BRAIN LIVES ON

There is a haunting story from the UK Sun.

A UK study on what happens to cardiac arrest patients (where the heart stops) that "come back to life" indicates that brain activity continues after death. Specifically, a person's consciousness continues to work after the person has died. In other words, your brain knows you are dead when you die.

Dr. Sam Parnia and her team from New York University Langone School of Medicine  set out to find the answer in a much less dangerous fashion, looking at studies in Europe and the US on people who experienced "out of body" death experiences.

“They’ll describe watching doctors and nurses working and they’ll describe having awareness of full conversations, of visual things that were going on, that would otherwise not be known to them,” Parnia said.  Their recollections were also verified by medical staff who reported their patients could remember the details.

Death, in a medical sense, is when the heart stops beating and cuts off blood to the brain.
This means the brain’s functions also stop and can no longer keep the body alive.

Parnia explained that the brain’s cerebral cortex — the so-called “thinking part” of the brain — also slows down instantly, and flatlines, meaning that no brainwaves are visible on an electric monitor, within 2 to 20 seconds.


This study adds a factual context to several LOST theories. For those who believe that the series premise was contained inside the mind(s) of a character, then the after death experiences (which could seem to last for a long time like short REM dreams) could explain LOST's mysteries and inconsistent parts. For those who believe that LOST was staged in the after life underworld, the vivid life and death dreamscapes could be from the moments right after death - - - the brain pulling memories, fantasies and information from a still-active brain after the body has died.

DAYDREAMS OR NIGHTMARES

A Japanese proverb states, "Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."

Modern people are caught in a cruel dilemma. Cultures impose upon individuals a sense of what is expected of them during their lifetime. Families also impose certain structures, values and goals upon their children which may or may not be realistic. Early experiences shape future actions more than people realize, especially the psychological underpinnings of self-esteem, self-worth, shyness, openness or personal anxieties.

The biggest governor in a person's life is the hard wired defense mechanism that a person does not want to get hurt. Hurt, being physical or emotional. As we grow older, the emotional buffer grows stronger because the mental pain of rejection hits deeper.

This post will not get into whether LOST was a daydream or nightmare premise of some character(s).

It is interesting to look deeper into the proverb's claim.

The hardest thing a person has do mentally is set forth action to overcome a difficult thought.

The classic example of this is a young man getting the courage and inner strength to ask his crush for a date.  The ramifications for him are huge. If she says yes, then the weight of the world melts from his shoulders. She likes him. OK. That is the start he was looking for (nervous success to follow). But if she says no, then the young man is crushed. He let himself be venerable by asking the question with the high expectation of a "yes" answer. This experience of pain can haunt him, especially the next time a similar situation happens in his life.

Everyone's mind is a set of dominoes of these types of experiences. One may set off a chain reaction of withdrawal from society. One may set off a relief valve of wayward expectations being corralled into common sense. It is how people work out and balance the fear factor to the potential reward is how one can live a meaningful and happy life.

A happy life is not necessarily what other people give you. A happy life is what you make of yourself.

But if you are leading an unfulfilled  life, one may get more and more caught up in the daydream of a better life. In your mind, the perfect world can be created to insulate yourself from the pain, fear and pressures of interacting with real people. When a daydream takes over a person's focus and bleeds into their daily routine, the person becomes their own anti-social island. Within the confines of their dream island, nothing can go wrong or hurt them because they control the outcome.

But in real life, you don't control the outcome of events. It may be random chance, hard work or a factor of opportunity over latent skill that leads to variable results. You can do the same thing over and over again to get variable results. There are infinite possibilities even in finite situations.

But if the insulated daydream takes over you to the point of not being able to cope in normal, real world situations (which makes your work suffer, your family estranged, or become a shut-in without friends), you create your own island prison of self-contempt.

It is tough to reverse that course because a person builds up layers of defenses to keep from feeling any bad memory pain. The more the defenses, the more difficult it is to open up your mind to gauge reality from fiction.

Hurley is probably the best example of this daydream-nightmare dynamic. His parental abandonment led to deep seated pain and anxiety about his self-worth. He was depressed to the point of changing his appearance to keep people away. He became secretive. He became a wall flower. When he had the courage to ask the record store girl to go out with him, he was on top of the world until his one best friend turned on him - - - after he kept his lottery winnings to himself. Hurley lost the girl and his friend. He retreated more into his fantasy world (creating imaginary friend, Dave, to take the place of everyone who had hurt him).  But it was actually Dave's last appearance on the island that was the path for Hurley to break free of his daydream nightmare. He had to leap off the cliff of self-delusion in order to "wake up" to the reality that he is a good, nice person who had a place in the real world. People would like him. He could find new friends. He could find a good job. He could find a girl and be happy.

But Libby, his dream girl, stopped Hurley from making that great mental leap. And that is the pull of the dream world - - - it keeps one in a safe illusion of happiness even though you are hurting your chances to find real happiness.

Hurley is symbolic of the average person caught between the expectations of others and their own personal issues or demons. You want to be accepted by your peers. You want to make your parents proud. You want to enjoy what you do. But the voice in your head keeps telling you that if you take that action, you will be sorry.

The greatest regrets in life are those "what if" moments of inaction. If you act and fail, then chalk it up to experience. If you don't act (and don't get a positive or negative result), then you are stuck in personal quicksand and that opportunity is lost.

As you can tell, many LOST themes are woven into this situation, including illusion, island, regret, depression, mental issues, and friendship. The idea of self-growth being self-directed is the base line coda of human life. You cannot wait for someone to come by to make you instantly happy. It never happens that way - - - even in the movies.

DOES?

Does LOST work as any of these genres?

1. Action series?

Yes and No. There was plenty of action including memorable explosions such as the Hatch, the ambush of the Others in the beach camp, Artz handling the TNT and the endless running through the jungle scenes. But some of the explosions or action sequences were unrealistic or mere twists to jump start a sagging plot line. The whole Jughead detonation to reboot the time line only accomplished a cliffhanger.

2. Adventure series?

No. An adventure series is where the protagonist(s) have to overcome a series of challenges, events, villains in order to reach a specific goal. The Indiana Jones films are clear adventure series where the lead is setting forth on a quest to find something. Even Michael Palin's travel shows are his adventures in strange lands and cultures which leads him to his final conclusions on the people and places he encountered along his journey. LOST had a series of "missions" that the main characters went on, but very few had a clear focus (except "rescue" missions). Some people considered the mission creep in the series as filler to keep the characters moving and exploring the island but the characters rarely used any of the knowledge gained to better their situation. A bunch of disconnected adventures does not make an adventure series.

3. Romantic show?

Yes but more no. Characters liked and disliked each other. Some had passionate affairs, some had personal regrets. When Sayid spent years pining over his life's love, Nadia, but winds up with his very short hook up partner in Shannon in the sideways ending, viewers were both confused and angry.  Likewise, when Jack wound up back with Kate, it seemed more like she was the last one standing than the passionate love of his life. Only Rose and Bernard seemed to have a lasting, true love which was sealed prior to their island life.

4. Mystery series?

No. Mystery shows construct complex story lines filled with clues so the viewers have a chance to figure out the mystery before it is revealed in the ending. In LOST, the writers-producers set out to intentionally raise mysteries and questions without the intellectual bargain to give viewers their solution in the end. It cannot be a mystery series if the mysteries are not solved.

5. Science fiction series?

Yes and no. It did have many sci-fi elements like the smoke monster, and scientific references to unique electromagnetic properties, but extrapolated science principles into credible sci-fi canon was diluted when supernatural elements without explanation overwhelmed the plot lines. The immortal beings of Jacob and MIB was so different than the Widmore-Dharma-Others scientific questions and quests to control the island that it clouded the stories and facts of the first five seasons.  A true sci-fi series like Star Trek or Star Wars sets forth a clear vision of the story's universe and keeps true to it. LOST had so many continuity issues within the overlapping story lines to have no clear vision of its own universal structure.

WHY KATE MATTERED

Just in the character's own background, fans had a love-hate relationship with Kate. Some fans really liked her, and some fans really hated her. But Kate's character provided an important role in the story structure.

She was the character most likely to be in the middle of the action. She visited five of the Dharma stations (Swan, Staff, Hydra, Flame and Tempest). She was probably on the most "missions" or jungle treks of the survivors. She was often the one (because her "tracking skills') to get her fellow castaways from point A to point B. As a result, Kate was the most captured/tied-up character on the show. This would put her in the center of the drama and danger being shown in the series; a proxy for fan involvement with the other characters.

Kate was also the point of conflict between Jack and Sawyer; and at times, between Jack and Locke on how things should be decided amongst the group. As the fans love-hate relationship grew, that feeling was also mirrored within the scripts for Kate's character.

She also had the most consecutive centric episodes: Pilot, Part 2, Tabula Rosa, Born to Run, Exodus, Part 1, There's No Place Like Home, Parts 1,2 & 3, LA X Part 2 and What Kate Does.  It would seem that the writers wanted the viewers to identify with the Kate character and her motivations. Kate's name may be derived from that of a character from John Steinbeck's Nobel Prize-winning novel East of Eden. Catherine is one of the main antagonists and, like Kate, sets her parents' home on fire as a young girl (killing both of them, as opposed to Kate who just kills her step-father) and spends most of her life from that point forward running from the law. Catherine later changes her name to Kate to further avoid detection.

Katherine is a Greek name which means "pure." Pure is defined as being not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material; without any extraneous and unnecessary elements;  free of any contamination;  wholesome and untainted by immorality, esp. that of a sexual nature; and  perfectly in tune and with a clear tone. Kate's character was an unyielding, stubborn, independent woman with personal flaws in morality and judgment. Her inner conflicts paralleled the island conflicts in many ways.

She was one of two characters to have actually left the island twice (the other being pilot Frank). She was the celebrity-trial centerpiece of the Oceanic 6. Her story with Aaron was the compelling reason NOT to go back to the island. She was also the reason Jack turned into a bearded, drug-addicted, suicidal mess.

When she leaves the island for the final time, she is only one of five main characters to be alive.

As for the Numbers, Kate was in 108 episodes. Kate is the only one of the Oceanic survivors and candidates whose candidate number is not one of "The Numbers" or a multiple thereof. The only survivors on the list in addition to Hurley, Locke, Sawyer, Jack, Jin and/or Sun, and Sayid are Kate, Michael, and Shannon. Shannon's number is 32, a multiple of 4 and 8 and Michael's number is 124, a multiple of 4. Kate's number is 51, which is not a multiple of any of the numbers.

However, she was the "variable" in the final equation. Even though her number was crossed off the candidates list, Jacob gave her the opportunity to take over his guardianship. As a result of still being a candidate, Kate was in the position to fell Flocke, who thought she was no longer a candidate, with a bullet.

She is also the second-to-last person to be awakened prior to Christian's funeral in the sideways world. Jack was the last to be awakened, which makes the story foundation come back full circle since it was supposed to be Kate to be the leader after Jack was to be killed off in the pilot episode.

She also served the purpose of giving Jack someone to move on with into the next stage of the after life. For Kate not to be by his side at the end would mean that Jack's island sacrifices would have no reward.

CLIFFHANGERS

A cliffhanger is a story telling device which stops the story at a precarious, dangerous or surprising stop until the next chapter or episode is revealed to answer or explain the prior plot point.

LOST contained numerous cliffhangers, some from episode to episode, some from season to season.

In examining the end-of-season cliffhangers, and the promise of their resolution, reveals the following:

Season 1: The opening of The Hatch and the attack on the raft which strange people kidnapped Walt.

Season 2: Jack, Kate and Sawyer are taken by the Others; Locke lets the Hatch timer run out to a system failure (which aftermath is in doubt); and a listening post tells Penny it has found the island.

Season 3: Jack's flashbacks are revealed at the airport to be flash forwards, that Kate and Jack will escape the island.

Season 4: The island moves and the man in the coffin is revealed as Locke (but not how he died).

Season 5: Juliet is trapped in the construction pit, left to pound on rock on the atomic bomb.

Season 6: The cast gathers in the sideways church to be engulfed by a white light.

We would learn that the Hatch was a Dharma science station, that had to be manned by a person who needed to input The Numbers (for some unknown reason). We would learn that a group of native inhabitants called The Others were behind Walt's kidnapping and the sinking of the raft. The Others claim to be "the good guys" but state that the island is their domain.

We would learn that Jack, Kate and Sawyer were captured by the Others so their leader, Ben, could manipulate them to apparently serve the goals of a mysterious person named Jacob. Jack was needed to perform spinal surgery on Ben. Sawyer was needed to be conned by Ben to quell any rebellious notions that the survivors would have in the future, Kate was used as the romantic pawn to keep both Jack and Sawyer in line.

We would see that if the Hatch timer went to zero, an alarm would signal, and hieroglyphs would appear that said "He Escapes Place of Death," and there would be a massive surge of magnetic energy that would rattle the entire island.

We would learn that Penny had hired men to listen for the island so she could find its location. We were left wondering why people could not find the island.

We saw the sudden plot inversion to the flash forward with Jack and Kate at the airport. We saw an upset Jack losing his nerve. When Kate left, saying "he is waiting," we did not know who she was talking about (Sawyer, Ben or some other person). The question was how did they get off the island, and what happened to them.

We learned that several 815 survivors got on board the helicopter from Widmore's freighter just before it blew up. But running low on fuel, Frank attempted to return to the island when it suddenly vanished without barely an ocean ripple, stunning everyone on board.

In another flash forward mystery from that season, the man inside the coffin was revealed to be Locke, but we did not know how he died until it was revealed that Ben killed him.

We would learn that Juliet "survived" the construction site implosion (meaning that the atomic bomb did not detonate), but she mumbled that "it worked" (but we don't know what that means). She is embraced by a time skipping partner, Sawyer, who holds her when she dies. He vows revenge against Jack for his foolish plan that led to Juliet's death.

In the end, we see the smiling faces of the main characters engulfed by a white light as Christian opens the church doors, but we don't know what that means or where the characters are "moving on" to.

The answers to the cliffhangers were mere isolated facts, little puzzle pieces, which did not connect together to form a clear picture to solve the biggest mysteries of the series.

THE DAYS TO LIVE THROUGH

“ We have more days to live through than pleasures. Be slow in enjoyment, quick at work, for men see work ended with pleasure, pleasure ended with regret. ”
— Baltasar Gracian

 
Depending on one view's the time travel spokes in the time line the show, the 815 survivors were only on the island for a short time period.

In reality, the real mean time was only around 116 days: 101 days through December of 2004, and about 15 days on the re-emergence in 2007 (or that is what we assume the date was based upon Rose and Bernard's alone time in their camp.)

If we look at the time the characters had on the island as their last time on Earth (so to speak), who had the most pleasure in their island time?

Locke certainly loved his new outback persona. He thought of himself as a leader who could control the situation. People listened to him for once. But those pleasurable moments were fleeting for Locke.

Sawyer had his own personal moments of joy. He was at home being the lonely island troublemaker. People had to come to him to make deals for necessary supplies. He had no desire to belong to the group, especially when he got fringe benefits from Kate. If not for the Jacob-MIB dogma, Sawyer may have been content to be a Robinson Caruso island resident for the rest of life.

Hurley was comfortable on the island. It is interesting to note that he never really spoke about his mother or father on the island. He kept his wealth a secret until he made what he thought were trustworthy friends (and then they did not believe him). Hurley's new friendships made his island stay more than bearable. He was surprised that people accepted him for himself. His island time was really a vacation from the stresses and anxiety of his real life.

On the flip side, no one can say that Jack had a very good time on the island. He was under constant stress to be the leader. People wanted him to make decisions for them. He had to treat their wounds, maintain their safety, and hear their complaints. Over time, it beat Jack's psyche down to being comfortable in the role of Dharma janitor.

Sayid was quietly comfortable at first in the beach camp, but he felt the prejudice and distrust from the survivors early on. He was brought up in an emotional and confrontational culture. He knew he did not fit in, but he stayed on the edge of the group because he was useful, resourceful and a means of protection. Sayid enjoyed that role of protector, until his inner evil turned him back into a mindless torturer. At that time, Sayid became depressed and useless waiting for a means to end it all.

Rose and Bernard probably made the most of their extended time together. Rose had no use for most of the survivors. She hated the politics and whining in camp. Bernard was just grateful for the extra time he had with his wife. Once they left to have their own camp, they were a happy couple again.

But all these impressions and actions of these characters happened in a short time frame. One either quickly accepted your role on the island or you were miserable and your fate was sealed by the island. It could be viewed as the countdown to execution that condemned prisoners would have prior to the gallows. The visitors to the end may or may not realize that their days are numbered, and that their lives were about to be extinguished so the island is the last playground they will ever know. Some left the island with regrets. Some left the island with pleasurable memories and friendships. Some never left the island.

THROWN AGAINST THE WALL

There has been a resentment in some circles to how LOST was structured as a series.  Many people believed that the writers merely threw plot twists, traps and mysteries against the wall to see what stuck in the hearts and minds of the fans.

 Humans have the brain capacity to be curious about their surroundings. We have the intelligence to apply knowledge to problems to find solutions. That is why we are at the top of the food chain. And that same basic mental framework is how we view our information and entertainment.

Even before we can walk, as babies, we want to put the shaped blocks through the right holes and into the bucket. That is why a few of us still continue to think whether there is (by accident and not even design) some unified explanation for the layered, complex and engaging story lines of the series.

Or, do we have to come to the final conclusion that we were duped by a canvas of splattered paint instead of coherent statement of words and actions.

The unease comes from the fact that many of the major themes and consequential moments (at the time) were rendered meaningless, irrelevant and immaterial in the conclusion of the series. For example, could the castaways gotten to the sideways church without the smoke monster story lines? Apparently so. What did the island time skipping have to do with the reunion in the church? Nothing. Did Juliet set off the bomb? It did not matter. What happened to all the deep and detailed ancient Egyptian ritual and hieroglyphs that expanded in scope as the last season unfolded? It turns out to be mere artful misdirection.

That is why so many people cannot grasp the significance of the ending because it was not foreshadowed by any of the action of the main characters. It was an off-ramp to a quiet side alley when the story was a super highway rushing to the final toll booth of answers.

All art, including storytelling, can many different variations. It can be mystery, drama, comedy, surreal or even absurd. It is just like in fine art painting. You have those artists who use the medium to express realistic portraits, impressions, illusions to reality, abstractions to comment on life, to surreal merger of mismatched items like a Dali creation to shock to viewer into wonder and personal reflection.

As I said above, a criticism has been that the LOST writers were merely throwing plots on the wall without any reason or structure in order to move the series forward. In the art world, this splatter approach was made famous by Jackson Pollock, who spilled, sprayed, flicked and tossed random colors on large canvases to make his art. Some people adore the freedom of expression, other people hate it as a mess, and many are just indifferent with the result. Sounds a lot like the reactions to the end of Season Six.

The strength but also the problem with the Pollock drippy style is that is it is "easy." It is easy to create because it is abstract. The result is all in the eye of the beholder. The artist does not have to say anything about the subject matter (even if there is one in his own mind). There are no rules. Structure is abandoned. Convention set aside. Recognizable symbols or shapes are not used to convey any message.  I did the above graphic in a matter of minutes. If 100 people look at it, you would probably get 100 different responses to it. It is both nothing and anything. I had no concept of what I would be drawing; I only threw dashes of color and lines on a blank piece of digital paper. To me, it is just an abstract drawing.

To viewers of LOST, they do not want to see their show as an abstract nothingness. They were led on so many paths, experienced so many key moments to have the final reveal to be a Pollock-style painting. That is why a few keep searching for the hidden brush strokes.

DISTRUST

 “ Self-distrust is the cause of most of our failures. In the assurance of strength, there is strength, and they are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their own powers. ”
— Christian Bovée

Distrust was a common theme in LOST. Throughout the series, it was a common refrain, "Trust me," especially when one character was trying to get another character to agree to their position, mission or action.

Self-distrust is an interesting sidebar to this discussion. If one cannot trust herself or himself, then how can that person trust another person? In real life, the biggest trust factor is in a committed relationship like marriage. If one cannot trust one's spouse to be loyal, then the bonds between them are weak. But if one cannot trust one's self to be loyal in that relationship, there is added anxiety and stress - - - even if the other spouse is not at fault.

There were a few characters who had no faith in themselves. They could not call any inner reserve to change the course of their life. Desmond was a person who could not trust his decision making process or even his instincts, especially with his relationships with women. He calls off his engagement to join the military as a means of avoiding a commitment. But when Penny rejects him, instead of trusting himself to win her back, Desmond goes off on a crazy mission to impress her father, Widmore, instead of working on his personal relationship with Penny. He ran away instead of trusting his own feelings and strengths in order to win back Penny.

Hurley was another character who could not trust himself. He could not trust himself in relationships with women. His shyness and abandonment issues led him to cower in asking a girl out on a date. When his best friend wound up with his first crush, then put Hurley into a distrustful hermit mode.  His continued depression which started with his father's abandonment led him to body imagine issues. Like Desmond, he ran away from his problems, but instead of a suicidal boat race, Hurley took to food. On the island, he could not trust himself to be the pantry keeper. He could not fathom rationing food when he craved the the very thing he was meant to protect.

Sawyer had a distrust of everyone. Growing up as a loner, he made sure he could only count on himself. He did not trust even his partners in crime. When he let down his guard, his partners took advantage of him with disastrous results. But Sawyer distrusted himself in regard to his own personal relationships. He saw people he met as "marks" and not friends or potential lovers (until he time traveled and became close with Juliet.) Sawyer somehow distrusted the "normalcy" that a normal relationship would have on his psyche, which was solely devoted to revenge for his parents death.

In Sawyer's case, when he began to "care" (in his own way) for his fellow castaways (when Jack, Kate and Locke were gone), this opened the door to care about other people . . . to open up to become involved in a real, adult, committed relationship.

In Hurley's case, he had to be literally dragged off the edge of insanity by Libby in order to learn that non-family could love him for himself and not for his money.

In Desmond's case, he never proved to himself that he trusted himself to be with Penny. It was blind luck that it was Penny's boat that rescued him when the island disappeared (and the O6 was created to deceive the world).  Penny's will had more to do with Desmond returning to her than anything Dez did. Further, Desmond did not trust his own inner strength because he kept himself and Penny away from them - - - hiding from the ridicule that Widmore would heap upon him for being a coward. Desmond's weakness that he would not be accepted by powerful people kept him in a state of confusion and on the run for his entire life.

WHAT ONE CANNOT DO

“ The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. ”
— Walter Bagehot 

"Don't tell me what to do!" 
That was John Locke's defensive line in the series.

Did the main characters succeed in doing what other people told them they could not do?

Jack's father told him he could never be a leader because he lacked the guts to make hard life and death decisions. Jack became the leader on the island, and his decisions did lead to life saving and life taking decisions. Did the 815 survivors respect and follow Jack? Yes. Did Jack earn the respect from his father? Apparently all is forgiven after you are dead.

Locke's counselors told him to stay in school and push for a math and science career. But he rejected their advice. Locke wanted to be a jock, a popular guy, in the "in crowd," to be cool. As a result of his own perception of what he wanted to become, Locke curried favor with no one. He went from dead end job to dead end job. He was not happy. He was the low man on the totem pole. He had no family support so he sought out surrogate families such as the commune, which turned into a bitter betrayal of his trust. On the island, he was given an opportunity to remake himself one last time: as a heroic survivalist who was both feared and respected. Did the island inhabitants respect and follow Locke? At times, maybe a little. Did Locke earn the respect from those who doubted his abilities and beliefs? The only person who came to that conclusion was Jack after Locke died at the end of the O6 story arc.

Kate's mother told Kate that she needed to turn herself in for her crimes. That she had to stop running away from her problems and face the consequences for her actions. But Kate continued to run away. First from her mother, then from her husband, and then from the island. She never truly faced any punishment for her actions (the legal story arc in the series was a farce). The one glimmer of redemption was her quest to find and reunite Claire with Aaron. But in reality, Kate was running away from the responsibility of raising Aaron. She had no idea if Claire was still alive on the island when she agreed to return. And she had no idea whether she would survive the trip or escape the island a second time. Did Kate earn the trust and respect of her mother? No. Did Kate earn the trust and respect of her fellow 815 survivors? Yes and no, because Kate was a fence sitter on most major decisions, often changing sides in a leadership battle for no apparent reason.

ACTIONS

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. — Dale Carnegie

 There are two general types of people: leaders and followers.

Leaders are those who take charge of a situation or group. They want to be in control. They have analytical skills to motivate people around them towards a common goal.

Followers are those who don't want to be in charge. They do not want the responsibility to oversee or control the collective work group. They would rather be told what to do rather than be proactive and seize the moment.

Leaders: Jack, Ben, Widmore, Eloise, Keamy, Sawyer (only by default), Horace.

Followers: Hurley, Charlie, Claire, Kate, Sayid, Sun, Jin, Boone, Charlotte, Daniel, Dogen, the Others, Dharma workers.

Then there are few characters who were independent and did not want to lead or follow: Rose, Bernard, Juliet, Michael, Shannon.

All these characters had continuous fears and doubts about themselves:

Hurley: being liked, respected, useful.
Charlie: being alone, addicted, useful.
Claire: being a mother.
Kate: having a commitment, being responsible or accountable to anyone.
Sayid: being evil, inability to change, to find happiness.
Sun: being dependent, weak, controlled.
Jin: being poor, ashamed of his family past, respected. 
Boone: being acknowledged, respected, trusted, useful.
Charlotte: finding a purpose, a talent
Daniel: being acknowledged, respected, and worthy of affection.
Dogen: being punished, martyred.
The Others: belonging to something
Dharma workers: belonging to something.

Their LOST experiences did involve those characters coming face to face with their fears and doubts. Most fell back to the comfort of their habitual inaction. Their fate was held by the people around them. They could not trust themselves to change to become fully confident and courageous in their own abilities. Hurley wept in fear when Jack passed on the guardian role to him. Claire never reconciled her fear of motherhood when she left the island as a zombie shell of herself.

The characters who were followers were the most "lost" in the LOST bunch. They would defer decisions to other people around them who had stronger opinions, even though they knew that it was the wrong course of action. Kate was especially keen on doing this mental gymnastics as she attempted to follow many opposing leaders at the same time (Jack and Sawyer dynamic.) As a result, she never grew as a person. It solidified her personality of being a runner, someone who avoided responsibility or accountability (the hallmarks of leadership).

But in the end, curiously, both leaders and followers who took two different paths in their island adventures and decisions, wound up at the same place.

SELF CHARACTERIZATION

You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. 
 — A.A. Milne

One of the quiet or nearly hidden theme of the show was how each main character viewed themselves.

Jack's alleged personality flaw was the lack of leadership skills (the life or death decision making process) instilled in his mind by his aloof father. But that characterization is not seen in any of Jack's background story. From the earliest moments, he stood to a school yard bully for his friend (and paid the price.) He was a emergency room trauma surgeon. He had to make quick decisions, bark out orders, and deal with life or death issues every day. He had to keep his emotions in check. The one critical aspect of his professional practice was that he always gave his patients hope because he could not accept the fact he could not fix everything.

Jack's character was supposed to die early in the series. His death was supposed to "shock" the viewers to the gravity of the island survival. Kate was going to be the focal point character for the series. It is hard to imagine now that Kate would have carried the series. Jack's personality and demographic appeal kept him on the series (the pilot was killed instead.) By Jack staying in the series, it gave the writers the opportunity to "save" injured people, or allow them to die while Jack struggled to cope with their deaths (i.e. Boone). 

Kate was never a leader. She was always a runner. She would get into trouble. Her solution was run away, not be accountable or responsible. She was the anti-leader. She was not even a good follower. She was a loner. Loners with serious baggage are quite independent. Kate probably enjoyed her rebel persona.

Sawyer was Kate's kindred soul. He also had serious baggage, including murder, in common with Kate. He was a loner who enjoyed playing with weaker individuals. He was not about gaining power but rigging situations for his own personal benefit. He did not want or need followers or friends. Sawyer learned the con man trade in order to get into the world of Anthony Cooper, the man who destroyed his family and his life. Sawyer thought of himself as a avenger, the only person who could exact closure to his own personal pain.

On the other hand, Locke aggressively sought out friendship and purpose. His parental abandonment left a big hole in his life. He wanted to be wanted; he needed to be needed. Locke turned his back on what he was good at (school, science) to try to be something he was not (a jock). As a result, no one accepted him. He tried too hard to fit in, including joining a commune. But he was so naive, he did not understand that he was constantly used as a pawn in other people's games. 

When Locke arrived on the island, he had another opportunity to change his persona. He acted like he was the great outback hunter. He could provide food, shelter and guidance to the survivors. It was hard for him to accept that the beach camp gravitated toward the doctor over his skill set. This drive to be accepted by his peers led Locke to become another pawn in the Island's game.

Then you have a character like Sayid who actually knew who he was: a dark soul soldier. He knew he was brave. He knew his was deadly. He hated himself that he could lie, torture or kill his opponents without guilt or shame. He had the experience to be stronger, smarter and more clever than anyone around him. He should have been a natural born leader, but he allowed himself to follow orders instead of commanding center stage. In some ways, he was anti-Locke, who wanted to give the Braveheart speech and lead the survivors in battle.  Sayid was more comfortable doing his solo missions because he never wanted to be responsible for the safety of another person.

Braver. Stronger. Smarter.
Which characters found themselves outside their personal comfort zones during the Island time?

Jack was braver in dealing with human conditions he could not control on the Island. The physical aspects of finding water, keeping people on point, going on missions made him physically stronger. But the added responsibility did not make him any smarter, because he continued to misjudge people and their motivations.

Kate was slightly braver when she went on missions for the sake of a group goal. But she continued to be distant with interpersonal relationships unless it gave her leverage. She was always a tom boy on the run so the island events did not make her physically stronger. She really was not that dependent on the group for survival. Her island time did give her more chances to charm the men around her. She was always street smart and could see through people like Sawyer.

Sawyer became braver when he gunned down a polar bear on the group's first mission to find rescue. He volunteered for a near suicide mission to go off on Michael's raft. It seemed that the Island kept throwing him into dangerous situations where he had to physically fight back. So he became physically stronger, but mentally weaker. He got conned by other people around him, including Ben.  But for the time travel tangent with Juliet in Dharmaville, Sawyer would have wound up as an egotistical manipulator like Ben.

Locke never fit in. He appeared braver after the crash, but the group did not accept his bravery (some feared it). He appeared stronger like a survivalist after the crash, but his emotions got the better of him. Emotions that clouded his judgment. Locke fixated on things as the answer to his own problems (and therefore, the answer to everyone else's problems). When he was wrong, it made him more bitter. And the more bitter he got, the weaker people perceived him. He was not very smart because people easily made him the fool. Locke's island tenure mirrored his miserable pre-crash life.

Sayid's time on the island was also a non-change. Sayid was always a brave soldier, always able to do the group's "dirty work." He was stronger than anyone around him. He was military smart in tactics, weapons, killing and gathering  intelligence. As such, Sayid was viewed by those in power as tool to be used to secure or maintain power. First, Sayid worked for Jack taking the dangerous missions in the jungle. Then he worked for Ben as an asssassin. Finally, he worked for MIB on the island. Once Sayid was killed and reincarnated in the temple, Zombie Sayid finally realized that he was an empty shell. He was no longer independent, but a pawn who did not think much of himself.

Clearly, all the main characters went through a lot of trials and torment on the Island. But did they really change that much? Did a light bulb go off and suddenly make them smarter? Did a dormant trait hidden deep inside them awaken to make them stronger? Did their fits of bravery more heavily rely on basic instincts over courage? It may be subjective to answer those questions. It depends upon how you viewed each character's life before and after their Island time periods. But it is interesting to note that none of the main characters came to the self realization that they truly changed as the series closed. Kate continued to run away. Sawyer was self-motivated to get off the island. Locke and Sayid died in meaningless ways. And Jack never came to grip with his emotional demons. No one came out and said that they had an epiphany; that they were a changed person.