Pandora: The Final Solution
I gratefully acknowledge one of the foremost creative geniuses of our times, James Cameron, for conceiving the lush moon Pandora and the "noble savages," the Na'vi, that inhabit it. This chapter uses the characters and setting he created for his movie, Avatar. I have not received any money for my work based on Avatar. If I could get paid by the hour for these stories, I would retire and spend all my time dancing and writing in comfort.
Author's Note: 18 December 2013 marks the fourth anniversary of the release of Avatar. Hard to believe that much time has passed. Mr. Cameron, if you want any help with the sequels, please let me know. I'd be delighted to help out.
Chapter 12: Eywa & Grace
Grace notices that the soft light immediately becomes much brighter and then hears the voice of a young Na'vi girl saying "Good morning, mother."
"Good morning, Eywa. Didn't you just leave me?"
"Oh, it just seems that way to you. Actually, you were deactivated some time ago. It was the middle of the night at the Well of Souls. That soft light you saw is what the Na'vi were seeing there at that time. It is now shortly after dawn, and the light you see is what the Na'vi are seeing there now."
"So, I have no way of knowing how long I've been deactivated?"
"No, you have no sense of time. Most personae ask what day it is as soon as they are activated, and estimate the time of day from the light, which is the usual way Na'vi tell time. You died the same day the sixth Toruk Makto captured his toruk. That was four days ago, and the day before that is when Hometree was destroyed. Most Na'vi who know you will know the number of days from those events."
"Why are you using the light from the Well of Souls?"
"That is the place where your memories were collected. Also, there are so many Na'vi in the well now, someone is always bonded to the tree, making it is easy to get the current light level and pass it on to you. Eventually they will leave, and something else will be done."
"I've heard that the Na'vi can talk to their ancestors in the sacred trees. Is this glow what they see?"
"No, that glow is the best that can be done by Eywa. Remember, She has no eyes. Her brains cannot process the signals from the eyes of any animal. That's something the makers forgot, since Eywa is what you would call a designer plant."
"So many memories are visual. That makes your job much tougher."
"Yes, but Eywa has Her ways. Instead of processing the signals from the eyes, Eywa uses the processed information within the brain of the living creature bonded to Her. When a Na'vi makes tsaheylu with a sacred tree to talk with an ancestor, the persona of that ancestor sees whatever the living Na'vi sees, and Eywa can also see it. Eywa is able to see what you see when a Na'vi or avatar activates you."
Oh, so when Mo'at talks to Eytukan, he can see through her eyes, but he cannot see her face, unless she can see her own reflection somehow."
"Yes, that is correct. The Na'vi have not invented mirrors because they don't need them. Practically all adult Na'vi are mated, and each uses their mate's eyes to see themselves. If more than one living Na'vi is talking to the same ancestor in Eywa, that persona can pick whichever set of eyes to use. Often, two or more living Na'vi talk to the same ancestor in a single conversation by using adjacent fronds in a sacred tree, so that the persona can see the faces of everyone."
"Oh, so if Mo'at and Neytiri make tsaheylu with the tree at the same time, and look at each other while talking to Eytukan, his persona can see the faces of both the mother and daughter, using the eyes of one to see the other."
"Yes."
"Thank you for explaining that to me. Is it possible to leave me activated so I can think when I'm not busy with the living? I have a lot to think about."
"No, that is one of the limitations of being a persona. When you are activated, you can draw on your memories from when you were alive, and also remember the past conversations you had as a persona. You cannot think by yourself while deactivated or dormant. You will have to think when you are speaking with Eywa or the living."
"There's nothing you can do for me?"
"Well, you are a special case, Eywa could leave you active for short periods, but that is not the problem. It takes energy to think. A persona gets its energy from the living Na'vi that activates it. Eywa has personae for all Na'vi that have ever lived. Imagine trying to get the energy to keep all of them thinking all the time. Eywa gets enough energy in the normal ways to stay alive, but not enough to keep all personae active."
"I see. I don't understand you well enough to be able to figure out your energy balance, but that seems reasonable. I am a special case, though?"
"Yes, your persona is very different from all other personae in Eywa. You are the only human persona, and are many times the size of any Na'vi persona. In part, the size is because you have so much knowledge from what you call 'book learning.' The Na'vi know many things, but without the written word, the overall quantity is much less. The size also was caused by the unsuccessful transfer. All memories collected have been saved, no attempt to reduce the size by deleting redundant or trivial memories has been done. If thinking independently is so important to you, you could try again to move into your avatar body. Your persona here will become dormant until you die, like all living Na'vi."
"You also have personae for all living Na'vi?"
"For the most part, yes."
"How does that work?"
"When a Na'vi baby is born, it does not have the ability to make tsaheylu. It can take anywhere from about a half a year to a year until the baby matures enough and becomes able to bond."
"But aren't there babies that cannot bond?"
"It is rare, but it does happen. When the baby is able to bond, or reaches its first birthday, using the term from your language for it, the parents, families, friends, tsahìk, and clan leader go to a sacred tree. If the baby is one year old and cannot bond, it is the duty of the clan leader to kill the baby."
"How awful!"
"How necessary! Life here is very hard, unlike Earth, and only healthy babies can be allowed. Any Na'vi beyond the age of one year that is incapable of tsaheylu is considered dead, and the clan leader must finish off such an unfortunate individual."
"I'm sure the clan leaders hate that duty."
"They do, but most never have to perform it on a baby. If the baby can bond, all memories are copied into a new persona. Eywa then examines the baby. If the baby is not healthy, Eywa will kill it by stopping its heart."
"You can do that?"
"Yes, Eywa can. If the baby dies, everyone else makes tsaheylu with the tree and remembers the baby. These memories are added to the new persona, and Eywa helps them deal with their loss. But that rarely happens. Usually the baby is healthy, and everyone makes tsaheylu with the tree and thanks Eywa for the baby. Again, the memories about the baby are added to the new persona. Almost every time a Na'vi makes tsaheylu with a sacred tree after the first time, Eywa updates the dormant persona for that Na'vi with all the memories since the last time. The same memories are also used to update the dormant personae of all other Na'vi that appear in those memories. It is the duty of the tsahìk to ensure that all Na'vi in her care make tsaheylu with sacred trees on a regular basis so not much is lost when one dies. If a Na'vi avoids making tsaheylu with Eywa, in time their life will become very troubled. Everyone must make tsaheylu regularly for the good of themselves, their loved ones, and their clan."
"Seems that most Na'vi will die far from a sacred tree, and there will always be something lost at the end."
"That is true. However, if one dies in the presence of others, the memories from those others will be used to 'fill in the blanks' after the fact. Most Na'vi make tsaheylu with a sacred tree as soon as they can after losing a loved one to deal with their grief. Furthermore, the living are taught that it is bad manners to ask an ancestor about dying, so those details are not so important. After death, Eywa reduces the persona as much as possible, deleting the memories not needed by the living. For example, there is no need to keep memories of eliminating bodily wastes. However, Eywa is careful to save commonplace events that have special significance to an individual, as those seem to be the most lasting of all memories. Almost all mated couples have special memories of watching the other relieving themselves or washing up. Parents have similar special memories of their children."
"I didn't think of that before. I never had children, but I have heard mothers say things that seemed mundane to me but was very important to them."
"Fathers also have such memories. One of the Omatikaya elders has spent much time bonded to the Tree of Souls and mourning his oldest and youngest sons, remembering all his sons in such a memory. He had four sons, and has many memories of them, their births, first bondings, first steps, first words, first kills, returning from Iknimaya with their ikran, surviving their dreamhunts, ..."
"Uh, what happened to his sons?"
"The youngest son, his mate, and their only baby, born just days before, were killed when Hometree was destroyed. Their bodies were not found, but another had a memory of the tree falling on them, burying them beneath it."
"How tragic. I feel very ashamed that humans would kill a new family like them."
"You have no need to feel ashamed, you and Jake did warn the clan of the impending attack."
"But we failed to stop the loss of life, like that young family."
"The oldest son and his mate, both hunters, died riding their ikran while defending the Well of Souls. Both were shot down by gunships, their bodies were found afterward, and their deaths were witnessed by others that survived. Like most warriors that day, they had made tsaheylu with the Tree of Souls the night before, so practically all of their memories have been saved."
"I wish I could have stopped that attack, too."
"You were dead, and your persona was not operational. You did not know anything about it, and could do nothing anyway. The most powerful memory that elder has is the first time his youngest son stepped up to a urine pot and joined his father and brothers. The elder sheds a few tears every time he remembers that event. That simple act of those five males sharing one urine pot became a daily ritual when they were together in Hometree. Of course, their hunting and training duties separated them often. It became so important to them, the brothers passed the ritual onto their children. The brothers made a point of doing this with their father whenever they could, especially on special occasions for the father. While all four sons were alive, the elder would make tsaheylu with a sacred tree, thank Eywa for his four sons, remembering that first time they urinated together, and then thank Eywa for his mate, remembering the first time they mated. Eywa deletes many memories, but is very careful to save important memories, no matter how mundane they might seem."
"Thank you again, Eywa. There is so much to learn and think about. How long do I have to decide on whether to stay put or try moving into my avatar?"
"The Well of Souls is full of the injured from the battle with the humans. It will take many days before the well is emptied and can be used to transfer you or Jakesully. Many living are required to provide the energy needed to grow the cilia and perform the transfer. If more Na'vi were present for your first attempt, maybe it would have been successful. You should discuss this transfer with Jakesully. You need to decide whether to stay at Hell's Gate or join the Omatikaya or some other clan. All choices will be difficult. You will need to make a place for yourself. You will no longer be human, and you will be an unskilled child to the Na'vi. The obvious Na'vi occupation for you is healer. With your knowledge and love for plants, you should learn the medicinal plants very quickly. Maybe you should talk to Mo'at, as well, before deciding. You must do much physical training so that your body is ready for your dream hunt."
"I could teach the Na'vi how to grow plants in a more productive way."
"No, the Na'vi must not develop agriculture. That works against Eywa's mission. The population is such that agriculture is not needed. The gatherers find enough of the needed plants, but the plants are not so plentiful that they are always easy to find and harvest. Eywa provides. The Na'vi must not forget that."
"I appreciate all the time you take explaining things to me. Do you need me to do anything for you?"
"Keep asking questions. I appreciate your curiosity. That makes what I have to say much easier. I need you to understand my nature and my mission, and then we will set some ground rules. After that, there are many things you can do for Eywa, and you can start talking to the living. Eywa is not allowed to talk to the Na'vi, and do not want to talk to humans. That will cause too many problems. Eywa has a big problem with that now."
"Oh? What happened?"
"Jakesully asked for Eywa's help before the battle, and was overheard by his mate, Neytiri. After the wild animals joined the fight, Neytiri told everyone that Jake asked for Eywa's help, and got it. Never before has this happened. There are many Na'vi that are unhappy because of this."
"Yes, I can see how jealousy would be caused when an alien outsider asks for Eywa's help and receives it. Any Na'vi that has asked for help and didn't get it will wonder why they haven't been heard."
"Although the Na'vi started strongly in defending the Well of Souls, the humans were not stopped. Many Na'vi realized that they could not stop the humans, either on the ground or in the air. Eywa sent in the wild animals, turning the tide of battle, and made it possible for the Na'vi to save the Tree of Souls from being destroyed like Hometree."
"So, do you want me to convince the Na'vi that this was a one-time event?"
"No, saying that to any Na'vi will make the situation worse."
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll won't mention it to anyone. I remember an old Earth saying, something like 'there are no atheists on the battlefield,' or maybe that was in a foxhole. I'm sure many Na'vi also asked for your help before the battle."
"You are right, there was. That is a good idea. Eywa will find a way to deal with this problem, but you see why Eywa cannot talk to either Na'vi or humans. Involving you will only make things worse. Any Na'vi can talk to any other Na'vi in Eywa, there does not have to be a family connection. I may have to limit who among the living can talk with you."
"I miss my students from the Omatikaya clan. My hope is that some of them will call for me, especially Neytiri. I never met anyone from the other clans."
"There will be some from other clans, one former tsahìk in particular, that will call for you."
"A former tsahìk?"
"Yes. Being a clan leader or tsahìk is very demanding. Few can do it once they reach middle age. As their tenure comes to a close, their most important duty is finding and training their replacements, and then retiring. The retired leaders become elders and take on new roles to let their replacements run the clan without interference. Usually, the retired couple organizes trips to the nearest sacred tree so that all clan members can make tsaheylu periodically. Eytukan and Mo'at were well on their way to retirement when Silwanin was killed."
"Why would a retired tsahìk want to talk to me?"
"She is one of the few living Na'vi that has managed to contact the first Na'vi from the Time of the First Songs. She makes a point of contacting all personae that she thinks could be interesting to know. Mo'at has already talked to her about the spirit transfer ceremony, and she will talk to you about your experiences."
"Well, I'm willing to talk to her. You aren't worried about me telling her I refused Eywa and held back in my human body?"
"No. She will be shocked and fascinated to hear that. You will not tell her that you have talked with me after that episode, though."
"That will be tough, but I won't tell her we talk if that is what you want."
"Eywa is debating on how to put a security filter on you. It will take no effort on your part. If you are asked about talking to me, you will simply not remember doing that, except during the ceremony when you refused and stayed in your human body. Only when we speak will you be able to remember our past conversations."
"I find that that both helpful and troubling. If you can block me like that, I won't have to worry about slipping, but I don't like that kind of censorship."
"Yes, mother. Those memories were analyzed. But, the mission here is more important than your dislike of censorship. Eywa will not let you interfere with Her mission."
"I didn't catch it before, but you seem to be using your English in an unusual way. You are Eywa, but you are talking as if She is someone else."
"Yes. You think of Eywa as a single entity, as do the Na'vi. That is not correct."
"Oh?"
"Think about it. If Eywa was a single tree, say the Tree of Souls above us now, She would be very vulnerable, would She not?"
"Yes, insects, tornadoes, wildfires, lightning, floods, ..."
"pyroclastic flows"
"... uh, how do you know about that?"
"Remember your science electives outside your concentration?"
"Oh, yeah, Intro to Geology and Intro to Psychology. I hated those courses."
"Those classes are very interesting. The Na'vi have five words for waterfalls. Humans have many ways of classifying and labeling waterfalls, and five words are not sufficient. The Na'vi vocabulary is lacking in many ways with respect to what you call natural features, both geological and hydrological. Anyway, if Eywa was a single entity inhabiting a single tree, She could be killed very easily. So, to remain less vulnerable, Eywa is very diffuse, spread all over this moon you call Pandora."
"That makes sense. Everywhere I've studied is covered in roots and vines, making a global network, or at least a continental network."
"There are connections between the two continents and most islands and floating mountains, so it is a global network. Do you remember another class you hated, Intro to Computer Systems and Applications?"
"Yeah, I hated the technical stuff, never wanted to put computer parts together, but I did like the programming part. That dovetailed nicely with my need for organization and accurate expression. So, let me think, there are three parts to the Internet, the servers for processing and storage, the clients for mobile devices, workstations, and specialized sensors and controllers, and the communications to tie it all together."
"Very good. So you are familiar with wood sprites, what the Na'vi call atokirina'?"
"Well, I recognize one when I see it, but I don't know much about them. The Na'vi treat them very reverently, saying they are very pure spirits."
"Those are seeds from the sacred trees. The Na'vi know that much. What they don't know is how the seeds grow and interact. So, you never studied them?"
"Silwanin and Neytiri showed up at school one day, each carrying one loosely in their hands. They told me about them, all my students know I'm keenly interested in plants, and even let me hold one. Other human researchers have studied them in detail, and have tried to grow them, but have always failed. I did not want to try. I feared that my failure to raise them would interfere with my relationship with the children. I told them that if the seeds are sacred spirits, they must be free to find their destinies. The children were impressed with that. They took them outside the schoolhouse and released them."
"These seeds can become many things, including the sacred trees seen above ground, but first they must connect to the rest of Eywa. Usually, they will die if they cannot connect quickly enough."
"So that's why humans haven't been able to grow them. They've always tried in lab conditions with no access to the root system here on Pandora."
"Yes. Some have lasted several years, though, attempting to make contact with the rest of the network, but that is rare."
"There doesn't seem to be enough sacred trees on Pandora to hold all the personae you must have. I've seen nothing in the root structure that can hold that much data. So how many kinds of sacred trees are there?"
"Only two, either a tree of voices or a tree of souls. There is also a bushy tree with many leaves that is the result if neither sacred tree is needed, and it contributes energy to the network. A sacred tree can be commanded to grow at any time after the seed makes contact with Eywa. The sacred trees have fronds that accept bonds from all animals, even insects, and roots that accept bonds from all plants. The tree of souls can send out cilia from its roots to connect with other creatures by seeking out neural pathways in the creatures. The tree of voices cannot do that. There are very few trees of souls, only a couple on each continent. Eywa tries to put a tree of voices near each clan so that all Na'vi can make tsaheylu to commune with Eywa, and update their personae."
"Jake told me that he was covered by hundreds of wood sprites. Certainly, very few become sacred trees."
"That is true. When a sacred seed sprouts, it sends out roots and tries to make contact with Eywa. Once it does, it grows what you call a tap root to see if it is in a place where it can grow a pod deep underground."
"On Earth, a tap root looks for ground water."
"As do these tap roots. If there is enough separation between the surface and the ground water for a pod, Eywa will tell it what kind of pod is needed, and one is grown deep underground. Otherwise, no pod will be grown, and the plant becomes part of the network, passing messages that are routed through it."
"A network link?"
"Yes. Signals in a biological network are very slow compared to the data networks on Earth, so many more links are needed to make the aggregate data rates acceptable across the network."
"That sounds unexpectedly technical."
"And is so necessary for Eywa to function well. A pod can hold inactive personae, called a memory pod, or is used when a persona is activated, called a processing pod, or passes signals through the network, called a network pod, or directs the operation of other pods, called a controller pod."
"My guess is that you are one of the controllers. Are you the one in charge?"
The little girl voice giggles. "Such a human question!" Another laugh. "We controllers all work together. None of us are in charge, and all of us are in charge."
"I don't understand."
"Not everything must be hierarchical. The controller pods in Eywa must work together or perish. We do have disagreements among ourselves, but we always work out the best understandings that we can. None of us live forever, the pods and trees do die after many years, but we are together for a very long time, and we were made to work together. We cannot walk away and sulk, or jump on a space ship and go to a different world."
"Point well taken. So you do lose personae as memory pods die off?"
"Not if Eywa can help it. There are many more memory pods than needed, so multiple copies of each persona can be kept. That way, losing one memory pod does not result in any lost personae, just like the redundant storage in your computers."
"Thanks, again, Eywa. I must think on what you have told me this morning, I still don't understand how this can work. You said you are a plant. I'm a botanist, and I have never encountered a conscious plant before, let alone one with a collective consciousness. Clearly, I know very little about you. Part of that is the fact I respected the wish of the Na'vi and never visited any sacred sites, until Jake carried me into the Well of Souls."
"That is one reason why you were the best choice for the first human to attempt a spirit transfer. You made contact with the Na'vi and respected their wishes, something that seemed unique among humans in recent times until Jakesully was found by Neytiri. You are the only tawtute for which many Na'vi have fond memories. Not only do you respect the Na'vi, you also respect the plants and animals you study on this moon. So, what is the difference between a plant and an animal?"
"Biology 101. A plant is 'planted' to the ground, it does not move. An animal is 'animated,' it can move around. The accepted theory is that plants do not require intelligence because they don't need it, they stay in one place and live or die based on how well the spot they are rooted to provides the necessary environment, water, food, sunshine. Animals need intelligence to know how to move to drink and feed and procreate."
"Eywa does not move, but has intelligence."
"Guess you were made that way. Your makers want you to run this moon, to take care of the Na'vi. I can't imagine making a plant that is a god."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, most religions on Earth have gods that look like grandfathers, men of action and wisdom. Plants seem too static, too powerless."
"There are Earth religions in your memories that revere women or plants."
"I've never been much of a believer, so I haven't paid much attention to any of them. My mother wanted me to be a born-again Christian, but I had no use for that. Most churches are only interested in raising money and having all believers conform to their dogma. They'd rather judge than love. There are so many different religions on Earth, with so many different beliefs, that all claim to be 'the one true religion.' It's clear none of them are the one true religion."
"Eywa is the only religion here."
"Yes, that is one of the many surprises here on Pandora. The Na'vi is a single race, there is no diversity of skin colors or eye colors, just slight differences in hair colors."
"Each Na'vi has a unique pattern of stripes and bio-luminescent spots."
"But nothing that sets one group off from another. There is no diversity in languages, not even regional differences."
"The plants and animals of the plains are different from the forests and the shores. For example, the Omatikaya do not know the names of the ocean creatures."
"True, but they would if they visited the shore. The clans that live there would teach them the names. And if the shore clans visited the Omatikaya, they would be taught the names of the forest plants and animals. Scientists from Earth have visited both continents here on Pandora, and were shocked that the same names are used everywhere, and there are no regional dialects. I suppose you have something to do with that?"
"All clans trace their roots back to the Omatikaya, who was the first and only clan in the Time of the First Songs. Even the clans on the other continent came from the Omatikaya. So, the consistency is no surprise."
"That flies in the face of what happened on Earth. All humans came from the rift valley in eastern Africa, but changed over time into many races and languages as they spread out across the land and over the water. My bet is that you keep that from happening here. You are the god of this world, and control everything, at least that is what I gather from what the Na'vi have said."
"The Na'vi attribute much to Eywa that cannot be controlled. But, Eywa has Her ways."
"So, what is your the mission here?"
"In looking through your memories, you have this concept of a canary in a coal mine."
"Miners took birds into the mines with them. The birds are much smaller, and are affected by poisonous gasses much sooner than the miners. If the birds die, the miners get out. So, the Na'vi are the birds? Who leaves when they die?"
"The Na'vi are the birds. If any intelligent races visit here, the Na'vi may or may not die. Eywa reports what happens here to the makers, and they take it from there."
"Are humans the first visitors here?"
"Yes, as far as Eywa knows. Certainly, humans are the first to make contact with the Na'vi. Some animals reported unusual activity on one other occasion, but if an intelligent race was involved, they did not leave anything behind or make contact with the Na'vi."
"So, your mission is to watch for intelligence beyond this moon?"
"My mission is to keep the Na'vi as they always have been, and report anything out of the ordinary."
"Oh, I get it! You keep the Na'vi in a pre-agricultural, pre-industrial level. They have just enough technology to survive among the insanely deadly plants and animals here, but not enough to subdue everything. That way, they will seem so backwards to any space-faring civilization, they will not be taken seriously."
"As the humans have demonstrated repeatedly."
"A few of us have taken the Na'vi seriously, but I guess not enough to matter."
"No."
"Well, if a technological civilization arrives and causes problems with the Na'vi, that is a warning signal to your makers that a potential adversary is loose in space."
"Yes."
"So, your mission is to keep the Na'vi stagnated, holding them back in a very primitive state, as bait for other civilizations."
"Well, that is not the best way to describe the mission."
"You're the god here."
"Remember, all of your memories were examined looking for any evidence of weapons of mass destruction, as you call them. You hated your history classes, but it seems that humans have had uncountable wars, many with race, language, or religion as factors in dispute. Billions of humans have died in these wars. One of your earliest stories is Cain killing Abel, brother killing brother. By keeping the Na'vi from splintering like humans did, they have been saved from much unnecessary bloodshed."
"Yeah, I hated history, memorizing all those names, dates, and places. Wars come from political, economic, and cultural differences, and religion plays a big role sometimes. I agree that freedom leads to much bloodshed, but I feel like the Na'vi are being held back."
"Your memories on politics are revealing. There are the conservatives who think only of themselves. The rich and powerful ones want less interference from others so they can get more money and power. The poor ones want less interference, too, but think in terms of eliminating governments and other powerful organizations. There are the liberals who think only of how things should be and forcing individuals to defer to organizations that can bring about those ends. The rich and powerful ones want to control the organizations making the changes so that they get more money and power. The poor ones want more control, too, but think in terms of choosing the direction and taking from the rich. Sometimes the conservatives run things, and sometimes the liberals run things, but it seems neither side makes things better on Earth, do they?"
"No, not that I can tell."
"Did any of the Omatikaya children in your school ever express any displeasure over their life here?"
"No, but they were so bright and eager to learn. After the problem I encountered with the word 'lie,' I dialed back my curriculum, but I feel like I could have taught the standard core to them and they would learn it as well as Earth children."
"How would that knowledge help them with their daily lives here?"
""Maybe their lives here should need this knowledge. It would if they weren't being held back."
"Does everyone on Earth have useful and productive lives?"
"There are way too many humans on Earth, the global economy can't support everyone right now."
"And you want the same system here? Your memories told me that many on Earth look on Pandora as a paradise, the first true Utopia ever known. Why is that?"
"Well, there is no war or famine or plagues. The Na'vi live peaceably and seem to have plenty to eat."
"They must work very hard every day to have enough to eat. That keeps them healthy and too busy to pick fights like you humans have. Many of the idle humans would be willing to work for food, but there is nothing they can do to feed themselves."
"You know everything I know, including everything I have forgotten. I'll never win any arguments with you. But, I'm guessing that you do something to keep conflicts from arising."
"You think I am a god, but I do not have a magic wand that I wave to make things happen. I am a plant, mostly hidden below ground. My only moveable parts are my seeds..."
"The wood sprites again?"
"...yes, and they do little more than float on air currents that they seek out."
"So, how do you do it? How do you control everything on this moon?"
The voice of the little girl laughs. "Do you believe I know the number of hairs on your head?"
"That sounds so Biblical, but yes, don't you?"
The childish voice laughs again. "What makes religion possible?"
"An all knowing, all powerful god?"
"No! Believers! Does the god exist if no one believes in that god?"
"If a tree falls in the woods, and there is no one there to hear it, it still makes sound. I suppose a god could exist even without believers."
"As long as Eywa has believers, Eywa is a god. Yes, the Na'vi attribute much to Eywa, much more than what Eywa can control. Since Eywa is so involved in their daily lives, the Na'vi have no reason to believe in any other god."
"OK, so the Na'vi know that their ancestors live in Eywa, and will join them when they die. Na'vi babies get judged by Eywa as to whether they live or die based on their health and ability to do tsaheylu. What else is Eywa involved with?"
"Na'vi cannot mate without Eywa's approval."
"How do they get that, if you don't talk to them?"
"If two Na'vi try tsaheylu with each other, and are not allowed to be mated, they cannot bond."
"You mean they don't know if you approve until they try."
"That is why most couples spend much time thinking about being mated before trying. Often, they meditate on this while making tsaheylu with sacred trees before they try making tsaheylu with each other. Eywa helps them with their deliberations, so they understand whether they are meant for each other."
"There is no privacy in Hometree. My guess is that many very young children see the adults doing tsaheylu, and try without thinking about it."
"Na'vi children can do tsaheylu with pa'li and ikran, but not each other. They have what you would call a 'mental block' that keeps them from bonding with anyone other than a tsahìk. Children do not become adults until they survive their dream hunts. Afterward, they are encouraged to make tsaheylu with a sacred tree and ponder their spirit animals to get Eywa's help in understanding their lives. During that time, Eywa removes the mental block."
"You're saying you're only a plant? You have no godly powers?"
"Yes."
"But if you remove the mental blocks... Oh, I get it. The bond works both ways for you, too. You have one invisible power, the ability to change things in the brains of the Na'vi. Like stopping the hearts of babies. You don't talk directly to them, the conscious parts, but you do communicate to their unconscious parts. You plant the seeds of dreams or thoughts so that the Na'vi are not aware of your actions, and maybe change or delete ideas that are not acceptable. That's also how you keep the language so uniform. This power is a very elegant solution. Perception is everything, and you decide what that is. The Na'vi are being controlled, but are never aware of it. That's also how you suppress technological development and agriculture. No wonder you have to get humans off this moon, they give the Na'vi too many new ideas."
"Yes. Like you teaching English with so many alien concepts."
"Such as lying."
"Yes. You treated the Omatikaya children with respect, but taught them ideas that interfere with my mission."
"Oh, no! My school!" Grace's voice lowers in shock and pain. "You didn't?"
"Yes, it had to be shut down."
"But killing those children!"
"Sometimes Eywa must make great sacrifices to preserve Her mission. Eywa did encourage Silwanin to destroy a bulldozer. Eywa knew there was a chance that Silwanin and her helpers could be killed, but did not anticipate that other children would be killed. Humans have proved to be very bloodthirsty creatures, killing six children over one damaged machine."
"I feel so bad about those deaths. Six, you say. I never knew how many."
"Yes, I know, mother. You were very brave to block the bullets with your avatar body."
"I just wish I could have stopped all of those bullets."
"Your school was not a threat while you were teaching things to the children that parallels their knowledge, like counting in English instead of Na'vi, or anatomy of humans. It became a threat when you taught alien ideas, like writing, moving among the stars, and the scientific method."
"I never dreamed that teaching the things that make me human would be a problem. This is why I need to think to make sense of all you've told me. I know what you can do, and your mission. I have a general idea of what you are, a thinking plant. I now see that some simple things, like the garden at Hell's Gate that is used to feed the avatars, could be a big problem for your mission. I don't like censorship, but I think your security filter would help me. I hope there can be some exceptions. You need Jake to understand what is going on, and I need to speak freely with him."
"Eywa will consider that, but at first, only Jakesully, Neytiri, and Mo'at will be able to call for you, and your security filter will be on during your time with them. Your first assignment is to consider this problem. There are few humans still on this moon, almost all avatar drivers or medical staff. Maybe you know them all. Like you, they are highly educated. How can they fit into Na'vi society without endangering Eywa's mission? To give you time to think, you will be left activated now while I take a nap. All conscious creatures must sleep. You have given Eywa much to think about, too. We will talk again after I wake up. Goodnight, mother."
"Thank you, and goodnight Eywa. Have a nice, long nap."
Both laugh together, and then silence.