimming, Pa'li riding, flying, exploring the forest, etc. Basically making everyday the adventure it should be. I see that, and then I compare it to the modern human world - so restrictive, so bureaucratic, so boring. Everyday could be the same kind of adventure here, too. Why do we choose to fritter our time away being workers and consumers? This honestly
can't be the pinnacle of human existance, it just can't be.

Well, that's pretty much PAD to me.

QFT.

Somethimes, I still wonder if living a life like that IS still possible here on Earth, but i'm going to try at least.

Searching for that colour, as you said.

[Ngiyakubona]

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

I had PAD, though it was mainly existential, similar to txen. I saw in Avatar a people that were living life to the fullest, and enjoying every minute of it - hunting, swimming, Pa'li riding, flying, exploring the forest, etc. Basically making everyday the adventure it should be. I see that, and then I compare it to the modern human world - so restrictive, so bureaucratic, so boring. Everyday could be the same kind of adventure here, too. Why do we choose to fritter our time away being workers and consumers? This honestly
can't be the pinnacle of human existance, it just can't be.

Well, that's pretty much PAD to me.

I kinda understand where it might come from, but I can't help but think that the Na'vi, if they were real, wouldn't find a lot of those things terribly exciting after a while. Not to mention, most of that can be done on earth, but it isn't so routine as on Pandora.

I'm reminded of an old saying about when people take up old timey crafts like making your own soap or churning butter, that the daily chores of the 19th century have become the exciting diversions of the 21st. Grass is always greener, I guess.

One can only imagine what the Na'vi might think of us Earthling's pastimes.

[Tsyal Makto]

Originally Posted by Ngiyakubona

I kinda understand where it might come from, but I can't help but think that the Na'vi, if they were real, wouldn't find a lot of those things terribly exciting after a while. Not to mention, most of that can be done on earth, but it isn't so routine as on Pandora.

I'm reminded of an old saying about when people take up old timey crafts like making your own soap or churning butter, that the daily chores of the 19th century have become the exciting diversions of the 21st. Grass is always greener, I guess.

One can only imagine what the Na'vi might think of us Earthling's pastimes.

I disagree. There are just some things that the soul naturally longs for - liberation, freedom, adventure, love, community - all things that the modern world is sorely lacking. The grass really is greener on the other side, because we've managed to make it so grey here. I don't think hunting and riding and swimming and climbing would get "old" after a while, because that's what the soul longs for - not day jobs and consumerism.

You question if we truly long for the Na'vi lifestyle or not, but let's put it another way, from the POV of the Na'vi. Do you think the Na'vi would long for the life of the modern worker/consumer? They've kept their grass green... They don't turn each day into a boring rat race, they don't try and restrict each other's freedom, and they don't reduce each other to a resource or source of income. They know the way life was meant to be lived, and dammit they live it that way.

[caveman]

Originally Posted by Ngiyakubona

Ha ha, there's one way of doing it. I'd be the type to move to Alaska probably. Any place rugged and cold does it for me.

I remember that scene where Jake and friends were climbing up the Iknimaya to tame a banshees, and the first thing I thought was, "wow, I really need to go hiking again soon." The best of Pandora reminds me what I like so much about Earth; the ruggedness and the variety, and how much there is to explore and see. It makes me get excited and pepped up more than anything.

I'm glad Avatar gave you more inspiration and excitement for things in your life. But from reading your own words, you could probably imagine how someone could feel depressed by the same thought.

I think the depression came from two major sources:

First, there were problems in my life leading up to Avatar. For me, it was lacking meaning in my life, lacking reason to live. But these problems wouldn't arise easily. The emotions and stress would be bottled up inside, slowly building. When I saw Avatar, I immediately connected with Pandora and the Na'vi. So this world made for a perfect escape from my hidden pains. When the movie ended, and I entered the cluttered streets of cold winter, all my troubles poured on at once. Hence the confusing feelings, and the sadness.

Secondly, Avatar showed us a good life. It didn't just take my pains away, but it replaced them with things I love and long for. So again, when I couldn't have these things, I felt terribly empty and sad.

What I'm trying to say is, for me, and I bet for others as well, Avatar-depression wasn't because of Avatar. It was because a multitude of other things, and Avatar was the perfect escape from those things. But equally important, it showed a simple life with everything we love in it. I would say this depression has done me a world of good - it made me realize what makes me happy and what to pursue in life.

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

I disagree. There are just some things that the soul naturally longs for - liberation, freedom, adventure, love, community - all things that the modern world is sorely lacking. The grass really is greener on the other side, because we've managed to make it so grey here. I don't think hunting and riding and swimming and climbing would get "old" after a while, because that's what the soul longs for - not day jobs and consumerism.

You question if we truly long for the Na'vi lifestyle or not, but let's put it another way, from the POV of the Na'vi. Do you think the Na'vi would long for the life of the modern worker/consumer? They've kept their grass green... They don't turn each day into a boring rat race, they don't try and restrict each other's freedom, and they don't reduce each other to a resource or source of income. They know the way life was meant to be lived, and dammit they live it that way.

I agree and disagree.

I agree with just about everything you say, but I would just be careful about "the grass really is greener" mentality. It's just promising yourself a better life based on external factors, much like promising yourself a better life if you had a better car, house, job etc. Again, I mostly agree with what you say, but I guess I just don't like that mentality, even if it is true.