“The Force” and “The Way” — Avatars, Movies, and the Future of Human Flourishing

I hadn’t thought much about the word “avatar” until James Cameron’s movie came out. After enjoying it immensely, I realized that he’d used technology to analogously portray the spirit-to-matter process whereby Divine Spirit vibrationally “individuates” a life force or soul, which then “inhabits” a physical body being produced by the “union” of egg and sperm. Appreciating the parallel between the movie and human incarnation, the word began to show up in various readings, informing me that common to both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, in times of turmoil God sends avatars to show us the way through. In Hinduism avatāra refers to “divine descent.”

Among the avatars Jesus stands uniquely as “love incarnate,” not merely revealing the divine or pointing toward awakening but embodying self-giving love as the very substance of God in human form. His presence as such doesn’t minimize the roles of other avatars or enlightened figures, but integrates their deepest truths—wisdom, compassion, liberation—into a single, living revelation—love made flesh, dwelling among us.

“Christ” (The Anointed One)

We speak of “Jesus The Christ,” because “Christ” is his role, not his last name. In the Greek Septuagint, χριστός (chrīstós) was a semantic loan word used to translate the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ, messiah) meaning “[one who is] anointed.” The disciple Andrew was the first to recognize Jesus as the one sent by God to fulfill the roles of Prophet (Revealing God’s word), Priest (Offering himself as sacrifice) and King (ruling with divine authority). Reading that he told his brother Peter, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41), it helps to know that his coming was rooted in the Old Testament royal tradition of King David, where leaders were anointed with oil to show they were chosen by God. Andrew’s recognition was a powerful intuitive (perhaps karmic) experience, prompted by Jesus’ magnetic presence and wisdom.

We’ve Come a Long Way

From early humanity’s struggle for survival within nature, human consciousness has progressively externalized itself—materially into agriculture, cities and global infrastructures; technologically into tools that extend memory, perception and intelligence; socially into widening circles of cooperation from tribe to nation to planetary interdependence; and spiritually into an expanding awareness that moves from appeasing external forces (gods) toward interior realization, compassion and moral-ethical behavior.

Where We Are

What began as survival awareness has matured into reflective, world-shaping consciousness. Yet this outward expansion, currently experiencing systemic breakdown due to self-centeredness and the illusion of separation, presses toward an inward necessity: the cultivation of a unitive, love-centered awareness—Christ Consciousness—if humanity’s immense material and technological power is to be guided toward a sustainable and life-affirming future.

Christ Consciousness

In a personal and social context, “Christ Consciousness” can be understood not as a sectarian doctrine, but as a lived state of awakened awareness characterized by unconditional love of all being(s), non-separation and compassion. While it refers to the consciousness expressed in the life and teachings of Jesus the Christ, by extension it’s a universal spiritual potential capable, on this planet, of elevating human consciousness—and the quality of life for all.

Personal Dimension

Christ Consciousness begins with a shift in identity—from ego-centered striving to what Paul the Apostle described as “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

In practice, this looks like greater inner stillness, a sense of fitness within a greater whole, decreased reactivity and living from love rather than hate or fear. It’s also a shift in perception, choosing to see the divine spark (presence) in all people, events and objects including the Earth and the screen you’re looking at. Other people then, are bearers of intrinsic dignity deserving of respect. Conflict is approached as miscommunication or misunderstanding, not enemy-making. Nature is experienced as sacred, not merely utilitarian. A pattern of self-giving replaces self-centeredness: listening more than dominating; serving and contributing without agenda; acting from generosity rather than self-protection. And in some way healing those we meet through the quality of our presence and expression.

Social Dimension

To be authentic, Christ Consciousness cannot remain private. As a divine energy, it flows into the world, word-by-word, act-by-act. Jesus lived it and articulated some of the principles in his Sermon on the Mount. In order to infuse them into everyday living, they can be identified more commonly as our highest human characteristics. Uppermost relative to Jesus’ life and teachings are love, compassion, truth, forgiveness, humility, generosity, gratitude and goodness. Derivatives of these include expressions of healing, appreciation, kindness, courage, awareness, peace and wisdom.

In government, these can manifest as restorative rather than a punitive justice system, policies shaped by human dignity rather than profit alone and leadership grounded in service. In discourse, Christ Consciousness dissolves rigid boundaries of inside/outside groups, promotes dialogue and inclusion across ideological divides, celebrates diverse viewpoints and the flourishing of the social and global bodies. And as love in action it manifests as nonviolent resistance, truth-telling without judgement and social systems motivated by love, caring, ethics and service. It’s the parent correcting a child without shaming, a journalist reporting the unvarnished truth in context, business leaders prioritizing the long-term and whole systems well-being (profit) and citizens engaging their political opponents with firmness and respect. Christ Consciousness is quiet, steady and luminous. Not grandiose.

Avatars

Krishna (c. 3228–3102 BCE, India) – Embodiment of Divine love, joy and wisdom. Through the Bhagavad Gita he taught dharma (the way), devotion and transcendence.

Gautama Buddha (c. 563–483 BCE, India/Nepal) – “The Awakened One” revealed the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path that guide liberation and compassion.

Zoroaster (approx. 1500–1000 BCE, Iran) – The prophet of ethical choice taught Ahura Mazda—truth vs. falsehood and righteous living.

Laozi (6th–3rd c. BCE, China) – The “Sage of the Dao” taught non-action, simplicity and harmony with the cosmic order.

Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BCE–30/33 CE, Judea) – Christ incarnate taught unconditional love, forgiveness and the kingdom of God.

Kuan Yin / Avalokiteshvara (various, East Asia/India) – This Bodhisattva of Compassion delayed liberation from the cycle of reincarnation in order to aid all beings.

Meher Baba (1894–1969, India) – Declared  an avatar, he taught oneness of God and awakening to universal love.

Sathya Sai Baba (1926–2011, India) – An avatar who embodied selfless service, urging “Love All, Serve All.”

Amma / Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (b. 1953, India) – An embodiment of compassion. She taught divine presence through care and solace.

Christ / Cosmic Christ (timeless, global) – Through the agency of Jesus of Nazareth, the “Eternal World Teacher” transmits Divine love and synthesis across humanity.

Maitreya (timeless, esoteric) – A predicted avatar, this “World Teacher” is expected to bring unity, synthesis and planetary awakening.

The early versions of the Star Wars movies touched my transcendent nerve. When a character said, “May the force be with you” I took it to mean the deepest, most powerful force in the universe, which I interpreted as Divine love. “Divine,” because Yoda in particular was performing ultra-human feats. Also in the Jedi Master Obi-Wan-Kenobi, I saw a God-realized being offering himself physically (dying), to become a presence in the Spirit realm that championed the The Force to conquer evil.

When The Mandalorian series came out and I kept hearing their mantra, “This is the way,” I took it as a hint that their culture was motivated by a powerful spiritual force that united their mission in life. Love I’d hoped. When audiences resonate with avatars in the movie series by the same name, “May the Force be with you” from Star Wars and hear “This is the way” in The Mandalorian, something more and deeper resides in the story. Mystical beings, images and phrases endure because they speak to the quiet intuition within us: that life participates in a greater field of meaning, that alignment with it matters and that the way we live either harmonizes with or resists the deeper current of life. Across cultures and eras, humans have felt and appreciated the mystical dimension—a unifying presence, a moral gravity, a living coherence beneath surface fragmentation and materialism.

In the Christian story, Jesus the Christ embodied that alignment fully. His life modeled what human flourishing looks like when rooted in self-giving love, fearless truth and unbroken communion with the Whole. “Christ Consciousness” names this alignment, not as doctrine imposed from above but as awakened awareness lived from within. It’s “The Force” as love rather than domination. It’s “The Way” of spiritual transformation and relational maturity rather than conspicuous consumption, social polarization and tribal certainty. Considering the mega-crisis, declining trust in leaders and increasing social uncertainty, moving toward Christ Consciousness is not merely a private spiritual aspiration. It’s a global civilizational necessity. The longing is already in us. And we have the model, the Way through. The question is whether our governments, media, commerce—and our lives—will embody it.

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