Apparently many are suffering serious depression after watching Avatar

[moonglow]

And I think as Christians this is a time to reach out to these people..not put them down for feeling like they do which is what I am seeing on facebook right now. Talk about a lack of compassion for others..

I subscribe to Prime New hosted by Mike Galanos that comes on week day afternoons where they take call in's or comments off of facebook on current topics. Anyway I just saw today"s topic..people suffering from depression after watching Avatar because our world looks so bad compared to the world in the movie. I'll post the news article in a minute. The reaction from many that are posting is horrible..they are calling these people retards, mentally ill, are stupid, are faking it and on and on.

Here are some comments from the news article:

Audiences experience 'Avatar' blues

(CNN) -- James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.

On the fan forum site "Avatar Forums," a topic thread entitled "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible," has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope. The topic became so popular last month that forum administrator Philippe Baghdassarian had to create a second thread so people could continue to post their confused feelings about the movie.

"When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed ... gray. It was like my whole life, everything I've done and worked for, lost its meaning," Hill wrote on the forum. "It just seems so ... meaningless. I still don't really see any reason to keep ... doing things at all. I live in a dying world."

"Ever since I went to see 'Avatar' I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na'vi made me want to be one of them. I can't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it," Mike posted. "I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in 'Avatar.' "

Other fans have expressed feelings of disgust with the human race and disengagement with reality. (read the rest at the link...I posted it out of order to show the most relevant ideas in it in a short space)

Considering many people live in large polluted cites where they can't hardly see the sky on certain days, let alone much in nature...and its winter and everything looks dead right now..and the state of the world..the recession that has left many struggling to make ends meet, its no wonder they are reacting this way. At first I have to say I was surprised to read this but after reading the article about it I think I can understand why they feel like they do and my heart goes out to them. Without Christ..what hope do they have in this world?

So ready yourself and be ready to offer hope for those in despair regardless of the reasons why they are.

Our world is beautiful too..I think we can get use to something and no longer see the beauty it in..we get where we take it for granted..maybe this video will help to remind everyone of it:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later.

God bless

[RabbiKnife]

I figured I'd be depressed if I were forced to endure 3 hours of Cameron's visual vomitorium, so I passed.

[Jeanne D]

I haven't seen the movie and I don't intend to, but I'm not sure I understand their reactions. Don't these people realize that it's fantasy?

Jeanne

[moonglow]

I haven't seen the movie and I don't intend to, but I'm not sure I understand their reactions. Don't these people realize that it's fantasy?

Jeanne

They do. I can understand where they are coming from. Image living in city covered in smog all the time..rarely seeing a park with grass and trees. Every year we have hunters come from big cities that can't tell the difference between a ranchers cow and a deer..

Well that seems funny to many of us..its really not. Its sad they see so little of what this world has to offer, especially in nature which reflects the glory of God. All they see is steel and concert day after day after day. Or maybe they do live in a smaller town but its common in the winter for people to get more depressed...lack of sunshine..everything is 'dead'..its a depressing time of the year anyway.

Apparently for many of these people their real life is so empty and void of meaning, they yearn for even something unreal like this.

Our hope is in God...in knowing while this world is dying...one day God will set things right again and restore Paradise. They have no hope like this...

All I know is my heart really went out to them. And I would like to point them to the hope we all have here! It is very very sad and says something about the state of mind of apparently alot of people to want fantasy over reality...

God bless

[Athanasius]

I haven't seen the movie and I don't intend to, but I'm not sure I understand their reactions. Don't these people realize that it's fantasy?

Jeanne

The planet itself is rendered wondrously.

[Jeanne D]

I don't think it's funny at all, I just think it's kind of odd that a movie would bring out these feelings. I'm wondering if there aren't some evil influences at work in this.

Jeanne

[Amos_with_goats]

Moonglow,

Your compassion is admirable.

It is a sad fact of our society that the very leisure and high standard of living we enjoy can be a curse.

It is a well recognized phenomena observed by therapists that many who are experiencing 'depression' are simply focusing too deeply on themselves, and are lacking perspective.

A little perspective, that might be helpful if anyone here can identify with the ideas in the OP in this thread;


http://www.persecution.com/

[Jeanne D]

I didn't see the movie but it looked creepy and downright evil to me, and this article confirms my suspicions. No thanks.

[moonglow]

I didn't see the movie but it looked creepy and downright evil to me, and this article confirms my suspicions. No thanks.

What is evil is how people are bashing those feeling this way and saying if they feel like they want to kill themselves, they should go ahead and do it. Apparently this isn't the first movie to cause such a feeling in people.

I saw it..I felt nothing evil coming from it. It reminded me of what white people did to the America Indians though. The aliens on this planet actually did quite a bit similar to the Indians...they lived within nature. The Indians wasted no parts of any animal they killed for food and clothing..they thanked the animal for giving its life to them. They used the animals fur for clothing..and skin..(remember their were no Walmarts then) , they used the animals bones for tools and other things. They worshiped the Great White Spirit (God). Yet they were seen as savages, just like the aliens in the movie were simply because they were so different from those invading their lands.

The movie simply showed how man kind has always moved into areas where they wanted something and slaughtered the people there to get it. Its our human history. Its sad, its horrible and its what sin is all about.

These people are depressed because its sinking in..what we are. Sinful and fallen away from God. They don't have that bridge we have through Jesus Christ...so they are left seeing the sin fallen world but no one is giving them the Hope we have in it...Christ. So of course they are depressed.

God bless

[Jeanne D]

I am glad you posted this because now I can pray about it.

There is enough heartache and discouragement in the world without paying hard earned money, to be made to feel even more discouraged.

I think we should all be in prayer about this.

Jeanne

[fireflies]

I don't think anyone experiencing upset, depression or suicidal ideation should be ridiculed.

However.
#1: I think the word "depression" is thrown around a bit too much these days. "I'm depressed today" - You cannot be depressed for a day or even a few. You can be sad, melancholy or out of sorts, but depression is an ongoing medical condition that can truly wreck your life. I wake up every day and I face the world in constant pain. It's gotten so hard that I've quit my job because I can no longer play pretend that I'm ok.

#2: I think claiming a movie made you depressed is detrimental people with true mental illness. It trivializes it to the public at large. "Depression isn't real... look at those idiots who are upset because they can't live in a movie!" - etc etc. There's enough stigma attached to mental illness that it doesn't need any more help going down the toilet.

#3: Suicide - one should never doubt someone is suicidal, however, not wanting to live any more is different from making plans. I wake up some days and go "Ugh I can't go out there. I'm done with the world." which is different from "Ok... I have enough <insert drug here> to kill myself. My fiance will be gone till morning, and no one else will bother me. I'll leave a note, and let them know its not their fault."

[moonglow]

I am glad you posted this because now I can pray about it.

There is enough heartache and discouragement in the world without paying hard earned money, to be made to feel even more discouraged.

I think we should all be in prayer about this.

Jeanne

Oh believe me I will be praying for these people. The thing is they enjoy the movie..it really is a good movie..I enjoyed it too quite a lot..it just reminded me so much of the American Indian.... this alien world in the movie is perfect...in a different way of course then ours. Our world was once perfect too..when God first created it but as our history clearly shows, we haven't done a good job taking care of it or the animals. But still its not as bleak as some of those people think it is either which is why I posted that video in my first post. The video wasn't for our benefit its for those that are seeing the sin fallen world as it is now, and thinking all is lost. Its not.

Some of them are googling anything they can find about Avatar to hang on too that wonderful feeling they had in the movie..and I was hoping some would find their way here so hope could be offered to them.

When I was a teenager and young adult I was a Christian in name only..said I believed in God and I did..but I hadn't surrended my life to Him..I lived in the world. So I got caught up in movies and books like they are now and wished so badly that was the real world..whatever it might be. I was trying to fill a void inside of myself not realizing He was there all the time.

The difference between the aliens and the American Indians is as far as I have ever read or studied on their culture is they never had any belief in a Mother Earth...that is a New Age idea that didn't exist for them. They knew God as the Great White Spirit which is what God is..as the bible tells us He is great, a spirit and white stands for purity. They did somewhat similar things like in the movie to connect with Him also.

Sadly many of them are unable to really live like they used too being shoved onto reservations and cut off from their land. They are now lost in alcoholism and extreme poverty in some cases. While the elders try to continue teaching the young about their heritage, their ways, the young people are lost in so many ways. Because we, just like in that movie, saw something they had and felt we have the right to take it from them. This has happened all over the world with many tribes ..many people and their culture lost because mankind is selfish and self serving.

That is the depressing truth of the matter for sure.

But not all hope is gone by any means. As long as people don't allow themselves to be sucked down in the pits of depression and stay there but instead decide to do something about..hope it never lost. The courage to change things can still happen. To treat everyone with respect and respect their ways instead of seeing them as savages because they are different then we are (provided they aren't really acting like savages and going around killing people or torturing them that is). Not all the Indian tribes were nice people by any means. Some invented new ways of torturing people...

Treating people with respect and our world with some respect for a change..now that would be nice.

God bless

[moonglow]

I don't think anyone experiencing upset, depression or suicidal ideation should be ridiculed.

However.
#1: I think the word "depression" is thrown around a bit too much these days. "I'm depressed today" - You cannot be depressed for a day or even a few. You can be sad, melancholy or out of sorts, but depression is an ongoing medical condition that can truly wreck your life. I wake up every day and I face the world in constant pain. It's gotten so hard that I've quit my job because I can no longer play pretend that I'm ok.

#2: I think claiming a movie made you depressed is detrimental people with true mental illness. It trivializes it to the public at large. "Depression isn't real... look at those idiots who are upset because they can't live in a movie!" - etc etc. There's enough stigma attached to mental illness that it doesn't need any more help going down the toilet.

#3: Suicide - one should never doubt someone is suicidal, however, not wanting to live any more is different from making plans. I wake up some days and go "Ugh I can't go out there. I'm done with the world." which is different from "Ok... I have enough <insert drug here> to kill myself. My fiance will be gone till morning, and no one else will bother me. I'll leave a note, and let them know its not their fault."

My brother in law didn't leave a note or any ideas he was suicidal until it was too late.

I want people to consider something. Image yourself thinking your world is ok..then having a vivid dream one day..or seeing a movie or reading a book and suddenly the scales fall off your eyes and you really see the world for the first time as it really is...

Sin fallen. Corrupted. Polluted. Diseased. Daily new reports of murder, drug over doses, abuse...where as maybe before this was all just back ground noise to you..it didn't really sink in but now all of the sudden it has. I think anyone would react if they had any awareness at all for the world and people around them. They are obviously intelligent, sensitive people to react like this. They are seeing this world for the first time like how we see it everyday. We are sensitive to the sin in it. A nonbeliever isn't as much. As we mature in our faith and our walk with God we become more and more sensitive to it then the world wonders why we get upset over these things. We have been trying to put the brakes on sin ..to stop the disease from getting worse and just get laughed at for it. But now they are seeing what we see for the first time. And its a real shock to them.

A person can also suddenly become very depressed just like when someone has died that they loved or other sudden unexpected things happen that cause them alot of pain and hurt. And it can stay around for a long long time.

My heart just aches for them because they are feeling that emptiness inside too..the void that needs filling like I used to fill it. No movie, no book, can ever fill it except for God Himself.

And I see this as our chance to reach out to them to help them fill that void. I have seen the Lord use movies and books and so many things to reach a large number of people and I believe He is doing it right now with Avatar. So they will look in 'this' world for answers and hopefully find them in Him.

God bless

[Ta-An]

I had the opportunity to watch,,,, and my spirit just prevents me to do so.....

[bc3n1]

Going to the movies is an "escape" from the everyday routine of living, or it used to be. I've not seen Avatar, only previews, but it hasn't drawn me to see it. Disillusion has set in for the movie industry in that I can't find anything worth spending money to watch. Call me an old fuddy duddy, but I do like the old black and white movies.

For some reason, I thought of the verse that says (I paraphrase here), "in the end times men's hearts will fail them". How else can they react when all the culture seems to be geared with "I must be happy all the time and entertained all the time and stimulated all the time, and I'm not responsible for my own happiness, everyone else is." I'd like to know the age of those that are depressed and overcome with discontent and letting everyone know it. Sad. And those that are responding without compassion, how did they come to that end. I saw a similar response when Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of Mississippi and Louisiana. Some or most had immense compassion but the one I remember to this day responded with, "They should let the Gulf reclaim it and not do another thing for that area."

May salvation and peace be multiplied to them all.