Everyone has their own take on Avatar.  That is the halmark of great art.  Back in college, I remember reading about Marxist readings of Wagner and post-Modernist readings of paintings created before the advent of that nihilistic credo.  Thus it is with Avatar.  My take, after watching it is that it teaches us a great lesson about the difference between agricultural populations and those living in harmony with their genes.

I don’t mean to suggest that we have such a mystical, symbiotic connection to animals.  No, I see that part of the film as just part of the “suspension of disbelief” necessary in art.  I suppose the environmentally minded among us could read environmentalism into the film.

What is more informative, and what CrossFitters and the larger paleo community should realise is that the Na’vi–the natives ivaded by humans in the film–were everything most people in America are not:  slender, fit, and living in tune with their genetic make-up.  They appeared to live a hunter-gatherer existence.  Throughout the film, the viewer is treated to acrobatic and physical feats that would seem normal to a traceur or gymnast–except for flying giant birds.

Interestingly, the Earthlings–as we know–derive our diets from agriculture.  In the film, they moved with all the grace of modern Americans.  The invaders relied on machines and ultimately, died because of that reliance.

There are some political overtones that I really don’t care about in the film.  The major take-away that I hope most of us realize is that the Na’vi were incredibly skilled, fit, able athletes.  They lived in tune with their genes and were better off because of it.  The humans by contrast were forced to navigate by machines and were clearly outclassed.  Live out of harmony with your genes and you will pay the consequences–be that because of diet or garbage movement.

The kicker that I just saw in this post and reinforces my belief in gymnastics and Parkour-type movement is that humans should be able to move like the Na’vi, or in a similar way to traceurs, or practicioners of the modern day MovNat.

Nicholas Hahn Uncategorized avatar, CrossFit, fitness, genes, MovNat, nature