Saving Dr. Grace Augustine

Saving Dr. Augustine's Avatar body could, possibly, be one of the most spiritual scenes in Avatar. The rhetoric is unbelievable in terms of how James Cameron was able to take us, or at least me, away from the nasty fighting, disagreements, and war to shift the attention to a spiritual scene where it can feel comfortable again, as if anyone can be saved if they just worship the right things. The Omaticaya people will willingly save Dr. Augustine’s Avatar as she and Jakesulley have proven themselves to be worth of Ewya’s saving grace. That isn’t redeemable by just anybody “posing” as one of their people, just the ones who have proven themselves to be honorable, and pure as an avatar. Saving her body isn’t just a matter of saying a few prayers, the whole community prays together, tightly linked, beating with the same rhythm as the ground around them, to raise Ewya’s powers to save the body. It’s truly a community effort.

I felt more connected to that community than possibly my own communities (possible cause of Post Avatar Depression) at the time of this ceremony. As a catholic, I know what it is like to hold hands during prayer and worship - one of a very powerful ways in which we worship a God, everyone is connected as brothers and sisters. Who doesn’t want to feel this way? As prayers intensify, the vines and branches consume Dr. Augustine’s Body more and more as the community deepens their prayers.

In terms of Politics - Cameron could be taking a direct shot at religious cultures and how they are not working in a world like we have today - because after all the ceremony was not powerful enough to save her body. Maybe religion is hopeless today, every culture has our own prayers, traditions and rituals. It seems that we are all praying to hurt each other in times like war. Unless we are praying for peace, its all about praying to be the strongest to win. Our world is so far deep into turmoil that the “old time” prayers and communion, won’t save our souls after all anymore. However, if we do remain united as a people/community, still linked to the same pulse as the ground which we walk on, perhaps the war may not end, but adaptations will happen and we still may not like “the other guys” but our values will still be followed to our standards. Without caring what anyone else thinks. Thats when spiritual lives come into play with so much comfort, especially in this scene. The things we do may not be right to others, but if in our minds we believe that what we are doing is right, then we can be saved in the end.