WAXING PHILOSOPHIC

“ To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life. ”
— Baruch Spinoza 


Did LOST have its own philosophy?

Philosophy is defined as the study of the fundamental nature, reality and existence; a set of views and theories of a particular person concerning an area of study; the study of theoretical basis of a particular branch of knowledge or experience; an attitude held by a person or organization that acts as a guiding principle for behavior.

Philosophy comes from the Greek word for "love of wisdom."

There were few, if any, wise men and women in the series. Throughout the series, no one actually knew what was going on. Even when the characters wised up and began asking questions, they never pressed to find the real answers. Thus, the viewers were left in a lurch in the information void.

 If we grind down LOST to its bare essential elements, it has to be a story about life and death. So was the series all about the study of the belief, nature and behavior of human beings through their passing life through death?

Most people will concede that the sideways world was the after life, a purgatory. The basis of that information is from Christian speaking to Jack. (There may be a few people who discount the versacity of Christian or the unbelievability that souls can create an complex parallel fantasy world. These people fall into the category that the show was not about real people, but in a dream state or within a video game). 

Now, many of those same sideways purgatory believers doubt that the island was also part of the after life. They firmly believe that the island events were real happening to real people.

Now, the consensus is that the flashbacks of pre-island life were real world events. Each character's backstory needed some logical, concrete context from a real world setting.  

SIDEWAYS = DEATH
ISLAND = LIFE OR DEATH
PRE-ISLAND = LIFE

Some viewers have fixated on the ghost Michael Hurley conversation to pin point the island. Michael tells us that the whispers that the characters heard were "trapped souls" who could not leave the island. Michael, himself, acknowledges that he is trapped soul. This means that some part of the island is spiritual in order to collect and trap a human spirit. It makes sense that Michael's soul would be trapped since he committed two murders on the island. But if the island is a soul containment realm, then how did the human characters get to it?

That is the big premise unanswered question of what is the Island. Is it a real place where real people survived a plane crash? Or is it an unreal place (spirit world) where real people have to cope with their personal sins (like hell or judgment)? Is it an unreal place where dead souls have to redeem themselves in order to leave on the next leg of their after life journey? The last question creates continuity issues since Michael is a trapped soul murderer while Sayid is a free soul murderer in the sideways church. 

A few people believe that the island is like a holding cell: part real and part unreal. Human beings who are in the process of dying (where their time slows down to stop) have one last opportunity to sort themselves out before moving on to heaven, purgatory or hell. Time on the island would be like the time of purgatory sideways world - - - irrelevant and non-existent; non-linear and unmeasurable. A few dying seconds in the plane crash could be three years in island event time.

One thing is clear: LOST gives us no direct parameters or viewpoints about the goal posts between life and death. The lack of a moral compass in most of the LOST characters is another indication that the island events are not part of any religious cycle of testing, punishment or redemption.

There may be one disheartening note. As Jacob told his campfire candidates, he picked them because they all were like him: living lonely and miserable lives. So when the reunion is held at the church after everyone's life has ended, it is a reunion of lonely losers. What is extremely harsh is that except for Jack, none of the other church members were greeted by their dead parents or ancestors. Except for Boone and Shannon, none of the  church members were greeted by their dead siblings. Isn't that extremely odd?

 It would seem that the message is that friendships (no matter how short or shallow) are more important than family. If that is the real litmus test for after life salvation, the vast majority of people would reject it. Family, even with all its complex issues, is still the bedrock foundation for all human existence.