There was a lot of noise or static if one tried to visual the storyboards for the series. When two story lines crisscrossed they may have canceled each other out. When one character seemed to be getting his or her way, they were always brought down a peg. There seemed to be a back and forth plot tide sloshing between character backstories and the island events. Three years after there is still little clarity.
From the most basic perspective, the island was surrounded by the sea. The sea was an historic barrier to people. Technology kept human beings at the shorelines until boats were invented. But even after exploration became normal, we still do not know much about the oceans. Its breath and depth continue to be a barrier to scientific observation. The open ocean is still a vast and dangerous place. So let us assume then the setting of the LOST island surrounded by the sea. The surrounding sea is symbolic of a barrier.
So what did the barrier keep out?
If Jacob's story is true, then it would be people. The barrier kept the island hidden from public view. Only those invited to the island could see it.
Now, to explain this island barrier. The barrier could be a technology that cloaks the island from physical view (by bending light to make it appear to be open ocean). The barrier could be an dimensional barrier in a science fiction context of the space between parallel universes.
If the island is on Earth by hidden from modern man, why would that be necessary? If the island was the lost city of Atlantis it may have been hidden to keep advanced technology from modern man, who would use it against each other which would destroy the planet. If the barrier was a locked door between dimensional universes, allowing a creature to pass through could have catastrophic effects in the other universe.
The island's most valuable secret is its unique electromagnetic energy. If this is the advanced technology (how to harness it or weaponize it), that may be why Widmore wants to return and seize it to become the sole ruler of the planet. If the Light Source is life, death and rebirth, then its immortality properties could alter the balance of Earth's resources and cause massive overpopulation and the collapse of mankind into endless wars (as one predictor of the Valenzetti Equation.)
In the series, the Valenzetti Equation was a mathematical equation developed by the reclusive Princeton University mathematician. It was after the Cuban Missile
Crisis to find a solution to
the hostility and danger of imminent global disaster created by the Cold
War. The equation was secretly commissioned through the UN Security
Council and is used to predict the time of human extinction.
The Valenzetti Equation "predicts the exact number of years and months until humanity extinguishes itself."
A few of the factors included overpopulation, famine and war.
In the orientation videos, the numerical values to the core environmental and human factors of
the Valenzetti Equation.DHARMA was charged with the research to change the numerical values of any one of the core factors in the
equation in order to give humanity a chance to survive by, effectively,
changing doomsday. However, it was determined that the scientists failed to change the values through
manipulating the environment, as the equation continues to arrive at the
same six numbers.
The Light Source in effect is both the cause for and the solution to the Valenzetti problem. As such, it was too dangerous to be given to modern man to study or use.
If the island barrier was a locked portal to another dimension, what was being held back from modern Earth? Apparently, we would have to conclude that the smoke monster. It was Flocke who told everyone that his sole mission was to escape the island. If the smoke monster got out into the real world, it would probably destroy everything in its path. So "in order to save the world" Desmond was recruited to push the button to maintain the barrier to keep the smoke monster on the island.
The smoke monster could be symbolic of many things, including Satan, the king of darkness, the evil incarnate. Or it could be a rogue variant to upset the balance on Earth by introducing chaos in everyone's daily lives. It could also be an parallel universe's disease ("the infection") which could cause madness or death if released into our universe. Dharma scientists were to study the sickness in order to find a cure so they could travel to the other universe to exploit its resources.
Any of those propositions would have given the series a sturdy story foundation from which the writers could build upon and from which the viewers could readily assess the context of the events happening to the characters. But instead of revealing what the island sea meant, we are kept in perpetual darkness.
In the theme of light and dark, dark represents death. The series did deal with the issue of life and death decisions. In fact, it desensitized death by the repetitive slaughter of characters by various means of demise (gun shot, spear, explosion, drowning, etc.) If the island was a final passageway to another dimension, it could be the after life since that is where all the island characters wound up in the end.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
YOU TAKE THE WORK YOU CAN
We have observed that most of the LOST actors have not had superstar or steller post-LOST acting careers. Whether they have been pigeon holed into sci-fi roles, secondary character acting parts or even given starring roles in new TV pilots, no one truly has had the success or demographics of their time on the ABC series.
Acting is a tough business. There are more actors than parts. It is a game of Hollywood politics. Producers and agents make deals with studios who sell to network distributors. There is little merit or rhyme or reason to why some actors continually get high profile parts while other more talented actors get hit or miss roles.
The most current example of this is serialization of another one of those cable news channel's overblown coverage of a murder trial. The LOST angle is the star of this quick to film made-for-TV movie.
The Lifetime network announced “Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret” will hit the small screen in June.
The flick will star “Lost” actress Tania Raymonde as Arias. Raymonde played Alex on LOST.
On May 8, 2013 a Phoenix jury found 32-year-old Arias guilty of murder of her boyfriend. The evidence presented at trial was that Arias stabbed and slashed him nearly 30 times, slit his throat from ear to ear and shot him in the forehead in what prosecutors described as a jealous rage after the victim wanted to end their affair and planned to head off on a trip to Mexico with another woman.
The case got massive nightly cable television coverage due to its explicit sex, lies, obsessive behavior and the oddity that the attractive defendant testified in her own defense. Badly.
This is why the general public gets a flawed view of the American legal system. The Arias trial was televised so the network had essentially months of "free" programming for their pundits to chew on. In a normal case in any other big city, a murder trial lasts less than three days. Judges and prosecutors have thousands of cases to deal with and no time to spend months on a simple preppy murder case.
Acting is a tough business. There are more actors than parts. It is a game of Hollywood politics. Producers and agents make deals with studios who sell to network distributors. There is little merit or rhyme or reason to why some actors continually get high profile parts while other more talented actors get hit or miss roles.
The most current example of this is serialization of another one of those cable news channel's overblown coverage of a murder trial. The LOST angle is the star of this quick to film made-for-TV movie.
The Lifetime network announced “Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret” will hit the small screen in June.
The flick will star “Lost” actress Tania Raymonde as Arias. Raymonde played Alex on LOST.
On May 8, 2013 a Phoenix jury found 32-year-old Arias guilty of murder of her boyfriend. The evidence presented at trial was that Arias stabbed and slashed him nearly 30 times, slit his throat from ear to ear and shot him in the forehead in what prosecutors described as a jealous rage after the victim wanted to end their affair and planned to head off on a trip to Mexico with another woman.
The case got massive nightly cable television coverage due to its explicit sex, lies, obsessive behavior and the oddity that the attractive defendant testified in her own defense. Badly.
This is why the general public gets a flawed view of the American legal system. The Arias trial was televised so the network had essentially months of "free" programming for their pundits to chew on. In a normal case in any other big city, a murder trial lasts less than three days. Judges and prosecutors have thousands of cases to deal with and no time to spend months on a simple preppy murder case.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
BROTHERS
The closest bond a person will ever have in their life is with their spouse or significant other. The next closest bond is between brothers.
“ A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother. ”
— Benjamin Franklin
But what is a brother? The word is defined as follows:
1.a man or boy in relation to other sons and daughters of his parents.
2. a male associate or fellow member of an organization: fraternity brothers.
3. (also brothaor bruthah ) informal for a black man (slang)
4. a fellow human being.
5. a thing that resembles or is connected to another thing;
6. Christian Church a (male) fellow Christian.
7. a member of a religious order or congregation of men
8. used to express annoyance or surprise.
The main male characters were not related to each other by blood. Their only connection was living through a traumatic event on par with soldiers on a battle field.
The did not voluntarily join a club like fraternity brothers, who swear an allegiance to each other. There time together was marked by disputes, leadership struggles and fights.
The one thing that connected them together was the fact that they were on some immortal and potentially crazy man’s “list of candidates.” They had nothing in common, except a medical background of Jack and Bernard.
None of them had outspoken Christian values or grouped people in a congregation based upon those principles. In fact, most of the main male characters were generally annoyed by the personalities, traits and opinions of their fellow castaways.
So the only true connection between Jack, Sayid, Sawyer, and Locke were the survival of a plane crash and the mutual struggles on the island. Yes, they were fellow human beings but one contained a monster (Sayid's violent tendencies) and one became a monster (Locke).
Were Jack and Sayid close friends? No. They were colleagues who often agreed on strategy to survive. But Sayid was always looking to cover his own back first.
Were Jack and Sawyer close friends? No. They were rivals for materials on the island after the crash (medical supplies, weapons, food). They were rivals for Kate's affection. They never truly got along. Sawyer did not stay to help Jack fight MIB.
Were Jack and Locke friends? No. They never met eye to eye on their view point of science verus faith to explain the unnatural elements of the island. Locke was too trusting, and Jack was too stubborn in his personal views. They never truly got along.
Were Jack and Jin friends? No. They could not communicate because of a language barrier. Jin favored isolation away from Jack's main group. There was some respect for their skills, but Jin never fought for Jack's vision of the means to survive on the island.
So none of the major male relationships have any hard element of brotherhood, a strong bond through thick and thin, the best of time or the worst of times.
So the brotherhood angle of the LOST saga again falls on the realationship between Jacob and MIB. A relationship founded upon a kidnapping by a crazy woman, no father figure, parent constraints and child rebellion, and finally murder. Jacob and MIB's home was not the island but it was their living hell. Their crazy mother who killed their real mother raised them in secrecy of their true past. They lived in isolated place under rules that granted them a form of immortality under the pains of imprisonment.
One cannot say that Jacob and his brother were actual friends. They merely tolerated each other growing up as children. They did not have other humans to develop social skills or gain knowledge outside their adoptive mother's rules. When MIB broke away from his mother's dictatorship as a young adult to live with the survivors of the shipwreck, his one goal was to get away from the island. Jacob did the opposite. He stayed with Crazy Mother and broke the one family tie he had on the island.
“ A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother. ”
— Benjamin Franklin
But what is a brother? The word is defined as follows:
1.a man or boy in relation to other sons and daughters of his parents.
2. a male associate or fellow member of an organization: fraternity brothers.
3. (also brothaor bruthah ) informal for a black man (slang)
4. a fellow human being.
5. a thing that resembles or is connected to another thing;
6. Christian Church a (male) fellow Christian.
7. a member of a religious order or congregation of men
8. used to express annoyance or surprise.
The main male characters were not related to each other by blood. Their only connection was living through a traumatic event on par with soldiers on a battle field.
The did not voluntarily join a club like fraternity brothers, who swear an allegiance to each other. There time together was marked by disputes, leadership struggles and fights.
The one thing that connected them together was the fact that they were on some immortal and potentially crazy man’s “list of candidates.” They had nothing in common, except a medical background of Jack and Bernard.
None of them had outspoken Christian values or grouped people in a congregation based upon those principles. In fact, most of the main male characters were generally annoyed by the personalities, traits and opinions of their fellow castaways.
So the only true connection between Jack, Sayid, Sawyer, and Locke were the survival of a plane crash and the mutual struggles on the island. Yes, they were fellow human beings but one contained a monster (Sayid's violent tendencies) and one became a monster (Locke).
Were Jack and Sayid close friends? No. They were colleagues who often agreed on strategy to survive. But Sayid was always looking to cover his own back first.
Were Jack and Sawyer close friends? No. They were rivals for materials on the island after the crash (medical supplies, weapons, food). They were rivals for Kate's affection. They never truly got along. Sawyer did not stay to help Jack fight MIB.
Were Jack and Locke friends? No. They never met eye to eye on their view point of science verus faith to explain the unnatural elements of the island. Locke was too trusting, and Jack was too stubborn in his personal views. They never truly got along.
Were Jack and Jin friends? No. They could not communicate because of a language barrier. Jin favored isolation away from Jack's main group. There was some respect for their skills, but Jin never fought for Jack's vision of the means to survive on the island.
So none of the major male relationships have any hard element of brotherhood, a strong bond through thick and thin, the best of time or the worst of times.
So the brotherhood angle of the LOST saga again falls on the realationship between Jacob and MIB. A relationship founded upon a kidnapping by a crazy woman, no father figure, parent constraints and child rebellion, and finally murder. Jacob and MIB's home was not the island but it was their living hell. Their crazy mother who killed their real mother raised them in secrecy of their true past. They lived in isolated place under rules that granted them a form of immortality under the pains of imprisonment.
One cannot say that Jacob and his brother were actual friends. They merely tolerated each other growing up as children. They did not have other humans to develop social skills or gain knowledge outside their adoptive mother's rules. When MIB broke away from his mother's dictatorship as a young adult to live with the survivors of the shipwreck, his one goal was to get away from the island. Jacob did the opposite. He stayed with Crazy Mother and broke the one family tie he had on the island.
THREE YEARS
This month marks the third anniversary of the conclusion of the LOST series.
What has become of the television program that many thought was "ground breaking" or
"one of the best" in a generation?
It skidded off the runway and into a footnote of television history.
Its main cast members have not been able to catapult their six seasons on LOST into
a blockbuster, starring role acting careers.
And after three years, the rabid fan base quickly defused away. The fan sites and commentary communities have faded away to probably less than a hand full.
And after three years, there has been no definitive answers to the major unanswered questions. Even after a full rewatch of the series, there are actually more questions that were missed during the first viewing.
If there is a reason, the blame would be on the confusing Season 6 new tangent story lines and the whole sideways arc leading to the disingenuous happy ending in the sideways church.
One would have thought that the main writers, showrunners or executive producers would have leveraged the confusion and published a clear vision of what the series was truly about. One would have expected that the authors of the series would have had the back bone to tell us in their own final words what was happening on the island, what was the island, what were the characters going through, the big premise and explanation of the big mysteries. But that has not happened, and we can expect it never will happen.
Which feeds the content ulceration in the pit of fans that the series did not a have true vision. That it was a creature of its own success; that it was a formula series of throwing out shocking twists, random easter eggs, and double-switch dead end plot lines. The only thing that appears to have been mapped out from the beginning was Jack's eye opening and eye closing. The rest appears to have been random confusion in order to maintain fan curiosity interest. When the actors readily admitted that during filming that they had no idea where the series was heading or what certain things meant, that was truly a bad sign. It all feeds the worst case scenario: that TPTB were making it up on the fly.
That is the bitter after taste of the series. A choking Castor oil measure of truth that nothing has been truly resolved and nothing shall ever be resolved to anyone's satisfaction.
The reason so many die-hard fans quickly accepted the happy ending reunion was that was a simple farewell to the characters they grew fond of during six seasons. But it is also the reason that the vast majority of those viewers ended their community posting, blogging and fandom for the series because they could not explain what just happened to their favorite show. Some felt tricked. Some felt disappointed. Some felt relieved that it was over. The investment of time of watching the show when it aired was multiplied by those who researched, commented up and theorized about each show on the internet. Suddenly, they had their own lives back. They have drifted back into the shadows with their own thoughts and opinions.
There has been a great back lash against the "leave them hanging" ending to television series like The Sopranos. I have compared it to reading a long and intense novel only to find that the publisher had ripped out the last chapter of the book. There is an unwritten bond between television show and its loyal viewers: a mystery show needs to explain its mysteries otherwise it is a farce to the genre.
Why do I continue to write about the series? It is a nagging proposition to find something hidden in plain sight to alter my perspective on the show's ending.
One could say that TPTB silence reinforces the notion that they did not need to tell us in plain English what the series was about because all the clues were present. But in my fan communities, we analyzed, broke apart, reworked, debated and debunked so many clues to make the show's continuity in reality clueless. The producers silence is not a pardon for not properly ending the show in a manner where the conclusion is still open to such wide ranging debate. It is like watching an expensive Broadway play, but at the beginning of the third act the director comes out on stage and tells the audience to finish the production by themselves.
There is an old expression: time heals all wounds. I doubt there will ever be a time when the true meaning of LOST's ending is found.
What has become of the television program that many thought was "ground breaking" or
"one of the best" in a generation?
It skidded off the runway and into a footnote of television history.
Its main cast members have not been able to catapult their six seasons on LOST into
a blockbuster, starring role acting careers.
And after three years, the rabid fan base quickly defused away. The fan sites and commentary communities have faded away to probably less than a hand full.
And after three years, there has been no definitive answers to the major unanswered questions. Even after a full rewatch of the series, there are actually more questions that were missed during the first viewing.
If there is a reason, the blame would be on the confusing Season 6 new tangent story lines and the whole sideways arc leading to the disingenuous happy ending in the sideways church.
One would have thought that the main writers, showrunners or executive producers would have leveraged the confusion and published a clear vision of what the series was truly about. One would have expected that the authors of the series would have had the back bone to tell us in their own final words what was happening on the island, what was the island, what were the characters going through, the big premise and explanation of the big mysteries. But that has not happened, and we can expect it never will happen.
Which feeds the content ulceration in the pit of fans that the series did not a have true vision. That it was a creature of its own success; that it was a formula series of throwing out shocking twists, random easter eggs, and double-switch dead end plot lines. The only thing that appears to have been mapped out from the beginning was Jack's eye opening and eye closing. The rest appears to have been random confusion in order to maintain fan curiosity interest. When the actors readily admitted that during filming that they had no idea where the series was heading or what certain things meant, that was truly a bad sign. It all feeds the worst case scenario: that TPTB were making it up on the fly.
That is the bitter after taste of the series. A choking Castor oil measure of truth that nothing has been truly resolved and nothing shall ever be resolved to anyone's satisfaction.
The reason so many die-hard fans quickly accepted the happy ending reunion was that was a simple farewell to the characters they grew fond of during six seasons. But it is also the reason that the vast majority of those viewers ended their community posting, blogging and fandom for the series because they could not explain what just happened to their favorite show. Some felt tricked. Some felt disappointed. Some felt relieved that it was over. The investment of time of watching the show when it aired was multiplied by those who researched, commented up and theorized about each show on the internet. Suddenly, they had their own lives back. They have drifted back into the shadows with their own thoughts and opinions.
There has been a great back lash against the "leave them hanging" ending to television series like The Sopranos. I have compared it to reading a long and intense novel only to find that the publisher had ripped out the last chapter of the book. There is an unwritten bond between television show and its loyal viewers: a mystery show needs to explain its mysteries otherwise it is a farce to the genre.
Why do I continue to write about the series? It is a nagging proposition to find something hidden in plain sight to alter my perspective on the show's ending.
One could say that TPTB silence reinforces the notion that they did not need to tell us in plain English what the series was about because all the clues were present. But in my fan communities, we analyzed, broke apart, reworked, debated and debunked so many clues to make the show's continuity in reality clueless. The producers silence is not a pardon for not properly ending the show in a manner where the conclusion is still open to such wide ranging debate. It is like watching an expensive Broadway play, but at the beginning of the third act the director comes out on stage and tells the audience to finish the production by themselves.
There is an old expression: time heals all wounds. I doubt there will ever be a time when the true meaning of LOST's ending is found.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
RESURRECTION
Most LOST fans do not want to consider that the show was truly a story about people traveling through purgatory. They make their belief based upon TPTB statements in Season 1 that the show was not about purgatory. Well, one explanation is that TPTB lied. The series is full of images and symbols of the after life and a purgatory journey of lost souls. TPTB also told us that we would get answers to the deep questions and mysteries of the series. They lied about that, too.
For if all the major issues were addressed by the finale, we would still not be wandering the theoretical desert trying to find answers.
Resurrection, eternal life, and reincarnation are recurring themes in the plots and sets of the show. Christian, Egyptian, and Native American symbols were used to reinforce these themes.
The most common images of the after life theme were the Egyptian hieroglyphs and temples. The ancient Egyptians had an advanced funeral rites religious take on death. The temples and pyramids were grand palaces to worship the gods to help the worthy through their perilous journey through the after life. A prime example of the theme coming full bore is a dead Sayid being reincarnated in the temple pool.
Other aspects of the Egyptian death culture were found in the frozen donkey wheel chamber where the hieroglyphs referenced resurrection and portals to "Earth gates." The Egyptians believed that a dead person's soul and body would be split in the after life and travel through the various levels of the underworld to be reunited in paradise. The Hatch's warning glyphs stated "He Escapes Place of Death." The unique Egyptian cross, the Ankh, is seen in symbol form and worn as a pendant by Dharma leaders prior to the purge. Christian crosses, such as the one worn by Eko, were also seen throughout the series. Churches, were people pray for the souls of their departed, were also settings in the series.
On the Geronimo Jackson artwork, the Native American symbol of a hatband is shown. It represents everlasting life. The native tribes had a clear sense of a cycle of life by living on the plains. This cycle of life and rebirth follows the natural observation of nature's seasons. When Aaron was born, Boone had just died which shows a connection to the cycle of life from death. Even the Dharma symbols of ying-yang represent the circle of life; an endless balance and cycle of the univese which includes reincarnation as an essential element of its religion.
Locke was immersed in the resurrection theme. As a boy, Alpert visits him at a foster home. Alpert gives Locke several items to view. He then asks him which objects are "his." This test is similar to tests are done to find the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. When Locke is working a cross word puzzle, one of the answers is from the story of Gilgamesh, in which the main character searches for immortality. When Locke is killed off the island by Ben, Locke's body was returned to the island. As a result, MIB transformed into Locke's image, a form of reincarnation, to instill fear and loyalty in those remaining survivors.
After Locke's death, his body was transported by "Canton-Rainier" which is an anagram for "reincarnation." To take the effort to make an anagram for what was going to happen in the series could be considered foreshadowing or an explanation of what the series is truly about.
There were also clear references to religious texts and beliefs. Ajira Flight 316 takes its number from the most recognizable biblical quotation, John 3:16. The passage states: "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Eko's walking stick contained numerous references including "Colossians”, which includes the text: "When you were dead in your sins... God made you alive with Christ..." (Colossians 2:13)The appearance of his dead brother to Eko is also similar to the new testament passages of how Jesus came to be seen by his apostles after his death and resurrection.
While the action of LOST clearly contained struggles of life and death, hidden in plain sight were symbols and acknowledgments by the writers that the deeper meaning present was resurrection, eternal life, and reincarnation.
For if all the major issues were addressed by the finale, we would still not be wandering the theoretical desert trying to find answers.
Resurrection, eternal life, and reincarnation are recurring themes in the plots and sets of the show. Christian, Egyptian, and Native American symbols were used to reinforce these themes.
The most common images of the after life theme were the Egyptian hieroglyphs and temples. The ancient Egyptians had an advanced funeral rites religious take on death. The temples and pyramids were grand palaces to worship the gods to help the worthy through their perilous journey through the after life. A prime example of the theme coming full bore is a dead Sayid being reincarnated in the temple pool.
Other aspects of the Egyptian death culture were found in the frozen donkey wheel chamber where the hieroglyphs referenced resurrection and portals to "Earth gates." The Egyptians believed that a dead person's soul and body would be split in the after life and travel through the various levels of the underworld to be reunited in paradise. The Hatch's warning glyphs stated "He Escapes Place of Death." The unique Egyptian cross, the Ankh, is seen in symbol form and worn as a pendant by Dharma leaders prior to the purge. Christian crosses, such as the one worn by Eko, were also seen throughout the series. Churches, were people pray for the souls of their departed, were also settings in the series.
On the Geronimo Jackson artwork, the Native American symbol of a hatband is shown. It represents everlasting life. The native tribes had a clear sense of a cycle of life by living on the plains. This cycle of life and rebirth follows the natural observation of nature's seasons. When Aaron was born, Boone had just died which shows a connection to the cycle of life from death. Even the Dharma symbols of ying-yang represent the circle of life; an endless balance and cycle of the univese which includes reincarnation as an essential element of its religion.
Locke was immersed in the resurrection theme. As a boy, Alpert visits him at a foster home. Alpert gives Locke several items to view. He then asks him which objects are "his." This test is similar to tests are done to find the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. When Locke is working a cross word puzzle, one of the answers is from the story of Gilgamesh, in which the main character searches for immortality. When Locke is killed off the island by Ben, Locke's body was returned to the island. As a result, MIB transformed into Locke's image, a form of reincarnation, to instill fear and loyalty in those remaining survivors.
After Locke's death, his body was transported by "Canton-Rainier" which is an anagram for "reincarnation." To take the effort to make an anagram for what was going to happen in the series could be considered foreshadowing or an explanation of what the series is truly about.
There were also clear references to religious texts and beliefs. Ajira Flight 316 takes its number from the most recognizable biblical quotation, John 3:16. The passage states: "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Eko's walking stick contained numerous references including "Colossians”, which includes the text: "When you were dead in your sins... God made you alive with Christ..." (Colossians 2:13)The appearance of his dead brother to Eko is also similar to the new testament passages of how Jesus came to be seen by his apostles after his death and resurrection.
While the action of LOST clearly contained struggles of life and death, hidden in plain sight were symbols and acknowledgments by the writers that the deeper meaning present was resurrection, eternal life, and reincarnation.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
EYES
LOST referenced the image of an eye throughout the series.
An eye can see.
An eye can be deceived.
In some cultures, the eye is the gateway to a person's soul.
In some cultures, dying with eyes open is interpreted as dying in a state of unrest or mission in life unfulfilled.
The eye is a remarkable bio-mechanical machine. The basic components of the vertebrate eye are a transparent cornea, an adjustable iris, a lens for focusing, a sensitive retina lining the back of the eye which corresponds to visual light detection, and a clear fluid- or jelly-filled center. The most primitive animals only have one or two eye spots, while many other invertebrates have several simple eyes or a pair of compound eyes.
Common phrases or meanings all have references to LOST's story themes:
"all eyes" is used to convey that a particular person or thing is currently the focus of public interest or attention;
"before (or under ) one's ( very ) eyes" or "right in front of one" denotes an unpleasant or destructive event witnessed by a person.
"close (or shut ) one's eyes" is to refuse to notice or acknowledge something unwelcome or unpleasant:
"an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is used to refer to the belief that punishment in kind is the appropriate way to deal with an offense or crime as set forth in biblical allusion to Exod. 21: 24.
"the eye of the storm" is the calm region at the center of a storm.
"the eye of the wind (also the wind's eye)" is the direction from which the wind is blowing.
"eyes front" is a military command to turn the head in the particular direction stated.
" bird's-eye view" is seeing something or someone from a different viewpoint.
"give someone the eye" is an informal look at someone in a way that clearly indicates one's sexual interest in them.
"half an eye" is used in reference to a slight degree of perception or attention: he kept half an eye on the house as he worked.
"have an eye" is to be able to recognize, appreciate, and make good judgments about.
"have (or keep ) an (or one's ) eye on" is to keep under careful observation.
"one's eyes are bigger than one's stomach" means that one has asked for or taken more food than one can actually eat.
"( only ) have eyes for you" means one is interested in or attracted to a specific person.
"have eyes in the back of one's head" is to know what is going on around one even when one cannot see it.
"hit someone between the eyes (or in the eye )" is to be very obvious or impressive.
"keep an eye out (or open )" is to look out for something with particular attention.
"keep one's eyes open" is to be on the alert; watch carefully or vigilantly for something.
"open someone's eyes" means to enlighten someone about certain realities.
"see eye to eye" means to have similar views or attitudes to something
"a twinkle (or gleam ) in someone's eye" is something that is as yet no more than an idea or dream.
"what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over" is a proverb if you're unaware of an unpleasant fact or situation, you can't be troubled by it.
"with one's eyes open (or with open eyes )" is being fully aware of the possible difficulties or consequences.
"with one's eyes shut (or closed )" means without having to make much effort; easily.
An eye can see.
An eye can be deceived.
In some cultures, the eye is the gateway to a person's soul.
In some cultures, dying with eyes open is interpreted as dying in a state of unrest or mission in life unfulfilled.
The eye is a remarkable bio-mechanical machine. The basic components of the vertebrate eye are a transparent cornea, an adjustable iris, a lens for focusing, a sensitive retina lining the back of the eye which corresponds to visual light detection, and a clear fluid- or jelly-filled center. The most primitive animals only have one or two eye spots, while many other invertebrates have several simple eyes or a pair of compound eyes.
Common phrases or meanings all have references to LOST's story themes:
"all eyes" is used to convey that a particular person or thing is currently the focus of public interest or attention;
"before (or under ) one's ( very ) eyes" or "right in front of one" denotes an unpleasant or destructive event witnessed by a person.
"close (or shut ) one's eyes" is to refuse to notice or acknowledge something unwelcome or unpleasant:
"an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is used to refer to the belief that punishment in kind is the appropriate way to deal with an offense or crime as set forth in biblical allusion to Exod. 21: 24.
"the eye of the storm" is the calm region at the center of a storm.
"the eye of the wind (also the wind's eye)" is the direction from which the wind is blowing.
"eyes front" is a military command to turn the head in the particular direction stated.
" bird's-eye view" is seeing something or someone from a different viewpoint.
"give someone the eye" is an informal look at someone in a way that clearly indicates one's sexual interest in them.
"half an eye" is used in reference to a slight degree of perception or attention: he kept half an eye on the house as he worked.
"have an eye" is to be able to recognize, appreciate, and make good judgments about.
"have (or keep ) an (or one's ) eye on" is to keep under careful observation.
"one's eyes are bigger than one's stomach" means that one has asked for or taken more food than one can actually eat.
"( only ) have eyes for you" means one is interested in or attracted to a specific person.
"have eyes in the back of one's head" is to know what is going on around one even when one cannot see it.
"hit someone between the eyes (or in the eye )" is to be very obvious or impressive.
"keep an eye out (or open )" is to look out for something with particular attention.
"keep one's eyes open" is to be on the alert; watch carefully or vigilantly for something.
"open someone's eyes" means to enlighten someone about certain realities.
"see eye to eye" means to have similar views or attitudes to something
"a twinkle (or gleam ) in someone's eye" is something that is as yet no more than an idea or dream.
"what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over" is a proverb if you're unaware of an unpleasant fact or situation, you can't be troubled by it.
"with one's eyes open (or with open eyes )" is being fully aware of the possible difficulties or consequences.
"with one's eyes shut (or closed )" means without having to make much effort; easily.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
ALTERNATIVES
There are a few ways to look at the Island and what it represents in the series.
1. IT IS AN ISLAND.
A real island. A real place. In the Pacific. It is shrouded from observation because of the intense electromagnetic properties (which bends light to cloak it from view). It is a real island with real plants, real animals, and real weather. It is a natural place with some supernatural elements.
2. IT IS AN AMUSEMENT PARK.
It is meant to "look and feel" like a tropical island, but it is not a natural island formation. It was created by man or alien hands. It could be considered Disneyland with the safety precautions turned off (or for 1970s film buffs a version of Westworld.)
3. IT IS A PRISON.
It is a place where undesirable people are locked away from the real world. We were told that it was difficult to find and difficult to enter. One needed permission to enter (Jacob as the warden). Once you arrived on the island you could not leave.
4. IT IS AN INSTITUTION.
A voluntary form of prison, the island could be a mental institution utopia experiment. People were brought to the island to work out their emotional and psychological problems until the inmates began to run the asylum. The Dharma may have been the original therapists but they turned into a cult.
5. IT IS A PLACE IN A DIFFERENT DIMENSION.
The unique electromagnetic properties of the island are not Earthly so the island itself is in a parallel universe. The people are taking to a new realm of existence. This is why they cannot leave the island because the snow globe effect is actually a space barrier between universes.
6. IT IS A MODERN INTERPRETATION OF HELL.
Instead of fire and brimstone, it is a dangerous tropical paradise of demons, tests and judgment.
7. IT IS THE SIDEWAYS WORLD.
There is only one "world" for the characters. Since they end up in the sideways fantasy world (created by themselves) it is a fair assumption that the island was also part of this sideways fantasy world (created by themselves).
8. IT IS A REPRESENTATION OF THE INTERNET.
The island has no physical elements. It is a creation of bits of information contained in a network. Characters immerse themselves into the island like gamers in open MMOs. It is a place where a person's mind becomes free of its body (and the things that would hold back a person's full abilities like a body in paralysis or having cancer). It is a mechanical representation of a real world (which elements such as the smoke monster make mechanical sounds when making an appearance). It plays into the repetitive notion of the characters going on endless missions and dangerous quests.
9. IT IS AN ILLUSION.
The island is a mental illusion or delusion in the mind of an unbalanced person. If the island is a construct of a twisted mind, then the elements of nature and physics do not apply. The fears, phobias, ego and emotions of a person are the true elements of creation. Everything was imaginary in reality but quite real in the mind of a mental or coma patient. Many people thought that the whole series was inside a character's head, such as Hurley. But it could also be assumed that the whole thing was made up by the twisted mind of Jacob.
10. IT IS HEAVEN.
It is a heavenly playground for children who never had a chance to grow up to be adults. There are elements of immaturity, lack of problem solving, lack of applied knowledge and basic emotional attachments in awkward social dynamics which baffle young children who have to learn their way through the culture and social obligations. Without time to develop those social skills as children, their souls would be incomplete. The island is for souls to role play and to learn what it means to be human.
1. IT IS AN ISLAND.
A real island. A real place. In the Pacific. It is shrouded from observation because of the intense electromagnetic properties (which bends light to cloak it from view). It is a real island with real plants, real animals, and real weather. It is a natural place with some supernatural elements.
2. IT IS AN AMUSEMENT PARK.
It is meant to "look and feel" like a tropical island, but it is not a natural island formation. It was created by man or alien hands. It could be considered Disneyland with the safety precautions turned off (or for 1970s film buffs a version of Westworld.)
3. IT IS A PRISON.
It is a place where undesirable people are locked away from the real world. We were told that it was difficult to find and difficult to enter. One needed permission to enter (Jacob as the warden). Once you arrived on the island you could not leave.
4. IT IS AN INSTITUTION.
A voluntary form of prison, the island could be a mental institution utopia experiment. People were brought to the island to work out their emotional and psychological problems until the inmates began to run the asylum. The Dharma may have been the original therapists but they turned into a cult.
5. IT IS A PLACE IN A DIFFERENT DIMENSION.
The unique electromagnetic properties of the island are not Earthly so the island itself is in a parallel universe. The people are taking to a new realm of existence. This is why they cannot leave the island because the snow globe effect is actually a space barrier between universes.
6. IT IS A MODERN INTERPRETATION OF HELL.
Instead of fire and brimstone, it is a dangerous tropical paradise of demons, tests and judgment.
7. IT IS THE SIDEWAYS WORLD.
There is only one "world" for the characters. Since they end up in the sideways fantasy world (created by themselves) it is a fair assumption that the island was also part of this sideways fantasy world (created by themselves).
8. IT IS A REPRESENTATION OF THE INTERNET.
The island has no physical elements. It is a creation of bits of information contained in a network. Characters immerse themselves into the island like gamers in open MMOs. It is a place where a person's mind becomes free of its body (and the things that would hold back a person's full abilities like a body in paralysis or having cancer). It is a mechanical representation of a real world (which elements such as the smoke monster make mechanical sounds when making an appearance). It plays into the repetitive notion of the characters going on endless missions and dangerous quests.
9. IT IS AN ILLUSION.
The island is a mental illusion or delusion in the mind of an unbalanced person. If the island is a construct of a twisted mind, then the elements of nature and physics do not apply. The fears, phobias, ego and emotions of a person are the true elements of creation. Everything was imaginary in reality but quite real in the mind of a mental or coma patient. Many people thought that the whole series was inside a character's head, such as Hurley. But it could also be assumed that the whole thing was made up by the twisted mind of Jacob.
10. IT IS HEAVEN.
It is a heavenly playground for children who never had a chance to grow up to be adults. There are elements of immaturity, lack of problem solving, lack of applied knowledge and basic emotional attachments in awkward social dynamics which baffle young children who have to learn their way through the culture and social obligations. Without time to develop those social skills as children, their souls would be incomplete. The island is for souls to role play and to learn what it means to be human.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
IN CHARGE
One of the themes was the acquisition and control of "power." Power motivated men like Widmore and Ben to attempt to seize the island and its unique properties. Power was the means to control and manipulate people. Power kept those in charge in control of their own destiny.
It would seem that anyone brought to the island to be a "candidate" needed an inherit quality of wanting "power." The island guardian was all-powerful. A weak candidate would mean a weak guardian - - - the island would be in jeopardy. That is true if the island was a fragile object that needed human protection.
The final candidates did not have the same power traits. They may have had common personalty features like free will and primordial need for survival. We can group the final candidates in a simple chart:
The one person of this group who really wanted to be The Leader was Locke. But he had to leave the island in order to follow his destiny as told to him by Christian (or MIB). Locke was manipulated into thinking he was a final choice for guardian because he thought he had a spiritual connection with it. Locke was manipulated into leaving the island instead of guarding it. Locke could never have succeeded Jacob because Locke was too naive and lacked judgment. Locke's purpose was to die so that more worthy candidates could return to the island.
Sayid and Jin never expressed any desire to rule the island. Both were focused in on leaving the island; rescue. Sayid left the island, Jin did not. Sayid's post-island life was also a manipulation (by Ben). But Sayid's return was not one of leadership but one of revenge. He was to be a tool or weapon in the final fight against MIB.
Sawyer never wanted responsibility. All he wanted to do was get off the island. Anything that stood in the way of his goal was pushed aside. Sawyer was selfish. He was never comfortable in any leadership role, even when Hurley pressed him to be the "de facto" leader of the beach camp. He never wanted to attain a higher calling in life. Like Sayid, his life's motivation was consumed by revenge.
So in all of the convoluted story arcs and twists, there were only two viable final candidates from the very beginning of the series: Jack and Hurley. Jack accepted the notion of leadership because the survivors immediately valued his medical skills as a means to their rescue and survival. Hurley never accepted a leadership role. He was comfortable at the end of the mission line. He hardly made his opinions known until the last story arc. He did not have the ego to want to seize power over other people's lives (because of his feelings of what other people in a similar position did to him).
In the end, both Jack and Hurley become the island guardians. One volunteers and one assumes the job involuntarily. Jack's reign as guardian is short lived; Hurley's reign is one of janitor, cleaning up the leftover strings, to close the island down (whatever that meant). We can assume that Hurley sealed away the island from future "crashes," but that is one of the final mysteries: what ever happened to the island after Hurley?
Nothing. Hurley and Ben briefly discuss their time on the island in the sideways church courtyard. There is no great revelation that the island needed protection, that it had a new guardian or that it even survived at all.
The island either continued on its life force mission without a guardian or it faded away from reality when none of the characters remained on (or in) it. In either event, the world did not end. The only thing that ended were the lives of the main characters who gathered in the after life church to move on.
It would seem that anyone brought to the island to be a "candidate" needed an inherit quality of wanting "power." The island guardian was all-powerful. A weak candidate would mean a weak guardian - - - the island would be in jeopardy. That is true if the island was a fragile object that needed human protection.
The final candidates did not have the same power traits. They may have had common personalty features like free will and primordial need for survival. We can group the final candidates in a simple chart:
The one person of this group who really wanted to be The Leader was Locke. But he had to leave the island in order to follow his destiny as told to him by Christian (or MIB). Locke was manipulated into thinking he was a final choice for guardian because he thought he had a spiritual connection with it. Locke was manipulated into leaving the island instead of guarding it. Locke could never have succeeded Jacob because Locke was too naive and lacked judgment. Locke's purpose was to die so that more worthy candidates could return to the island.
Sayid and Jin never expressed any desire to rule the island. Both were focused in on leaving the island; rescue. Sayid left the island, Jin did not. Sayid's post-island life was also a manipulation (by Ben). But Sayid's return was not one of leadership but one of revenge. He was to be a tool or weapon in the final fight against MIB.
Sawyer never wanted responsibility. All he wanted to do was get off the island. Anything that stood in the way of his goal was pushed aside. Sawyer was selfish. He was never comfortable in any leadership role, even when Hurley pressed him to be the "de facto" leader of the beach camp. He never wanted to attain a higher calling in life. Like Sayid, his life's motivation was consumed by revenge.
So in all of the convoluted story arcs and twists, there were only two viable final candidates from the very beginning of the series: Jack and Hurley. Jack accepted the notion of leadership because the survivors immediately valued his medical skills as a means to their rescue and survival. Hurley never accepted a leadership role. He was comfortable at the end of the mission line. He hardly made his opinions known until the last story arc. He did not have the ego to want to seize power over other people's lives (because of his feelings of what other people in a similar position did to him).
In the end, both Jack and Hurley become the island guardians. One volunteers and one assumes the job involuntarily. Jack's reign as guardian is short lived; Hurley's reign is one of janitor, cleaning up the leftover strings, to close the island down (whatever that meant). We can assume that Hurley sealed away the island from future "crashes," but that is one of the final mysteries: what ever happened to the island after Hurley?
Nothing. Hurley and Ben briefly discuss their time on the island in the sideways church courtyard. There is no great revelation that the island needed protection, that it had a new guardian or that it even survived at all.
The island either continued on its life force mission without a guardian or it faded away from reality when none of the characters remained on (or in) it. In either event, the world did not end. The only thing that ended were the lives of the main characters who gathered in the after life church to move on.
Monday, May 20, 2013
FRIENDSHIPS
We have discussed the topic of character friendships.
"Friendship and support from friends and family is so important to succeeding in life. We take friendship for granted." --- New England quarterback Tom Brady
In all the back stories, did we see any of the final candidates have any true friends?
In Jack's life, we never saw him outside the hospital setting doing activities (sports, social events) with anyone we could consider a "friend." Even at his wedding, he did not seem to have much personal interaction with his guests (which may have been more his parents friends and co-workers). We never saw Jack have a heart to heart conversation with a friend about any of his troubles, including his issues with his father.
In Jin's life, we never saw him in his village with any friends. Jin was so desperate to leave his fishing village to go to the big city. There were no people in his village that would have kept him there. We never saw Jin with a friend in his village. When he returned, he had a distant relationship with his own father.
In Sawyer's back story, we do not see him with anyone we would consider to be a friend. Sawyer hangs out with other con men or criminals, but they are not what we could consider friends. They were co-conspirators or means to the end. Sawyer just used people to get what he wanted, including his female marks.
In Locke's case, we saw him with no friends. He got alone with only a few co-workers on his lunch break to play games. But for the most part, it was to kill idle time. We did not see Locke with any buddies after work. The only time he found a true friend, Helen, he let that relationship crumble because of his obsession of his father's abandonment and betrayal.
In Sayid's life, we only saw a glimpse into his childhood, which seemed fairly normal. But as an adult, we only saw him a loner, and a cold blooded soldier. It is unclear whether his obsession with his dream girl, Nadia, was one of friendship or guilt (most likely the latter because of the series conclusion with Shannon).
In Hurley, we have someone who actually had friends that he would hang out with. We know he went to a tragic party at his friend's house (where the porch collapsed killing two people). Hurley claimed to have always had trouble getting a girlfriend. After he wins the lottery, he suddenly feels empowered to do as he pleases by quitting his job with his best friend Johnny and then Hurley boldly asking out his crush, Starla, who works at the local music shop. He makes sure to ask her out before he claims his lottery winnings because he has an uncanny feeling that the lottery money will bring many changes to his life, and he doesn't expect these changes to all be fortunate. Proving his feelings accurate, Hurley later mentions that after everyone found out about his winnings Starla ended up leaving him for his best friend, Johnny. That is why Hurley believes the Numbers cursed him.
Once they crashed on the Island, Jack, Sawyer, Jin, Locke and Sayid never shared any friendship stories with the other survivors. None of them longed to get off the island to celebrate with their friends. When the O6 arrived back in Hawaii, there were only a few family members present and not a great hoard of friends to welcome them home.
Hurley thought of only one friend during his island stay. But that friend was Dave, who was imaginary.
The lack of true friendship was the basis of all the characters major trust issues while on the island. Friendship is defined as the the emotions or conduct of friends; a relationship between people with common interests or goals; and a mutual trust and support between individuals. It could be said that throughout the series, there came to be a form of trust, friendship, support through the interactions, rivalry and arguments on how to survive in a dangerous place. Sawyer and Jin bonded well after the time skip to 1974 Dharma. Locke and Hurley got along. Sayid supported most of Jack's positions and they had a mutual connection on how best to keep the group together. Those ties may not have been the strongest friendships ever made, but for some of the characters it may have been their first true meaningful ones.
"Friendship and support from friends and family is so important to succeeding in life. We take friendship for granted." --- New England quarterback Tom Brady
In all the back stories, did we see any of the final candidates have any true friends?
In Jack's life, we never saw him outside the hospital setting doing activities (sports, social events) with anyone we could consider a "friend." Even at his wedding, he did not seem to have much personal interaction with his guests (which may have been more his parents friends and co-workers). We never saw Jack have a heart to heart conversation with a friend about any of his troubles, including his issues with his father.
In Jin's life, we never saw him in his village with any friends. Jin was so desperate to leave his fishing village to go to the big city. There were no people in his village that would have kept him there. We never saw Jin with a friend in his village. When he returned, he had a distant relationship with his own father.
In Sawyer's back story, we do not see him with anyone we would consider to be a friend. Sawyer hangs out with other con men or criminals, but they are not what we could consider friends. They were co-conspirators or means to the end. Sawyer just used people to get what he wanted, including his female marks.
In Locke's case, we saw him with no friends. He got alone with only a few co-workers on his lunch break to play games. But for the most part, it was to kill idle time. We did not see Locke with any buddies after work. The only time he found a true friend, Helen, he let that relationship crumble because of his obsession of his father's abandonment and betrayal.
In Sayid's life, we only saw a glimpse into his childhood, which seemed fairly normal. But as an adult, we only saw him a loner, and a cold blooded soldier. It is unclear whether his obsession with his dream girl, Nadia, was one of friendship or guilt (most likely the latter because of the series conclusion with Shannon).
In Hurley, we have someone who actually had friends that he would hang out with. We know he went to a tragic party at his friend's house (where the porch collapsed killing two people). Hurley claimed to have always had trouble getting a girlfriend. After he wins the lottery, he suddenly feels empowered to do as he pleases by quitting his job with his best friend Johnny and then Hurley boldly asking out his crush, Starla, who works at the local music shop. He makes sure to ask her out before he claims his lottery winnings because he has an uncanny feeling that the lottery money will bring many changes to his life, and he doesn't expect these changes to all be fortunate. Proving his feelings accurate, Hurley later mentions that after everyone found out about his winnings Starla ended up leaving him for his best friend, Johnny. That is why Hurley believes the Numbers cursed him.
Once they crashed on the Island, Jack, Sawyer, Jin, Locke and Sayid never shared any friendship stories with the other survivors. None of them longed to get off the island to celebrate with their friends. When the O6 arrived back in Hawaii, there were only a few family members present and not a great hoard of friends to welcome them home.
Hurley thought of only one friend during his island stay. But that friend was Dave, who was imaginary.
The lack of true friendship was the basis of all the characters major trust issues while on the island. Friendship is defined as the the emotions or conduct of friends; a relationship between people with common interests or goals; and a mutual trust and support between individuals. It could be said that throughout the series, there came to be a form of trust, friendship, support through the interactions, rivalry and arguments on how to survive in a dangerous place. Sawyer and Jin bonded well after the time skip to 1974 Dharma. Locke and Hurley got along. Sayid supported most of Jack's positions and they had a mutual connection on how best to keep the group together. Those ties may not have been the strongest friendships ever made, but for some of the characters it may have been their first true meaningful ones.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
THE JINN THEORY
Throughout various ancient cultures, people believed that magical non-human spirits came to Earth as messengers, prophets, or wish grantors. Some believed these messengers were angels from heaven; some believed that the genie was both a helpful and a malevolent possessor of magic. In the Aladdin tales, when a person asked for their three wishes, the grant would be a literal or twisted version of the words used - - - resulting in unintended consequences and grief to the "lucky" person who found the genie.
The genie would grant wishes once he was "released" or "escaped" the confines of his prison. Only higher magic could keep a genie in his place.
The Prophet Muhammad reportedly divided jinn into three classes: those who have wings and fly in the air, those who resemble snakes and dogs, and those who travel about ceaselessly.
There were many mysterious things on the island. One mystery was the crying Hurley bird so that matches "wings and fly in the air" jinn; Vincent is a dog who happens to arrive just as something (usually bad) happens; and the smoke forms of Smokey that "travel about ceaselessly" on the island like a prisoner trapped in a cage.
The island could be the lamp trapping the smoke monster (as Desmond called it a snow globe).
However, the island may provide other "containers" for a genie. Many people assumed that the ash ring around Jacob's cabin was to keep the smoke monster out. However, what if it was the opposite? It was meant to keep Jacob locked away.
Jacob was always inside the Cabin, like he couldn't get out.
Jacob is a powerful person, but seems to be a little devilish.
The Others are so scared about him because since he is a Genie, he can do whatever he wants to to them, so his followers actually fear him.
Jacob could grant certain wishes to a person (like Richard's immortality).
He can also heal people from mortal diseases, like cancer or paralysis.
He could get them back into the illness if he wanted to grant other people their wish or hope (such as Juliet wanting to leave the island but the only way that could happen is if Ben would die in surgery.)
It was not the Island that healed people, but Jacob.
Since Jacob spied on everyone he brought to the island, he had all their memories, wishes, desires.
He could use that information to control and manipulate people.
While some believe that the gods created genii just the same as human beings, others believe that they actually predated mankind. The island has been around for a long, long time and there seem to be beings that can live longer than the usual number of years.
So what are the basic properties of a genie?
In Islam, it is believed that there are three main creations. The first being Angels, who never commit sins and never disobey God. The second being human beings who are given freewill and are accountable for their choice in life. By the end of the day, only those who follow the righteous path will go to paradise. Lastly, you have the jinns. They are very much like human beings except from the fact that they cannot be seen. They are given freewill and choose their religion. Like human beings, they will be judged according to the lives they have led when Judgement Day arrives.
There is disagreement over whether these creatures are a force of good or evil. Both Jacob and MIB play off the black v. white theme (which we interpret as good v. evil.). But recall, Jacob has allowed most of the people he brought to the island to be killed, injured or maimed.
There is a belief that jinn are angry spirits born from smokeless fire whereas man was born of the earth itself. Both Jacob and MIB were prone to spats of quick anger. It appeared that in their ghost forms they would taunt each other. The Dharma station people used the term Cerebus to describe the the smoke monster because its actions always seems angry or in a rage.
Just like man, however, the jinn were given free will. However, as man - - beginning with Adam - - struggled to bring out the best in his nature, the jinn preferred to give in to the dark side. Some believe that the character of Satan describes a jinn - - a powerful being who used to work for good but is now tasked to punish or manipulate man for a better purpose. Everyone on the island and major players off island are obsessed with the idea of free will and choice. A jinn cannot make you do something against your will, but a jinn can influence a person to make that decision.
Jinn live in a realm between earth and heaven. Their dimension makes them somewhat separate and distinct from the normal human realm which is an apt description of the Island. The root meaning of the Arabic word for genie translates into"hidden from sight." Jacob could only be seen by a few select people. But he could see all humans, but humans could not see him.
Ancient tales state that god provided protection for unsuspecting humans in the form of a prayer that asks for refuge from the whisperings of the jinn. More than that, however, having a strong religious faith is also necessary to subvert the jinn's ability to influence humans. The constant missions the survivors were tasked with were means to break down their personal beliefs so that they could be more easily influenced by the jinn, whether it be Jacob and/or MIB. In the theme debate between science and faith, it is faith can protect people from the jinn.
There is also a belief that some humands can call forth a jinn to do their bidding. When Keamy attacks the barracks and kills Alex, Ben summons with water the smoke monster. (Later he would say that the smoke monster summoned him.) But the result was that Ben got his wish - - - instant violent revenge against Keamy's men.
It is also said that jinn could not reproduce. If jinns cannot breed with human beings, although there are many indications that they have wanted and tried to do just that in order to gain more permanent residence inside the earthly realm. This may explain why children could not be born on the island.
Jinns were only created to serve and praise god. So at one time there were considered "good guys," but lost their way while on earth. Jinn can make anything happen, travel in the blink of an eye and shape shift into any form. This could explain the island time skips, the ghosts of past memories roaming the island for the characters to see, and why some people (like Patchy) apparently died several times on the island.
However, it is believed that after shape shifting, jinns will have to abide to the laws of their physical form, which means that they will now be visible to human eyes. This may not be a good thing, as this would make them more vulnerable. It is believe that if the animal the jinn shape shifted into is killed, than the jinn too will die. The jinn can be killed with a gunshot or wounded with a knife. LOST was inconsistent in how Jacob and MIB met their demise. Jacob was stabbed then burned to ash, but later reformed to speak to the candidates before a separate (unexplained) fire would burn out. MIB in Flocke's form was shot but he did not die. It was only after Jacob's apparent demise and the stone cork reset of the island did MIB apparently die from Kate's gunshot wound and fall. But we do not know for certain whether these deaths were true, or an illusion to fulfill the final wishes of the main characters.
One could try to go back and see if any of the main characters were granted "three wishes" in the Americanized version of the genie tale.
One could argue that Locke made three wishes that the Island granted him:
- make me walk again
- give my father the punishment he deserves
- make me live again
Except, one could also argue that Jacob was the person who created all that pain and sadness in Locke. Jacob sent Richard to visit Locke as a newborn and as a young child. Jacob may have influenced Cooper to abandon his family, causing Locke to be raised in foster homes. Jacob may have had his hand in causing Locke to become paralyzed and so distraught to become a "viable" candidate (brain washed) to take over the Island guardian duties.
The jinn theory is like any other LOST fan theory. It has its good points to help explain the continuity errors and huge story line lapses. But it has its flaws as well because it would seem to be a massive white wash of what fans were led to believe what the story was truly about in Season 1.
The genie would grant wishes once he was "released" or "escaped" the confines of his prison. Only higher magic could keep a genie in his place.
The Prophet Muhammad reportedly divided jinn into three classes: those who have wings and fly in the air, those who resemble snakes and dogs, and those who travel about ceaselessly.
There were many mysterious things on the island. One mystery was the crying Hurley bird so that matches "wings and fly in the air" jinn; Vincent is a dog who happens to arrive just as something (usually bad) happens; and the smoke forms of Smokey that "travel about ceaselessly" on the island like a prisoner trapped in a cage.
The island could be the lamp trapping the smoke monster (as Desmond called it a snow globe).
However, the island may provide other "containers" for a genie. Many people assumed that the ash ring around Jacob's cabin was to keep the smoke monster out. However, what if it was the opposite? It was meant to keep Jacob locked away.
Jacob was always inside the Cabin, like he couldn't get out.
Jacob is a powerful person, but seems to be a little devilish.
The Others are so scared about him because since he is a Genie, he can do whatever he wants to to them, so his followers actually fear him.
Jacob could grant certain wishes to a person (like Richard's immortality).
He can also heal people from mortal diseases, like cancer or paralysis.
He could get them back into the illness if he wanted to grant other people their wish or hope (such as Juliet wanting to leave the island but the only way that could happen is if Ben would die in surgery.)
It was not the Island that healed people, but Jacob.
Since Jacob spied on everyone he brought to the island, he had all their memories, wishes, desires.
He could use that information to control and manipulate people.
While some believe that the gods created genii just the same as human beings, others believe that they actually predated mankind. The island has been around for a long, long time and there seem to be beings that can live longer than the usual number of years.
So what are the basic properties of a genie?
In Islam, it is believed that there are three main creations. The first being Angels, who never commit sins and never disobey God. The second being human beings who are given freewill and are accountable for their choice in life. By the end of the day, only those who follow the righteous path will go to paradise. Lastly, you have the jinns. They are very much like human beings except from the fact that they cannot be seen. They are given freewill and choose their religion. Like human beings, they will be judged according to the lives they have led when Judgement Day arrives.
There is disagreement over whether these creatures are a force of good or evil. Both Jacob and MIB play off the black v. white theme (which we interpret as good v. evil.). But recall, Jacob has allowed most of the people he brought to the island to be killed, injured or maimed.
There is a belief that jinn are angry spirits born from smokeless fire whereas man was born of the earth itself. Both Jacob and MIB were prone to spats of quick anger. It appeared that in their ghost forms they would taunt each other. The Dharma station people used the term Cerebus to describe the the smoke monster because its actions always seems angry or in a rage.
Just like man, however, the jinn were given free will. However, as man - - beginning with Adam - - struggled to bring out the best in his nature, the jinn preferred to give in to the dark side. Some believe that the character of Satan describes a jinn - - a powerful being who used to work for good but is now tasked to punish or manipulate man for a better purpose. Everyone on the island and major players off island are obsessed with the idea of free will and choice. A jinn cannot make you do something against your will, but a jinn can influence a person to make that decision.
Jinn live in a realm between earth and heaven. Their dimension makes them somewhat separate and distinct from the normal human realm which is an apt description of the Island. The root meaning of the Arabic word for genie translates into"hidden from sight." Jacob could only be seen by a few select people. But he could see all humans, but humans could not see him.
Ancient tales state that god provided protection for unsuspecting humans in the form of a prayer that asks for refuge from the whisperings of the jinn. More than that, however, having a strong religious faith is also necessary to subvert the jinn's ability to influence humans. The constant missions the survivors were tasked with were means to break down their personal beliefs so that they could be more easily influenced by the jinn, whether it be Jacob and/or MIB. In the theme debate between science and faith, it is faith can protect people from the jinn.
There is also a belief that some humands can call forth a jinn to do their bidding. When Keamy attacks the barracks and kills Alex, Ben summons with water the smoke monster. (Later he would say that the smoke monster summoned him.) But the result was that Ben got his wish - - - instant violent revenge against Keamy's men.
It is also said that jinn could not reproduce. If jinns cannot breed with human beings, although there are many indications that they have wanted and tried to do just that in order to gain more permanent residence inside the earthly realm. This may explain why children could not be born on the island.
Jinns were only created to serve and praise god. So at one time there were considered "good guys," but lost their way while on earth. Jinn can make anything happen, travel in the blink of an eye and shape shift into any form. This could explain the island time skips, the ghosts of past memories roaming the island for the characters to see, and why some people (like Patchy) apparently died several times on the island.
However, it is believed that after shape shifting, jinns will have to abide to the laws of their physical form, which means that they will now be visible to human eyes. This may not be a good thing, as this would make them more vulnerable. It is believe that if the animal the jinn shape shifted into is killed, than the jinn too will die. The jinn can be killed with a gunshot or wounded with a knife. LOST was inconsistent in how Jacob and MIB met their demise. Jacob was stabbed then burned to ash, but later reformed to speak to the candidates before a separate (unexplained) fire would burn out. MIB in Flocke's form was shot but he did not die. It was only after Jacob's apparent demise and the stone cork reset of the island did MIB apparently die from Kate's gunshot wound and fall. But we do not know for certain whether these deaths were true, or an illusion to fulfill the final wishes of the main characters.
One could try to go back and see if any of the main characters were granted "three wishes" in the Americanized version of the genie tale.
One could argue that Locke made three wishes that the Island granted him:
- make me walk again
- give my father the punishment he deserves
- make me live again
Except, one could also argue that Jacob was the person who created all that pain and sadness in Locke. Jacob sent Richard to visit Locke as a newborn and as a young child. Jacob may have influenced Cooper to abandon his family, causing Locke to be raised in foster homes. Jacob may have had his hand in causing Locke to become paralyzed and so distraught to become a "viable" candidate (brain washed) to take over the Island guardian duties.
The jinn theory is like any other LOST fan theory. It has its good points to help explain the continuity errors and huge story line lapses. But it has its flaws as well because it would seem to be a massive white wash of what fans were led to believe what the story was truly about in Season 1.
Friday, May 17, 2013
NEXT
The writings on the stone cork date back more than 7,000 years to the first written symbols of mankind. It would seem that the light cave, in its shrouded mystery, may have been around since the beginning of the planet. If it was truly the "source" of life, death and rebirth, that would make sense.
However, it had to exist before man became the intelligent ruler of the planet. It had to be a self-sufficient engine for the life cycle of Earth. As such, it would have never needed a human being to manage it or protect it.
A manager, guardian or worker would only be required if the light cave was an alien machine brought to the planet to "seed" it with life. All machines have moving parts that need some form of maintenance or replacement. Was the electromagnetic energy of the light cave the battery that made the inner planetary core molten, create the rotation of the planet, form the atmospheric shield, and develop the currents which created weather systems to feed the growth medium (water) to all parts of the globe?
The Earth is a unique planet in our own solar system. It is the only planet that sustains life as we know it. Scientists have been scanning the heavens looking for another planet with life. They have yet to find one. Taking the science fiction premise of the light cave, no planet can have complex life without a light cave machine at its core.
If the island was the heart of the planet. if its energy pulses the life blood of the world, then what happened to it? Jack left Hurley "in charge" of the island after Jack went to battle MIB. In one of the many fumbled series questions, a post-conclusion reference that Hurley and Ben "closed down" the island makes little sense in the framework of its alleged paramount importance in Season 6. The vast extent of Hurley's mechanical knowledge was helping his dad rebuild a Camaro. No one can compare the island dynamics to that of an old Camaro.
So what if Hurley and Ben shut down the Dharma barracks, made everyone leave the island safely, and hid it from people like Eloise forever? The island as a foundation element of the story had to have survived otherwise the dire warnings would have come true: the world would end as we would know it.
But the main characters worlds did end in the sideways church. They were all dead. They could never go back to their past. Their memories had been compromised and nearly erased by the transformation into their sideways forms. Could it have been the island shutting down that caused these memory lapses? Maybe, but Eloise remained fully knowledgeable of all the past and future ramifications of Desmond's actions to awaken the island survivors. So we must assume that the island itself is a survivor in its plain of existence.
So the island continues on but without Hurley, Ben or any known guardian. If Jacob's campfire words were true, his island after life existence ended after a short time period just like Crazy Mother never returned after MIB killed her. So there was a way for each immortal guardian to escape their duty to the island.
So if the island had no guardian, but remained a viable planetary engine for life, then we must assume that the island itself was an intelligent being capable of self preservation. That would make sense because the island manipulated and recreated various matter into wondrous forms like temples and ghosts from memories of visitors.
Many people were waiting for the End to show who truly was the Man Behind the Island Curtain. Just like when Dorothy pulls back the curtain and discovers that the Wizard of Oz is “just a man” which character was stripped of his spell of mystery and island power? Which "wizard " turned out to be a mortal fake? The only truly all knowing and all powerful person on the island was Jacob.
We saw him stabbed and burned to ash. We saw that his ghost (as a child and as a man) lived on in the jungle. We never saw him again after he said his final farewell. He may have just led us to believe his illusion roller coaster of immortality and mortality. Confusion and vagueness was his calling card.
So we can conclude that after the 815 survivors completed their time on the island, the island either lived on on its own, or that the mysterious Jacob reformed himself to bring the next batch human beings to his island.
However, it had to exist before man became the intelligent ruler of the planet. It had to be a self-sufficient engine for the life cycle of Earth. As such, it would have never needed a human being to manage it or protect it.
A manager, guardian or worker would only be required if the light cave was an alien machine brought to the planet to "seed" it with life. All machines have moving parts that need some form of maintenance or replacement. Was the electromagnetic energy of the light cave the battery that made the inner planetary core molten, create the rotation of the planet, form the atmospheric shield, and develop the currents which created weather systems to feed the growth medium (water) to all parts of the globe?
The Earth is a unique planet in our own solar system. It is the only planet that sustains life as we know it. Scientists have been scanning the heavens looking for another planet with life. They have yet to find one. Taking the science fiction premise of the light cave, no planet can have complex life without a light cave machine at its core.
If the island was the heart of the planet. if its energy pulses the life blood of the world, then what happened to it? Jack left Hurley "in charge" of the island after Jack went to battle MIB. In one of the many fumbled series questions, a post-conclusion reference that Hurley and Ben "closed down" the island makes little sense in the framework of its alleged paramount importance in Season 6. The vast extent of Hurley's mechanical knowledge was helping his dad rebuild a Camaro. No one can compare the island dynamics to that of an old Camaro.
So what if Hurley and Ben shut down the Dharma barracks, made everyone leave the island safely, and hid it from people like Eloise forever? The island as a foundation element of the story had to have survived otherwise the dire warnings would have come true: the world would end as we would know it.
But the main characters worlds did end in the sideways church. They were all dead. They could never go back to their past. Their memories had been compromised and nearly erased by the transformation into their sideways forms. Could it have been the island shutting down that caused these memory lapses? Maybe, but Eloise remained fully knowledgeable of all the past and future ramifications of Desmond's actions to awaken the island survivors. So we must assume that the island itself is a survivor in its plain of existence.
So the island continues on but without Hurley, Ben or any known guardian. If Jacob's campfire words were true, his island after life existence ended after a short time period just like Crazy Mother never returned after MIB killed her. So there was a way for each immortal guardian to escape their duty to the island.
So if the island had no guardian, but remained a viable planetary engine for life, then we must assume that the island itself was an intelligent being capable of self preservation. That would make sense because the island manipulated and recreated various matter into wondrous forms like temples and ghosts from memories of visitors.
Many people were waiting for the End to show who truly was the Man Behind the Island Curtain. Just like when Dorothy pulls back the curtain and discovers that the Wizard of Oz is “just a man” which character was stripped of his spell of mystery and island power? Which "wizard " turned out to be a mortal fake? The only truly all knowing and all powerful person on the island was Jacob.
We saw him stabbed and burned to ash. We saw that his ghost (as a child and as a man) lived on in the jungle. We never saw him again after he said his final farewell. He may have just led us to believe his illusion roller coaster of immortality and mortality. Confusion and vagueness was his calling card.
So we can conclude that after the 815 survivors completed their time on the island, the island either lived on on its own, or that the mysterious Jacob reformed himself to bring the next batch human beings to his island.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
A COMMON THREAD
Christian tries to explain to Jack why his son is dead and there is a church full of his island friends waiting for him.
Christian states that the sideways world was place "they all made together" to find one another. He also said it was because the most important part of Jack's life was the time he spent with these people, and that's why they are all here; no one lives life alone. He needed them, and they needed him; to remember, and to let go.
And this is the climax to the entire series:
As he enters the church, Jack is welcomed by Locke, who kindly tells him, "We've been waiting for you." He then greets Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer and Kate. He is joined by Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny. After the group has shared embraces and celebrated their reunion, they sit down in the church pews. Christian begins to walk to the back of the church through the middle aisle, and pauses briefly by Jack to put his hand on his shoulder. Christian approaches the back, opens the doors of the church and glowing white light from beyond the doors washes over all present. Jack exchanges a smile with Kate, and then looks ahead as they are engulfed by the light.
But why were those people "the most important part of Jack's life?"
It is a given that "no one lives life alone." Every person has a mother and a father so by nature's own rules no one is born alone. In civilized societies, such as Western culture, the community looks after its own. So when Christian tells Jack that these people are important because they were with him during a small aspect of his life, there were other people who were at one time more important to him, such as his ex-wife Sarah or his hospital OR teams.
But then the final reason is that they needed each other "to remember and to let go."
It is contradictory to create a vivid and complex fantasy sideways world based on your collective past memories of the people you met on the island in order to "remember" them in same fantasy world. The unexplained amnesia of the dead souls is a troubling aspect of the conclusion.
The daunting task is who created the sideways world in the first place. The key is the apparent ability to re-live your life to change something or someone. We were told that only Jacob could bring people to the fantasy island. They were "touched" by him. But were they truly candidates or did they serve a different purpose?
By looking at the final scene in the church at the End, none of the characters candidacies had any impact on why they wound up together. There has to be a better explanation than just surviving a plane crash.
The idea that Locke, Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny were the most important people in Jack's life seems suspect. That conclusion can easily be dismissed by one person, his mother. Jack had a good relationship with her. Why wasn't she as important as Christian in the End?
Or what about the mysterious Thai woman, Achara? Jack had a wild, intense and more fulfilling relationship with her than with Kate.
Jack really has nothing in common with all of the church members in the end. The only common thread interlaced in their past is the island.
Jack did not bring Locke, Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny together. Who did? Jacob.
It looks like Jacob represents our Clarence, the angel, in this version of It's A Wonderful Life. Except, this is a mirror image of that story, where James Stewart's life is not the idyllic banker with a loving family but the unshaven, hard drinking man who had no one. In that story, an angel gave the main character an opportunity to see what his little world would have been like if he had never been born. It was a lesson that every man has an affect on his fellow man in unseen but deep ways. In LOST, it is sort of the opposite.
Jack knew he made an impact on other people's lives on a daily basis. He was a surgeon. He knew when his patients had a successful operation and recovery. It was Jack's personal life that took a back seat to his profession.
Jack only had one conversation with those church members prior to Flight 815. It was with Desmond while running stairs at the stadium. Desmond was having his own relationship issues with Penny. It was one of those doctor heal thyself moments. And Dez left with his catch phrase, "see you in another life." The island was that "other" life.
So why do these people in the church need each other in order to move on in the after life? Jack found Locke to a fool, Sawyer to be an obstacle and Boone to be an annoyance. He found Hurley, Claire, Sun and Aaron to be patients more than friends. Kate was his enigma. He never really knew Desmond, Jin, Libby, Penny or Shannon. Rose and Bernard mostly kept to themselves. He found Sayid to a be useful resource in persuading other people to follow him. But nothing in the island stories would sear an everlasting friendship to Jack.
And why would these people want to spend the rest of eternity with Jack? Locke is alone. He has no love of his life present to share this moment (where is Helen?) Boone is also alone, the third wheel in the Sayid-Shannon fortnight romance. Penny has no connection to any of these people. Desmond spent most of his time trying to get away from all of these people. One would have thought that Desmond, Penny and their child would move on together outside this group. The same is true for Christian. Why is he here but not his wife? He never knew anyone in the room except Jack. They are all strangers to him.
And what exactly did Locke, Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny do to "save" Jack's soul?
The only common denominator among this group is that they are all dead. When and how they all died is open to subjective debate. They all could have died in the crash, they all could have died after the crash, or they all could have died prior to Flight 815 (as Jacob was truly a soul collector bring them to the island to begin their after life journeys).
Or worse, Locke, Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny were merely props created by Jacob, his guardian angel, to help Jack accept his ultimate fear: being unable to save himself from his own mortality. If true, then it was a cruel con to convince Jack to let go of his earthly ties in order for his fearful soul to move on.
Maybe we caught a glimpse of that realization at the very end. At the church reunion, Jack seems to be out of it. Sitting in the front pew, Jack is in a trance, looking straight ahead. He does not look at Kate when the last moment arrives when Christian opens the church doors. Jack is still in shock as the white light engulfs the church. We do not know what happens next: do they go to heaven, or have another time skip back to the island or does everyone get incinerated by the light?
All we know for sure is that everyone we knew from the island are dead and gone.
Christian states that the sideways world was place "they all made together" to find one another. He also said it was because the most important part of Jack's life was the time he spent with these people, and that's why they are all here; no one lives life alone. He needed them, and they needed him; to remember, and to let go.
And this is the climax to the entire series:
As he enters the church, Jack is welcomed by Locke, who kindly tells him, "We've been waiting for you." He then greets Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer and Kate. He is joined by Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny. After the group has shared embraces and celebrated their reunion, they sit down in the church pews. Christian begins to walk to the back of the church through the middle aisle, and pauses briefly by Jack to put his hand on his shoulder. Christian approaches the back, opens the doors of the church and glowing white light from beyond the doors washes over all present. Jack exchanges a smile with Kate, and then looks ahead as they are engulfed by the light.
But why were those people "the most important part of Jack's life?"
It is a given that "no one lives life alone." Every person has a mother and a father so by nature's own rules no one is born alone. In civilized societies, such as Western culture, the community looks after its own. So when Christian tells Jack that these people are important because they were with him during a small aspect of his life, there were other people who were at one time more important to him, such as his ex-wife Sarah or his hospital OR teams.
But then the final reason is that they needed each other "to remember and to let go."
It is contradictory to create a vivid and complex fantasy sideways world based on your collective past memories of the people you met on the island in order to "remember" them in same fantasy world. The unexplained amnesia of the dead souls is a troubling aspect of the conclusion.
The daunting task is who created the sideways world in the first place. The key is the apparent ability to re-live your life to change something or someone. We were told that only Jacob could bring people to the fantasy island. They were "touched" by him. But were they truly candidates or did they serve a different purpose?
By looking at the final scene in the church at the End, none of the characters candidacies had any impact on why they wound up together. There has to be a better explanation than just surviving a plane crash.
The idea that Locke, Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny were the most important people in Jack's life seems suspect. That conclusion can easily be dismissed by one person, his mother. Jack had a good relationship with her. Why wasn't she as important as Christian in the End?
Or what about the mysterious Thai woman, Achara? Jack had a wild, intense and more fulfilling relationship with her than with Kate.
Jack really has nothing in common with all of the church members in the end. The only common thread interlaced in their past is the island.
Jack did not bring Locke, Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny together. Who did? Jacob.
It looks like Jacob represents our Clarence, the angel, in this version of It's A Wonderful Life. Except, this is a mirror image of that story, where James Stewart's life is not the idyllic banker with a loving family but the unshaven, hard drinking man who had no one. In that story, an angel gave the main character an opportunity to see what his little world would have been like if he had never been born. It was a lesson that every man has an affect on his fellow man in unseen but deep ways. In LOST, it is sort of the opposite.
Jack knew he made an impact on other people's lives on a daily basis. He was a surgeon. He knew when his patients had a successful operation and recovery. It was Jack's personal life that took a back seat to his profession.
Jack only had one conversation with those church members prior to Flight 815. It was with Desmond while running stairs at the stadium. Desmond was having his own relationship issues with Penny. It was one of those doctor heal thyself moments. And Dez left with his catch phrase, "see you in another life." The island was that "other" life.
So why do these people in the church need each other in order to move on in the after life? Jack found Locke to a fool, Sawyer to be an obstacle and Boone to be an annoyance. He found Hurley, Claire, Sun and Aaron to be patients more than friends. Kate was his enigma. He never really knew Desmond, Jin, Libby, Penny or Shannon. Rose and Bernard mostly kept to themselves. He found Sayid to a be useful resource in persuading other people to follow him. But nothing in the island stories would sear an everlasting friendship to Jack.
And why would these people want to spend the rest of eternity with Jack? Locke is alone. He has no love of his life present to share this moment (where is Helen?) Boone is also alone, the third wheel in the Sayid-Shannon fortnight romance. Penny has no connection to any of these people. Desmond spent most of his time trying to get away from all of these people. One would have thought that Desmond, Penny and their child would move on together outside this group. The same is true for Christian. Why is he here but not his wife? He never knew anyone in the room except Jack. They are all strangers to him.
And what exactly did Locke, Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny do to "save" Jack's soul?
The only common denominator among this group is that they are all dead. When and how they all died is open to subjective debate. They all could have died in the crash, they all could have died after the crash, or they all could have died prior to Flight 815 (as Jacob was truly a soul collector bring them to the island to begin their after life journeys).
Or worse, Locke, Desmond, Boone, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Libby and Penny were merely props created by Jacob, his guardian angel, to help Jack accept his ultimate fear: being unable to save himself from his own mortality. If true, then it was a cruel con to convince Jack to let go of his earthly ties in order for his fearful soul to move on.
Maybe we caught a glimpse of that realization at the very end. At the church reunion, Jack seems to be out of it. Sitting in the front pew, Jack is in a trance, looking straight ahead. He does not look at Kate when the last moment arrives when Christian opens the church doors. Jack is still in shock as the white light engulfs the church. We do not know what happens next: do they go to heaven, or have another time skip back to the island or does everyone get incinerated by the light?
All we know for sure is that everyone we knew from the island are dead and gone.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
TRUE LESSONS
"The difference
between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then
given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." - - -Tom Bodett
One of the purposes of literature is to move characters through storied events to find some sort of meaningful Epiphany or change at the end. If LOST was a character study in life lessons, then what can we truly glean from the experience?
1. Do Not Trust Your Own Eyes. The eye metaphor was consistent throughout the series. It was used to open and close story arcs, to filter information from various sources, and to cloud judgment. Many characters saw strange things and could not believe their eyes. Coupled with the inability to trust their fellow characters, people's eyes turned blind to the most important events in their lives such as family, friendship and love. Locke is the perfect example of this with his failed relationship with Helen.
2. Love is More. An aspect of a character's blindness to his or her own surroundings is the fact that many characters could not understand or appreciate the love or their life if he or she was standing right in front of them. Kate is the perfect example of this - - - she avoided commitment and love with all her childhood boyfriends. As an adult, she only used physical love to manipulate men to do her bidding or further her escape. Love is more than just words or flings, it is committed action. Without a full explanation, a light switch went off in Kate's head that her true love was Jack. The moment she knew Jack was going to die on the island she knew her true feelings - - - but it was too late. She could only re-connect and share those emotions with Jack in the after life.
3. You Cannot Change Yourself. Each character had a deep personal flaw. Whether it was awkward social skills, inflated ego, evil or criminal tendencies, each person kept true to their inner beast. When confronted with dangerous tests or strategy, they tended to fall back on what they knew best - - - their personal flaws to struggle their way through a tenuous situation. Sayid is a prime example of this when he was confronted with danger and he was in need of critical information, he fell back on his life skills as a torturer. He kept an distant demeanor because of this character flaw. Even when he was accepted by the beach camp, he could not keep his defenses in check (and he had to leave the camp, only to be captured and tortured by Rousseau). Sayid could only change his path when he took the submarine bomb down the hallway to save (most) of his comrades. It was that moment of change, taking life over death, did Sayid have a redemptive moment. Other people are needed in order for a person to change their wayward lifestyle.
4. Power Corrupts. There is a basic human desire to control one's circumstances. People want to be able to control all aspects of their lives. What they want is what they should get. When Locke constantly yelled "you can't tell me what to do!" he was lashing out against his own inherit weaknesses. The want to be accepted as a leader of men is an important aspect of a person with low self-esteem. Ben is the perfect example of a meek and lonely child, in a bad drunken father relationship, whose fantasy is to be king - - - to make the rules, to have followers, to be worshipped by his fellow man and loved by desirable women. But once Ben got to the throne of leadership of the Others, his love of that power base corrupted his soul. With any challenge to his authority, he would lash out against anyone near him. Fear took over for respect. That fear would compound into more and more inhumane reactions to challenges of his authority. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But the payoff was not their for Ben. His power was a mere illusion in a bigger game of life. But he burned down all the bridges he could have had with people who would have liked him for himself, but for his lust for power.
One of the purposes of literature is to move characters through storied events to find some sort of meaningful Epiphany or change at the end. If LOST was a character study in life lessons, then what can we truly glean from the experience?
1. Do Not Trust Your Own Eyes. The eye metaphor was consistent throughout the series. It was used to open and close story arcs, to filter information from various sources, and to cloud judgment. Many characters saw strange things and could not believe their eyes. Coupled with the inability to trust their fellow characters, people's eyes turned blind to the most important events in their lives such as family, friendship and love. Locke is the perfect example of this with his failed relationship with Helen.
2. Love is More. An aspect of a character's blindness to his or her own surroundings is the fact that many characters could not understand or appreciate the love or their life if he or she was standing right in front of them. Kate is the perfect example of this - - - she avoided commitment and love with all her childhood boyfriends. As an adult, she only used physical love to manipulate men to do her bidding or further her escape. Love is more than just words or flings, it is committed action. Without a full explanation, a light switch went off in Kate's head that her true love was Jack. The moment she knew Jack was going to die on the island she knew her true feelings - - - but it was too late. She could only re-connect and share those emotions with Jack in the after life.
3. You Cannot Change Yourself. Each character had a deep personal flaw. Whether it was awkward social skills, inflated ego, evil or criminal tendencies, each person kept true to their inner beast. When confronted with dangerous tests or strategy, they tended to fall back on what they knew best - - - their personal flaws to struggle their way through a tenuous situation. Sayid is a prime example of this when he was confronted with danger and he was in need of critical information, he fell back on his life skills as a torturer. He kept an distant demeanor because of this character flaw. Even when he was accepted by the beach camp, he could not keep his defenses in check (and he had to leave the camp, only to be captured and tortured by Rousseau). Sayid could only change his path when he took the submarine bomb down the hallway to save (most) of his comrades. It was that moment of change, taking life over death, did Sayid have a redemptive moment. Other people are needed in order for a person to change their wayward lifestyle.
4. Power Corrupts. There is a basic human desire to control one's circumstances. People want to be able to control all aspects of their lives. What they want is what they should get. When Locke constantly yelled "you can't tell me what to do!" he was lashing out against his own inherit weaknesses. The want to be accepted as a leader of men is an important aspect of a person with low self-esteem. Ben is the perfect example of a meek and lonely child, in a bad drunken father relationship, whose fantasy is to be king - - - to make the rules, to have followers, to be worshipped by his fellow man and loved by desirable women. But once Ben got to the throne of leadership of the Others, his love of that power base corrupted his soul. With any challenge to his authority, he would lash out against anyone near him. Fear took over for respect. That fear would compound into more and more inhumane reactions to challenges of his authority. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But the payoff was not their for Ben. His power was a mere illusion in a bigger game of life. But he burned down all the bridges he could have had with people who would have liked him for himself, but for his lust for power.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
THE HUMAN EQUATION
I stumbled across an interesting quotation:
"To solve the human equation, we need to add love, subtract hate, multiply good, and divide between truth and error." Janet Coleman
In a formula:
Human = ( Love - Hate) x Good/ (Truth + Error)
So the factors to quantify are:
Love
Hate
Good
Truth
Errors
Truth and errors are objective facts that could be proven by research into the character actions.
Love and Hate are emotional observations that could be analyzed by a character's actions.
Good is a subjective determination of a person's personality and deeds.
To test the hypothesis, let us use a standard zero to ten scale for the variables. Zero would be none and ten would be absolute positive.
Let us take a simple character like Rose. She had the devotion to her husband, Bernard. They were totally in love with each other. She loved her life, but hated her cancer. But she accepted its truth that it was terminal and she would die. She would make mistakes and follow the wrong people on the island. She cared for other people and worked well at the beach camp. But in the end, she decided that it was best for her to leave the group and go off with Bernard to live in their own camp. Rose never actually hurt anyone during her stay on the island.
It may be debatable and subjective to assign points to Rose's character, but let us try:
Love 8, Hate 3, Truth 8, Errors 5, Good 9
Rose = (8-3) x 9 / 8 + 5
Rose = 5 x 9 /13
Rose = 1.0769
Let us now take a more complex character like Sayid. He was raised in a poor dictatorship of Iraq. At an early age, he learned to kill. He accepted it with cool detachment, He garnered favor with his father as a result. He went into the military which drew out the dark side of Sayid. He never had a true love growing up. His relationship with Nadia was at first as torturer, then as a crush. He let her go and killed a soldier to cover up his treason. He further went to work for the U.S. military, abandoning his family. His decision led him down the path of being a pawn, a hired killer and mercenary. He was given a new opportunity to change when he crashed on the island. He had more street savvy than the others; he could tell when people were lying to him. He could find the truth in their actions, or by torturing them. He worked to protect the beach camp from the Others. He risked his life to save his colleagues when they were captured and held hostage. He killed may people while he was on the island. He hated himself and the life that he led. When he was shot and re-born, it was as a dark ("infected') person. He would side with Flocke in the final team alignment.
To assign numbers to Sayid is also debatable and subjective:
Love 2, Hate 8, Truth 7, Errors 6, Good 3
Sayid = (2 - 8) x 3 / (7 + 6)
Sayid = (-6) x 3/ 13
Sayid = - 1.3846
Rose had a positive number. She was a positive person.
Sayid has a negative number. He was a troubled soul who landed on the evil ledger of life.
If you look at the equation, the tipping point comes down to two true variables.
If Hate is more than Love, you will be a negative human being.
If you have more Errors than Truths in life, you will be a negative human being.
A final example of the most complex of characters, Locke. Locke was a miracle baby born premature in a rural town after his mother was hit by a car. He grew up in foster homes. He was a loner. He rejected his intelligence (he was good at science in school) because he wanted to be with the cool kids. He was awkward in social settings. As a result, he dealt with his problems by fantasy (games, imagination). He was too trusting and got burned by co-workers and his father (who stole his kidney). He was bitter and resentful of his life. He could not accept his paralysis. His hate pushed away the only person in his life that truly cared for him, his girlfriend Helen. That mistake made Helen die alone. On the island, Locke was given another miracle, the ability to walk again. He tried to be a different person, a leader of the camp. But he made error after error in judgment. Those mistakes caused the island to time skip, and his friends to get hurt. He killed many people on the island. He was at first obsessive about the Hatch, which killed Boone. He then gave up on the Numbers thinking nothing would happen: it imploded and began the island path to destruction. He was a failure since he could not in life convince any of the O6 to return to the island. He trusted Ben, but in an instant Ben murdered him. Locke's life was terribly sad and meaningless. He remained a bitter man. He could not understand his past mistakes; he was a poor judge of character. He wanted to be good and be accepted in a group of friends. But he was easily manipulated and used for other purposes. It made him shameful and resentful. His social history was his personal down fall.
Locke's assigned factors:
Love 3, Hate 6, Truth 3, Errors 8, Good 5
Human = ( Love - Hate) x Good/ (Truth + Error)
Locke = (3 - 6) x 5 / ( 3 - 8)
Locke = (-9) x 5 / (-11)
Locke = 4.0909
Rose had a positive number, 1.0769. We concluded she was a positive, good person.
Sayid has a negative number, - 1.3846. We concluded he was a negative, bad soul.
Locke has a higher positive number, 4.0909. Was Locke four times more positive than Rose? Was he happier, more content or more human than Rose?
Locke's role in the series was larger than Rose's, but not that much different than Sayid's.
Locke had more hate and made more errors than most of the characters in the series. Those two negatives somehow created a large positive final human value. Was it his pain and misery that allowed his final friends to reach the sideways church? Locke himself was not present or a factor upon the O6's return to the island to fight MIB. The only aspect of Locke's off-island death was that it motivated Jack to return to the island. Jack's return allowed Jacob to give the island guardianship to Jack. Jack accepted the guardianship, reset the light stone, and helped defeat MIB. Jack then died giving his remaining survivors a chance for a new life by taking off on the Ajira plane.
Was Locke's sacrifice, as foretold by Christian (smoke monster or possibly Jacob in disguise) at the FDW, the key to resolving Locke's pitiful life by changing Jack's?
"To solve the human equation, we need to add love, subtract hate, multiply good, and divide between truth and error." Janet Coleman
In a formula:
Human = ( Love - Hate) x Good/ (Truth + Error)
So the factors to quantify are:
Love
Hate
Good
Truth
Errors
Truth and errors are objective facts that could be proven by research into the character actions.
Love and Hate are emotional observations that could be analyzed by a character's actions.
Good is a subjective determination of a person's personality and deeds.
To test the hypothesis, let us use a standard zero to ten scale for the variables. Zero would be none and ten would be absolute positive.
Let us take a simple character like Rose. She had the devotion to her husband, Bernard. They were totally in love with each other. She loved her life, but hated her cancer. But she accepted its truth that it was terminal and she would die. She would make mistakes and follow the wrong people on the island. She cared for other people and worked well at the beach camp. But in the end, she decided that it was best for her to leave the group and go off with Bernard to live in their own camp. Rose never actually hurt anyone during her stay on the island.
It may be debatable and subjective to assign points to Rose's character, but let us try:
Love 8, Hate 3, Truth 8, Errors 5, Good 9
Rose = (8-3) x 9 / 8 + 5
Rose = 5 x 9 /13
Rose = 1.0769
Let us now take a more complex character like Sayid. He was raised in a poor dictatorship of Iraq. At an early age, he learned to kill. He accepted it with cool detachment, He garnered favor with his father as a result. He went into the military which drew out the dark side of Sayid. He never had a true love growing up. His relationship with Nadia was at first as torturer, then as a crush. He let her go and killed a soldier to cover up his treason. He further went to work for the U.S. military, abandoning his family. His decision led him down the path of being a pawn, a hired killer and mercenary. He was given a new opportunity to change when he crashed on the island. He had more street savvy than the others; he could tell when people were lying to him. He could find the truth in their actions, or by torturing them. He worked to protect the beach camp from the Others. He risked his life to save his colleagues when they were captured and held hostage. He killed may people while he was on the island. He hated himself and the life that he led. When he was shot and re-born, it was as a dark ("infected') person. He would side with Flocke in the final team alignment.
To assign numbers to Sayid is also debatable and subjective:
Love 2, Hate 8, Truth 7, Errors 6, Good 3
Sayid = (2 - 8) x 3 / (7 + 6)
Sayid = (-6) x 3/ 13
Sayid = - 1.3846
Rose had a positive number. She was a positive person.
Sayid has a negative number. He was a troubled soul who landed on the evil ledger of life.
If you look at the equation, the tipping point comes down to two true variables.
If Hate is more than Love, you will be a negative human being.
If you have more Errors than Truths in life, you will be a negative human being.
A final example of the most complex of characters, Locke. Locke was a miracle baby born premature in a rural town after his mother was hit by a car. He grew up in foster homes. He was a loner. He rejected his intelligence (he was good at science in school) because he wanted to be with the cool kids. He was awkward in social settings. As a result, he dealt with his problems by fantasy (games, imagination). He was too trusting and got burned by co-workers and his father (who stole his kidney). He was bitter and resentful of his life. He could not accept his paralysis. His hate pushed away the only person in his life that truly cared for him, his girlfriend Helen. That mistake made Helen die alone. On the island, Locke was given another miracle, the ability to walk again. He tried to be a different person, a leader of the camp. But he made error after error in judgment. Those mistakes caused the island to time skip, and his friends to get hurt. He killed many people on the island. He was at first obsessive about the Hatch, which killed Boone. He then gave up on the Numbers thinking nothing would happen: it imploded and began the island path to destruction. He was a failure since he could not in life convince any of the O6 to return to the island. He trusted Ben, but in an instant Ben murdered him. Locke's life was terribly sad and meaningless. He remained a bitter man. He could not understand his past mistakes; he was a poor judge of character. He wanted to be good and be accepted in a group of friends. But he was easily manipulated and used for other purposes. It made him shameful and resentful. His social history was his personal down fall.
Locke's assigned factors:
Love 3, Hate 6, Truth 3, Errors 8, Good 5
Human = ( Love - Hate) x Good/ (Truth + Error)
Locke = (3 - 6) x 5 / ( 3 - 8)
Locke = (-9) x 5 / (-11)
Locke = 4.0909
Rose had a positive number, 1.0769. We concluded she was a positive, good person.
Sayid has a negative number, - 1.3846. We concluded he was a negative, bad soul.
Locke has a higher positive number, 4.0909. Was Locke four times more positive than Rose? Was he happier, more content or more human than Rose?
Locke's role in the series was larger than Rose's, but not that much different than Sayid's.
Locke had more hate and made more errors than most of the characters in the series. Those two negatives somehow created a large positive final human value. Was it his pain and misery that allowed his final friends to reach the sideways church? Locke himself was not present or a factor upon the O6's return to the island to fight MIB. The only aspect of Locke's off-island death was that it motivated Jack to return to the island. Jack's return allowed Jacob to give the island guardianship to Jack. Jack accepted the guardianship, reset the light stone, and helped defeat MIB. Jack then died giving his remaining survivors a chance for a new life by taking off on the Ajira plane.
Was Locke's sacrifice, as foretold by Christian (smoke monster or possibly Jacob in disguise) at the FDW, the key to resolving Locke's pitiful life by changing Jack's?
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