Why do you want to be a NA'Vi on Pandora?

[Pa'li Makto]

I suppose I would want to be a Na'vi on Pandora so that I would be able to fully connect with the forest, the animals, with Eywa and with the culture of the Na'vi. It's a bit different when people try to experience Pandora as a human/avatar..It's not quite the same, like being in a bubble and you can't quite feel, taste and smell everything around you.
With that said if I had to give up living as a human on Earth to do it I wouldn't want to be a Na'vi on Pandora. I have so much more to learn here, and to experience.

[Raiden]

Actually, just an Avatar driver.

Remember, Avatars are not Na'vi...save for certain circumstances.

Why?

I'm goddamn biology major, that's why. This moon is crawling with an entirely new phylogenetic tree, and an undisturbed ecosystem to boot.

[auroraglacialis]

Thanks for your answers so far. Very interesting
Remember, my question was not IF you would do it (that was covered elsewhere), but what it is that attracts you thinking about it. What is your attraction to it, and I think most of us feel. The question I try to ask is not so much about the NA'Vi or about Pandora or even about Avatar itself, but about ourselves and about what it is that Avatar, Pandora, the NA'Vi have invoked in us - what we found that we lack, want, desire and maybe to what all this has or will motivate us.

So for me personally it is like this:
The NA'Vi posess a very strong sense of community, a connection between each other and the world around them. They do not try to put themselves high about others - neither others of their clan, their tribe, their species, the other species. They listen to the forest instead of shouting into it. Their goal is to live a good and happy and exciting life and they succeed in doing so without the need for material wealth and actually see some of it as running contrary to that goal. Roads, schools, bluejeans, light beer - all this does not compare to what is lost in creating it and none of these brings more happiness than what vanishes in return. They have a relationship with the other beings on their world - plants, animals that is beautiful - some of it is made by a physical bond, but that is just part of it - they respect and love the Thanator or the animals they hunt even though they do not make a physical bond with it.
This sense of self, this understanding of oneself, others, the world and its connections is what attracts me most.
The next thing is the natural beauty of Pandora, but of course this comes and is linked to the first part. While Pandora certainly is exotic and thus holds many marvels, in my eyes Earth is very similar when it comes to its beauty. An Earth that is treated with the same attidute as the NA'Vi have towards life and their world that is. An Earth that has vast savannahs and large old growth trees and coral reefs and oak forests and buffalo and sturgeon and vast flocks of birds.
The other things - vibrant bioluminescence, NA'Vi physiology, Ikran, floating mountains are very cool and do touch my soul, but they are not what makes a constant impact on what I think.

And this is what for me came from all this - I think differently - I look for the NA'Vi ways on this world in our species. My imagination of "Pandora on Earth" does not hinge on flying mountains, but on the way people treat each other and the world, on the connectedness, cooperation and relationship. Yes, I do strive to fly a hangglider to get a little bit of Ikran here and I certainly dream of being reborn ina world with floating mountains and giant planets in the sky, but what would all of these things be worth if there is not that sense of being part of it - truely part of it...

[Mi'niri]

Where do I begin? If I were to be a na'vi and live on Pandora, it would be because I feel at home. I relate to the na'vi in so many ways: The way they treat animals and the environment, The way their society is community-based, plus the beauty of the bioluminescense and their culture wich is so interesting and colorful. Plus the na'vi are hot.
I mean, when I saw avatar, I wanted to be Neytiri; not only because she's hot, which every girl would want to be, but because I feel so much life her personality-wise. She is natural, beautiful, caring and playful. To me, she reflected everything I wanted to be. Plus I honestly don't feel at home where I am right now. Going to Pandora is my biggest dream, which btw, I'm gonna make darn sure I go to when it gets built in animal kingdom!

[Theorist]

Eywa would be reason number one. Then tsahaluy (sp?) because that mental connection is better than anything on Earth. Then the companionship of other Na'vi. Then the ikran, I don't think I could get sick of that, especially because you connect with your ikran. Then the forest and the bio luminesence. I mean I don't even get bored of the forests here, I would leave for Pandora just for the bioluminesence and the forest.

[dstroudswan]

For me, the number one reason would be the sense of community between Na'vi, and then tsahaylu (@Theorist: that's the spelling). And the bioluminescent forest, of course.

[Moco Loco]

Originally Posted by Crickett

I would. But to me, this isn't the only reason. The first moment Avatar really resonated with me emotionally was when Jake woke up for the first time from using his Avatar and saw his legs. Now, I'm not a paraplegic and I never have been. But I've (all of the following were temporary) lost my ability to walk under my power, gone blind, and had my kidneys fail. I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life with arthritis and as soon as the current semester ends, I'm going to have to have a part of my tear ducts cut out (both of them). I've had numerous cases of pneumonia, I've had swine flu, etc, etc. I would very much like to have a happy active, HEALTHY life. And IMO, the Na'vi as portrayed were a personification of that.

Kind of reminds me of what Clarke has said

Originally Posted by Theorist

Eywa would be reason number one. Then tsahaluy (sp?) because that mental connection is better than anything on Earth. Then the companionship of other Na'vi. Then the ikran, I don't think I could get sick of that, especially because you connect with your ikran. Then the forest and the bio luminesence. I mean I don't even get bored of the forests here, I would leave for Pandora just for the bioluminesence and the forest.

Wow You got me. I mean, I have heard these reasons before, but never in a way that you'd be a na'vi for each alone.

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

and then tsahaylu (@Theorist: that's the spelling).

Not only is "tsaheylu" phonetically correct, but Frommer has confirmed that it is the correct spelling.

[Sarah Noel]

The way the Na'vi physically look is very appealing to me. I like tall people and I like cats, the na'vi are a nice blend of the two.

The fantastical impossible life-mate tsaheylu I find romantic, though I think I prefer serial monogamy as a human with the assumption that people can change and outgrow each other, mating for life is an awfully long time. With the na'vi however, a bond as strong as linking nervous systems I can only imagine it's being too overwhelming to ever do that with more than one sentient being, causing irrevocable emotional changes, and a closeness to which we have no equivalent. I'd be curious to know what that's like.

I'd also probably freak out with the first night I spent on Pandora, and spend hours stuck looking at tiny things like leaf venation, or the dots on my legs, or something.

I don't think I could give up my life right now for a Na'vi one, in a few years when the world's a little worse, I'd definitely reconsider it.

[Raiden]

Originally Posted by Sarah Noel

I'd also probably freak out with the first night I spent on Pandora, and spend hours stuck looking at tiny things like leaf venation, or the dots on my legs, or something.

This.

First thing I'd do is start lifting up stones to look for bugs, followed by dip-netting in ponds and streams for fish and things.

[Moco Loco]

Oh for sure, I guess that's something I forgot to mention as well
If Earth goes to ****, of course I'll be a na'vi. I just have some optimism about us coming out of this situation somehow. Not without horrible catastrophes and changes, but it's true, I'd rather live without technology on Pandora than without it on Earth.

[dstroudswan]

Originally Posted by Moco Loco

Not only is "tsaheylu" phonetically correct, but Frommer has confirmed that it is the correct spelling.

You're right; sorry for the typo. Using ay implies the wrong diphthong; the correct one to use is ey.

Originally Posted by Sarah Noel

The fantastical impossible life-mate tsaheylu I find romantic, though I think I prefer serial monogamy as a human with the assumption that people can change and outgrow each other, mating for life is an awfully long time. With the na'vi however, a bond as strong as linking nervous systems I can only imagine it's being too overwhelming to ever do that with more than one sentient being, causing irrevocable emotional changes, and a closeness to which we have no equivalent. I'd be curious to know what that's like.

What's interesting is that it's not impossible. It would just require a really, really powerful computer like this one, a connection method like Dr. Keichii Torimitsu's, correct software built on the NEURON programming, and two willing participants. Maybe in 20 years researchers will have rigged up a system that can do it. After all, it can already happen in nature with some bacteria.

Originally Posted by Sarah Noel

I don't think I could give up my life right now for a Na'vi one, in a few years when the world's a little worse, I'd definitely reconsider it.

I can understand that. Though I could get into a Na'vi life right now and have no qualms about it No reason why I couldn't pursue a career in medicine still; I'm sure the basic medical anatomy of Na'vi is similar to humans, minus a few variances.

Originally Posted by Moco Loco

I just have some optimism about us coming out of this situation somehow.

I wish I could be as optimistic as you, but I think the human race will eventually run itself into the ground, and soon. Average people are greedy and care little for the environment; sooner or later, humans will die off and the Earth will regenerate as if they were never here, reversing all of the damage done.

[Moco Loco]

Nice links , especially about the connection method. I honestly didn't know that much progress had been achieved

[dstroudswan]

Originally Posted by Moco Loco

Nice links , especially about the connection method. I honestly didn't know that much progress had been achieved

Most people don't; it's not exactly well-publicized. That kind of thing tends to freak out average people. I'm just glad the research is happening despite public views; maybe we'll get somewhere in a few years

[Moco Loco]

I guess it would be kind of wonky to be a na'vi on Earth with nothing else different But ideally, the way I'd prefer it would be if I could be a human sized avatar (I like all my fingers KTHX). And of course I'd be thrilled if everyone here had this choice, and then there'd be some real na'vi at the meetup (had a dream recently like this).

[dstroudswan]

Originally Posted by Human No More

I already have some of the ink part done

And it looks awesome

Originally Posted by Human No More

I will honestly be getting a tail when it becomes possible too.

Me too, and the rest of the modifications to become as close to Na'vi as I can get. How long do you think it will be before that's possible? I'm betting on less than two decades.

Originally Posted by Clarke

If you did away with conventional web pages, and used things like Twitter, you could directly interpret 1D streams of data, which would probably be a lot easier.

How would you view scientific articles and know whether information was accurate and peer-reviewed, then? There would have to be some serious web infrastructure changes to make that work, but I suppose it could be done.

Originally Posted by Moco Loco

And of course I'd be thrilled if everyone here had this choice, and then there'd be some real na'vi at the meetup

Which would be awesome on so many different levels