Avatar: Does sustainability have to be static?
Dec 23, 02:28 PM by Eric Allen
Seeing Avatar last week re-ignited an internal conflict I’ve been struggling with for several years. First and foremost, I’m a geek, an engineer, a maker of things. I live on the cutting edge of Progress, driving it forward as fast as I can. On the other hand, I’m inclined to believe in circular time, and the idea of living in harmony with everything around me is really compelling. The two sides seem completely at odds to me, and I’ve yet to find a way to reconcile them.
The Na’vi are an indigenous species on the fictional planet Pandora in Avatar. The arboreal life on the planet is completely interconnected, and there seems to be some kind of global mind within it. The Na’vi are humanoid creatures capable of communicating with this global mind (called “Eywa”), and their purpose seems to be stewardship of all life on Pandora. Their society is clearly ancient, and they appear to be a fundamental component in the balance of life on Pandora. Where, then, would I fit in such a society?
My technological bent boils down to three things: I love learning, I love building, and I’m always trying to find opportunities for more efficiency. These attributes are fairly highly valued in Western society, but they seem to me completely at odds with the way of life for the Na’vi. When you’re adhering to ancient tradition in a culture that has remained unchanged for generations, there’s not much room for new knowledge. Things are artificial and unnatural—why do you need builders when nature provides everything for you? Efficiency creates economic surplus, which disrupts society and shifts norms. The way I see it, none of my fundamental strengths are compatible with Na’vi living.
Textiles are certainly a possibility, and I’ve been weaving since I was in kindergarten. Granted, the Na’vi don’t wear much in the way of clothing, but most indigenous humans need clothing. Weaving offers many of the same opportunities to me as, say, programming does, and it has the advantage of requiring no advanced technology. Give me wood, wool, and some tools to work the wood, and I can make you a blanket. Unfortunately for me, the Na’vi don’t appear to need much in the way of textiles. They wear minimal clothing, and their bodies seem perfectly adapted to their climate.
I could probably get into farming, but agriculture is arguably what got us into the mess we call modern civilization in the first place. I doubt a Na’vi society would be amenable to the development of farming, as it could easily disrupt the natural order of life. Agricultural surplus is the first step toward specialization, and hence craftsmen and eventually full-blown Progress. The ways of the Na’vi are not compatible with serious agriculture.
From what I saw in Avatar, the Na’vi don’t really make much of anything. They are active participants in nature, but everything they need is provided by the environment. Fundamentally, I am an agent of Progress, for better or for worse, and I don’t believe I could fit into a Na’vi society. Where does this leave me in human society? Assuming things continue along like they have for the past few decades, I’m set. I’ve got the skills, abilities, and knowledge to thrive in modern society, but I don’t know if that’s where I want to be. If I don’t believe Progress is an inherently good thing, how can I be a willing participant in the innovation engine that drives it?
