I may be one of the last people around to see the movie Avatar. I had this grand plan of seeing the movies nominated for Academy Awards before last Sunday's television broadcast but found I kept putting this one off in favor of others. I didn't make my goal of seeing all 10 nominated for best picture but more than I had seen in years past. Avatar was recommended by so many people because of its spiritual nature, its connection to the land and, of course, its cinematic beauty. I have never been much of a science fiction fan so this no doubt contributed to my procrastination. 

I won't go into a review of the movie. Those are abounding in newspapers and on the internet. Like most stories that deal with rich mythology, this one is up to interpretation by everyone who sees it. I will say that I found the fact that with so much creativity and revenue being poured into a spectacular visual feast, I found it sad that the imagination of the film makers could still only come up with war and destruction as a major theme, a major way of dealing with differences. Again, there are many interpretations as to the reason for this.

But what did strike me in the film was the use of three simple words: "I see you." This was the greeting given by the Nav'i beings. They would touch the chest, the heart space of another and say:"I see you." The greeting meant so much more than my eyes see you…. your body, your hair, your eyes, your clothing. It meant that 'I see what is deep within you.' My translation might be " I know you inside and out." 

What a lovely idea! Isn't this kind of being seen what we all long for? To be seen for who we really are. Not who the world wants to make us. Not with all the trappings of job, status, gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, economic power. No. To be seen at the very core of who we are with its grace and grit, its joy and sorrow, its hope and humility, its flaws and cracks. Have you ever been seen in this deep way? How did it make you feel?

The gift of being seen, deeply known, is, I believe, a connection housed in the Sacred. It is the impetus of the phrase: Namaste….the Holy in me greets the Holy in you. To offer this greeting carries with it a huge vulnerability. To look deeply into the face of another who was also created in the image of God and to name that with great intention in the world, with the power of our voice, must change the very energy particles around us, must change our human DNA. So why don't we do it more? And mean it?

The last several days have been cloudy and rainy. The fog moved in this morning and settled like a blanket on the land outside my window. As I have been watching it dispel all morning, I have found myself squinting into the distance. Perhaps by noon the majority of it will have burned away or lifted into the higher heavens. But in my struggles to see further down the street, I thought of my need to be seen, really seen. I believe it is a human need that goes to our very core. And yet most of the time we stand in the fog that envelops us, some of which we have created ourselves. Standing in our foggy cloak we look longing into the unseen place, hoping, praying, someone will emerge and walk toward us with the words:"I see you." May it be so. May none of us go through any day without being truly seen by at least one other person. Without being seen by the Holy One.