Is Eywa sadistic?

[Eternal Enigma]

Do I think Eywa is sadistic?

Sadistic: (adjective)

1. Pertaining to or characterized by sadism; deriving pleasure or sexual gratification from extreme cruelty: a sadistic psychopath.

Sadism: (noun)

1. In psychiatry the condition in which sexual gratification depends on causing pain or degradation to others.

2. Any enjoyment in being cruel.

3. Extreme cruelty.



Short answer... no I do not think Eywa derives pleasure or sexual gratification from being cruel.

I think it took all the animals on Pandora a while to mobilize for an attack and during that time unfortunately a lot of Na'vi lost their lives.

[ScottWashburn]

I've explored this question in some of my fan fiction. If we accept Grace's hypothesis that Eywa is a vast network of connected life forms that has become self-aware, then we can think of Eywa as a kind of gigantic computer with the various life forms acting as circuits. In our own electronic computers the speed of the processor is dependent on the physical distance between the circuits. The closer the circuits, the faster the speed. In human computers the distance between circuits is usually measured in microns or other very small measurements. But Eywa's 'circuits' are often meters or even kilometers apart. The result would be a VERY slow computer. So my theory is that Eywa made what was for her a very quick decision to come to the aid of the Navi, except for her a quick decision could still take several days So it wasn't sadism, it was just a slow processor speed.

[Porthos1]

^Like; I would change the "Super Computer" to sentient being with failrly quick processing speeds. Norm was amazed how fast the root reacted to being probed. She had to gather her Sturmbeasts and Banchees fairly quickly as Jake only talked with her about it in the late evening hours. Not a lot of time. ;-)

[Scott]

Super Computer sounds lifeless, mechanical, an utterly unflattering term for Eywa...at first glance. The human brain is basically a biological super computer. The differences between the machine I am writing on and the machine in my head is reasoning, self awareness, and emotions.

So lets look and see if Ewya displays these traits in Avatar. First, she showed reason to protect Jake Sully not once, but twice, with Atokirina. Self Aware. Jake Sully asked Eywa for help and she did. She understood a request directly purposed to her, she therefore has awareness. Emotion is both the hardest and the easiest to prove, depending upon the observer of Eywa. My firm belief is you have to care about life in order to be a protector of the balance of life. Some could argue this is self serving; That Eywa benefits from living things and cares about them in a lesser animal instinct fashion. If that was the case, why not wipe out humans on Pandora long before Jake arrives? Afterall they(the humans)are diminishing Eywa's forests. Surely Jake Sully didn't teach Eywa how to control animals and make them do her bidding. She possessed that power already.

Lets also look at the effort Eywa undertook bringing Jake Sully to the Omaticaya and more importantly, Neytiri. The whole things screams 'motherly matchmaker' when you look at how Neytiri just happened to be alone when a defenseless Jake Sully is literally driven into her sights. And Ewya did not stop them from mating in the Trees of voices; it can be surmised that no one or nothing was getting anywhere near them til after dawn because Eywa wanted them to be together. I'm curious how many Thanators were guarding around the edges of the grove that night =)

[Theorist]

Well if she is a deity she should have known that Navi were going to get butchered by humans before the battle commenced. Even I knew that(like any sensible human) Na'vi had no chance against humans who had such monstrous technology at their side.
I think a creature with the ability to create the universe(or at least Pandora) should have some sense and vision(which seems to be missing in Eywa). Or as the topic suggests Eywa is sadistic or bored so she wants to see some action and blood?

"If you do too much people begin to rely on you. If you do to little people lose faith in you. If you do things just right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all."

In my opinion, Eywa did things just right. Could she have known the outcome, but still waited? yes. Why? She waited until the time was right that she would least interfere with the balance of life.