Saturday, February 27, 2016

SHIP SHAPE

John A Shedd said:

"A ship in the Harbor is Safe, but that is not what Ships are built for."


If LOST had a ship theme, it would have been more character driven: friendships, relationships and hardships.

Most of the main characters had few, if any friends. They were loners. They were depressed by their lot in life. Some may have been successful in their careers, but total losers in their social lives. The balance point was boredom.

As loners, most of the main characters had associates and acquaintances or co-workers, but no deep relationships. Romance was barely touched upon in the series. Hook ups were more carnal in nature than romantic relations.

Without friendships and relationships, the main characters were left with personal hardships. When a person does not have close friends or a spouse, they tend to focus upon themselves. They ask themselves "why" they don't have what they see around them in their own family, on television or in the culture: a happy family life. They tend to blame themselves so it turns into a descending spiral of guilt, shame, shyness, and withdrawal from society. In order to avoid rejection or being hurt by others, they find a safe harbor within their own four walls; they become deep introverts. Some then rely more upon their fantasies to cope than the reality of human companionship.

It took a plane crash to get some of the main characters out of their shells, to interact with strangers in a strange place. And in the process, they left some of their fears behind to grow into better human beings.