I love the way movies can make a point, paint a picture and get you thinking about an issue in a different way. I recently watched Dr. Seuss’ Lorax. While I wasn’t particularly taken with the movie, I was moved by the message. Then the message got me thinking about some other recent powerful movies I had seen – The Hunger Games and Avatar.

As I thought about these movies, I saw them in a new light. And instead of seeing them just as a powerful message, with great cinematography, in a far away world that doesn’t much resemble ours, I asked, “How is this similar to where we are today?”

Then comparison, after comparison came to me. I realized, we are currently living in all three of these films. The writers aren’t talking about the future, they are talking about the present – right now.

Here’s what I’ve found…

Avatar

• We’ve lost our connection to nature and are destroying it as through it regenerates overnight. We think all of the earth’s resources are solely here for our use, with little concern with the impact our choices make on other life.
• We’ve put profit and short-term goals of wanting “more,” over what is best for all concerned and future generations.
• Everything in life is valuable, nothing is lost without a cost, yet we treat human life as though it is disposable. Dismissing the homeless, sending people off to war to kill one another, and practically disregarding the rapid depletion of certain animal species on the planet.
• All of life is interconnected. We all need and depend on each other to keep earth in harmony, from the plants, the animals, the oceans, to humans.

Hunger Games

• Like the people in the capitol, we alter our bodies to make a statement or because we want to look different, fit in, or maybe even stand out—whether through tattoos, piercings, or surgeries. We spend money on fashion, clothing, and accessories just because, with little thought as to who they were made and at what cost.
• We watch violent movies, deaths, and war on live television. Our media emphasizes the grotesque images, calling it “news” and we watch it over again, replayed at 6am, 12pm, 5pm, and again at 11.
• Children are taught that fighting is part of survival, working together is not an option, similar to our individualistic culture in America.

The Lorax

• We cut down trees and use the earth’s natural resources at an alarming rate, without considering how we will replenish what we use.
• For wanting things to look and appear “perfect,” we lose touch with what’s really important.
• We allow people to lead us without asking questions, pushing back, and seeking alternative solutions. Essentially we are all followers to some degree.
• How much of what we consume is “plastic” or not real, in what we eat and put into our bodies?
• What we are doing and using in our culture is not sustainable over a long period of time, it’s estimated that Americans use FOUR times their natural resources.

While I’m not saying people are wrong, I am saying that we have a responsibility to the people of this world and our planet—with all that it encompasses. These movies may seem like dramatization of reality, but in truth, aren’t they really showcasing what’s already happening here now?

I believe so.

What other parallels do you draw from these films? Do you believe what they are talking about is happening now?