What were the basic tenets of the island? Was there a governing system of fundamental rules or beliefs that no one could change?
We are aware that "laws" are created by governments in order to protect basic individual freedoms, like property and person, from harm. But the source of the power to create laws, and the corresponding "order," is not clear cut.
Natural law is among the oldest philosophical traditions. Some of
history's greatest geniuses, from Aristotle to Thomas Jefferson, devoted
their most brilliant arguments to it, often differing about details but
agreeing on the broad outlines. Natural law was the basis on which
America's founders wrote the Constitution.
Among other things, it holds that politics isn't just a matter of
agreement. Instead, principles of justice, or the idea that murder or
theft are wrong, run deeper than government's mere say-so. Those things
are actually wrong, aside from whether or not they are legal—and that
means government itself can act unjustly and even impose rules that
don't deserve the name "law."
That's a view many on both left and right share. The greatest
spokesman for natural law in the twentieth century was probably Martin
Luther King, who denounced segregation not because of its technical
complexities, but because it betrayed the natural law principles of the
Declaration of Independence.
Today, most American judges—including liberals and conservatives—reject
natural law. They embrace a different view, "legal positivism," which
holds that individual rights or concepts of justice are really
manufactured government fiat. The late Justice Antonin Scalia, who was viewed as a strict constitutional constructionist, rejected
natural law arguments. "You protect minorities only because the majority
determines that there are certain minority positions that deserve
protection," he said, not because everyone has basic rights under
natural law.
Still, even those who embrace natural law, including Justice Clarence
Thomas, have their differences. For example, while Thomas and his
allies see natural law as a basis for attacking legal protections for
abortion and euthanasia—because they contradict the sanctity of
life—others believe that natural law theory actually supports these
rights, because it prioritizes individual autonomy.
That debate arises from a central natural-law question: What is the
source of the good? Are things like life or freedom good because they
relate to human purposes—such as the pursuit of a fulfilling life—or are
they just intrinsically good, without any deeper reason? This debate
matters because if life is just inherently good, then even someone
suffering a terminal illness who wants to end his own life should be
barred from doing so because life is good, period. On the other hand, if
life is only good because it serves the goal of happiness, then someone
whose life has become a burden of suffering should be free to end it if
he chooses.
How we act between ourselves is a complex system. Where does one get their moral bearings? From their parents? From their friends? From their experiences? From their genes which may program one's personality traits? From successes or from failures? Or is there something inherit in every person's mind that sorts "right" and "wrong" before we act?
If it is truly an individual decision, then the will of the community is irrelevant. The community can only assert its philosophy after the fact towards someone for their actions. There is individual free will but societal consequences.
But the LOST characters on the island rarely, if any time, had their personal wrongs vetted by a community judge or jury. The island was a moral soup of contradictions. Ben was a mass murderer, but he was allowed to live and eventually go to heaven (the sideways world) while petty diamond thieves Nikki and Paulo were buried to rot in island purgatory. If you try to reconcile these two outcomes, one could argue that Ben was luckier than the criminal couple. Or more popular with the writers and viewers. The latter would diminish the LOST mythology as the foundation of the stories, the character morals and actions are not subject to rules but whims. Did natural law influence the decisions and framework for any island visitor? Or was it merely a game of fiat by the supernatural beings that inhabited the island?
Showing posts with label belief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label belief. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
VISION
Carl Jung wrote, "Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart."
Today we live in a world of distraction. There is electronic noise all around us. We are immersed in the flashing glitter of technology. We are filled with escapist avenues to propel procrastination into an art form. But in the end, very few people are truly happy.
The disconnect may come from the fact that many people do not live their own lives. They are more concerned about what other people think of them then try to be the best person they want to be. It seems counter-intuitive to think not being the best person you want to be could hurt you in social and interpersonal relationships.
People can become trapped in their situation, whether it be work related, social, or emotional. Once a person falls into a pit of routine, it is very difficult to spend energy to get out of it. Humans find comfort in habits, even if they will lead to a self-destructive pattern. Suddenly, the years fly by. In an introspective moment, one could shake their head in disbelief. I thought one, two, three or four years ago, things would be different.
These lightning bolts of despair often occur on special days, such as a birthday. A birthday is the personal doomsday clock when people leave their 20s to face adulthood. Family, social, cultural and occupational headwinds will hit one hard in their early 30s which can result in the disconnect of a person's true feelings and their current situation.
Very few people have a vision of their future. Because it is clouded in the past. Mostly, past failures. People do not want to hurt themselves, physically or emotionally. They tend to isolate themselves from people or things that could potentially cause them pain, like a new relationship. But because there is comfort in isolation, there is no opportunity to find true happiness, such as a meaningful and loving new relationship. It is a Catch-22.
New year's resolutions normally command demands for self improvement. Usually, it is the physical traits such as diet, quit smoking, exercise more . . . . external things to make one appear better to the public. But rarely do people dig deeper into their own soul to map out a route to find their true happiness in life. So many people are stuck in a hamster wheel existence; around and around they go going nowhere.
Today we live in a world of distraction. There is electronic noise all around us. We are immersed in the flashing glitter of technology. We are filled with escapist avenues to propel procrastination into an art form. But in the end, very few people are truly happy.
The disconnect may come from the fact that many people do not live their own lives. They are more concerned about what other people think of them then try to be the best person they want to be. It seems counter-intuitive to think not being the best person you want to be could hurt you in social and interpersonal relationships.
People can become trapped in their situation, whether it be work related, social, or emotional. Once a person falls into a pit of routine, it is very difficult to spend energy to get out of it. Humans find comfort in habits, even if they will lead to a self-destructive pattern. Suddenly, the years fly by. In an introspective moment, one could shake their head in disbelief. I thought one, two, three or four years ago, things would be different.
These lightning bolts of despair often occur on special days, such as a birthday. A birthday is the personal doomsday clock when people leave their 20s to face adulthood. Family, social, cultural and occupational headwinds will hit one hard in their early 30s which can result in the disconnect of a person's true feelings and their current situation.
Very few people have a vision of their future. Because it is clouded in the past. Mostly, past failures. People do not want to hurt themselves, physically or emotionally. They tend to isolate themselves from people or things that could potentially cause them pain, like a new relationship. But because there is comfort in isolation, there is no opportunity to find true happiness, such as a meaningful and loving new relationship. It is a Catch-22.
New year's resolutions normally command demands for self improvement. Usually, it is the physical traits such as diet, quit smoking, exercise more . . . . external things to make one appear better to the public. But rarely do people dig deeper into their own soul to map out a route to find their true happiness in life. So many people are stuck in a hamster wheel existence; around and around they go going nowhere.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
SOAP OPERAS
The creator of the anime series, Baccano!, had a line
in adapted episode which probably probably sums up LOST:
Stories never begin, nor do they end. They are comprised of people living. An endless cycle of interacting, influencing each other, and parting ways.
It was a way to try to describe a complex and layered novella series with a wide range of characters. In the end, the confusion comes down to when a drama-adventure series turns into a standard soap opera.
Soap operas were early transpositions of live theater acting to the television audience. A weekday drama airing during the daytime, intended for women (particularly "homemakers"/"at-home moms"), soaps were known for excessively emotional acting and shallow plots and scripts. Soap operas are so-called because the earliest dramas, which originated in the 1950s and 1960s, were sponsored by soap-making companies.
When the LOST show runners continually defended their series from critics, they inferred that the critics did not get it: the show was about character development and not explanations of sci-fi story lines or mysteries.
The one difference between LOST and a standard soap opera is that LOST did have complex plots and scripts, but it had only vague and shallow answers to the mysteries and questions the plot lines posed to viewers. Viewers, who were as rabid as daily soap watchers, spent years trying to figure things out to minute detail. The problem with LOST is that it was not a long running soap opera in terms of fixed characters and slow moving to tedious cliche plots. LOST fans were promised by the creators and writers that it would be different; that if fans kept with them they would get answers to their questions.
After Season 6 concluded, the show runners claimed that they had answered most of the "big" questions which set off another round of fan debates and arguments. However, Carlton Cuse said afterward, "Very early on we had decided that even though LOST is a show about people on the island, really, metaphorically, it was about people who were lost and searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. And because of that, we felt the ending really had to be spiritual, and one that talks about destiny. We would have long discourses about the nature of the show, for many years, and we decided it needed to mean something to us and our belief system and the characters and how all of us are here to lift each other up in our lives."
Damon Lindelof explained, "For us, one of the ongoing conversations with the audience and there was a very early perception, was that the island was purgatory and we were always out there saying 'It's not purgatory, this is real, we're not going to Sixth Sense you.' And we felt it too that the show had to become sort of meta in this way. And so the writers said, 'Obviously, there are all these mysteries. But what if we answered a mystery that was never asked, what's the meaning of life and what happens when you die?'"
Damon added that the idea for the "Flash Sideways" world came about between the planning of seasons four and five because "We were out of flashbacks and we were done with flash forwards. So we started to think about, what if we sort of Trojan horsed in a paradoxical sideways story line?"
So basically, the show creators admit that they used soap opera techniques of changing course, mixing up the characters, adding strange and disturbing elements in order to keep the audience engaged in the show despite the show's writers running out of original ideas.
And even if the hidden agenda of the show was to ask The Big Questions, what's the meaning of life and what happens when you die,? LOST failed to deliver because there was no clarity on when the main characters died and where did their souls go. Was the island heaven? Was the island hell? Was the sideways world purgatory? Or heaven? Or was the O6 arc purgatory (as in Jack's breakdown and suffering return to the island)? Or was the O6 arc heaven (for characters like Walt who was in a normal family with school friends leading a normal life)? Or was it up to each viewer to impress their own belief system on to the events to come to their own conclusions?
Critics of the final season bring up the "more questions than answers" response to this narrative as proof that the show lost its bearings after Season Two by throwing disassociated concepts at the writers wall to see what would stick.
Fans of the final season are content with the mere fact that the main characters grew into a group of friends at the sideways church. That the loners, misfits and troubled souls could find a measure of happiness in the end, whether it was actually real or an illusion.
Stories never begin, nor do they end. They are comprised of people living. An endless cycle of interacting, influencing each other, and parting ways.
It was a way to try to describe a complex and layered novella series with a wide range of characters. In the end, the confusion comes down to when a drama-adventure series turns into a standard soap opera.
Soap operas were early transpositions of live theater acting to the television audience. A weekday drama airing during the daytime, intended for women (particularly "homemakers"/"at-home moms"), soaps were known for excessively emotional acting and shallow plots and scripts. Soap operas are so-called because the earliest dramas, which originated in the 1950s and 1960s, were sponsored by soap-making companies.
When the LOST show runners continually defended their series from critics, they inferred that the critics did not get it: the show was about character development and not explanations of sci-fi story lines or mysteries.
The one difference between LOST and a standard soap opera is that LOST did have complex plots and scripts, but it had only vague and shallow answers to the mysteries and questions the plot lines posed to viewers. Viewers, who were as rabid as daily soap watchers, spent years trying to figure things out to minute detail. The problem with LOST is that it was not a long running soap opera in terms of fixed characters and slow moving to tedious cliche plots. LOST fans were promised by the creators and writers that it would be different; that if fans kept with them they would get answers to their questions.
After Season 6 concluded, the show runners claimed that they had answered most of the "big" questions which set off another round of fan debates and arguments. However, Carlton Cuse said afterward, "Very early on we had decided that even though LOST is a show about people on the island, really, metaphorically, it was about people who were lost and searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. And because of that, we felt the ending really had to be spiritual, and one that talks about destiny. We would have long discourses about the nature of the show, for many years, and we decided it needed to mean something to us and our belief system and the characters and how all of us are here to lift each other up in our lives."
Damon Lindelof explained, "For us, one of the ongoing conversations with the audience and there was a very early perception, was that the island was purgatory and we were always out there saying 'It's not purgatory, this is real, we're not going to Sixth Sense you.' And we felt it too that the show had to become sort of meta in this way. And so the writers said, 'Obviously, there are all these mysteries. But what if we answered a mystery that was never asked, what's the meaning of life and what happens when you die?'"
Damon added that the idea for the "Flash Sideways" world came about between the planning of seasons four and five because "We were out of flashbacks and we were done with flash forwards. So we started to think about, what if we sort of Trojan horsed in a paradoxical sideways story line?"
So basically, the show creators admit that they used soap opera techniques of changing course, mixing up the characters, adding strange and disturbing elements in order to keep the audience engaged in the show despite the show's writers running out of original ideas.
And even if the hidden agenda of the show was to ask The Big Questions, what's the meaning of life and what happens when you die,? LOST failed to deliver because there was no clarity on when the main characters died and where did their souls go. Was the island heaven? Was the island hell? Was the sideways world purgatory? Or heaven? Or was the O6 arc purgatory (as in Jack's breakdown and suffering return to the island)? Or was the O6 arc heaven (for characters like Walt who was in a normal family with school friends leading a normal life)? Or was it up to each viewer to impress their own belief system on to the events to come to their own conclusions?
Critics of the final season bring up the "more questions than answers" response to this narrative as proof that the show lost its bearings after Season Two by throwing disassociated concepts at the writers wall to see what would stick.
Fans of the final season are content with the mere fact that the main characters grew into a group of friends at the sideways church. That the loners, misfits and troubled souls could find a measure of happiness in the end, whether it was actually real or an illusion.
Monday, March 28, 2016
GODS OF DEATH
LOST contained many rites and passage of death themes.
In Japanese religion and culture, Shinigami ("death god" or "death spirit") are gods or supernatural spirits that invite humans toward death, and can be seen to be present in certain aspects of Japanese religion and culture. In popular culture, Shinigami have been focal points in shows like Death Note or Bleach.
But a case could be made that LOST was a show about Shinigami or gods of death.
If you agree with the premise that there is a supernatural barrier between life and death, earth and heaven, mortality and immortality, then there would probably be gatekeepers who would be present to either a) effectuate death ("the grim reaper"), b) help souls make the crossing ("the ferrymen across the River Styx") or c) mess with human beings (like the Greeks gods did in their mythology).
The island was an unusual place. It contained an immortal guardian, Jacob, and a smoke monster, his dead brother's apparent spirit. Everyone is "brought" to the island by its guardian. Humans notice that the island is unearthly - - - you cannot escape it, and time is different. Hence, the island is in the realm of the supernatural.
The inhabitants of a supernatural place would include gods of death. And the situation that called them into action would have been the Flight 815 plane crash. Hundreds of humans would lose their lives when the plane broke up at altitude. But what if a Shinigami, bored with his existence, decided to have fun playing with human lives. He would call these people "candidates" and put them through a series of games and challenges with his spiritual rival, MIB.
If you can imagine that Jacob "spared" the survivors of the plane crash to be his pawns, then the main characters were in a state of limbo: they were technically still "alive," but caught in a supernatural world of illusion, misdirection and danger.
Jacob played with his candidates much like Daniel did with his lab rat, Eloise. The island was a maze of psychological tests and video game style quests that would probably amuse a superior being like Jacob or MIB. The game could be as simple as whether any of the humans were intelligent enough to know where they were or what happened to them. When sideways church Christian told dead Jack that everything was real but there was no past or future but just now, this would confirm the state of death-limbo that Jacob snatched from each of them when the plane crashed.
It is a cruel premise that a death god would play with human souls like they were robotic toys. But in a hierarchy of power, a supernatural being would view humans as humans would view wild animals.
The island gave the survivors "suspended animation" from their deaths so that Jacob and MIB could experiment and play with them - - - to feed off their fears, emotions, laughter and tears.
It would help explain the ending where the immortal Jacob just "gives up." It is like a little child who outgrown his infant toys. He just walks away from them; they are put in the box in attic to be lost from memory. He releases the final governors of life to allow the main characters the false chance to save themselves from the inevitable: death. But even that was a cruel hoax.
Yes, gods of death do not portray themselves as nice guys. The culture puts the stamp of evil on them because death is something no one wants because it is the possible premature end of the line.
LOST as the playground of gods of death is a plausible premise for the series.
In Japanese religion and culture, Shinigami ("death god" or "death spirit") are gods or supernatural spirits that invite humans toward death, and can be seen to be present in certain aspects of Japanese religion and culture. In popular culture, Shinigami have been focal points in shows like Death Note or Bleach.
But a case could be made that LOST was a show about Shinigami or gods of death.
If you agree with the premise that there is a supernatural barrier between life and death, earth and heaven, mortality and immortality, then there would probably be gatekeepers who would be present to either a) effectuate death ("the grim reaper"), b) help souls make the crossing ("the ferrymen across the River Styx") or c) mess with human beings (like the Greeks gods did in their mythology).
The island was an unusual place. It contained an immortal guardian, Jacob, and a smoke monster, his dead brother's apparent spirit. Everyone is "brought" to the island by its guardian. Humans notice that the island is unearthly - - - you cannot escape it, and time is different. Hence, the island is in the realm of the supernatural.
The inhabitants of a supernatural place would include gods of death. And the situation that called them into action would have been the Flight 815 plane crash. Hundreds of humans would lose their lives when the plane broke up at altitude. But what if a Shinigami, bored with his existence, decided to have fun playing with human lives. He would call these people "candidates" and put them through a series of games and challenges with his spiritual rival, MIB.
If you can imagine that Jacob "spared" the survivors of the plane crash to be his pawns, then the main characters were in a state of limbo: they were technically still "alive," but caught in a supernatural world of illusion, misdirection and danger.
Jacob played with his candidates much like Daniel did with his lab rat, Eloise. The island was a maze of psychological tests and video game style quests that would probably amuse a superior being like Jacob or MIB. The game could be as simple as whether any of the humans were intelligent enough to know where they were or what happened to them. When sideways church Christian told dead Jack that everything was real but there was no past or future but just now, this would confirm the state of death-limbo that Jacob snatched from each of them when the plane crashed.
It is a cruel premise that a death god would play with human souls like they were robotic toys. But in a hierarchy of power, a supernatural being would view humans as humans would view wild animals.
The island gave the survivors "suspended animation" from their deaths so that Jacob and MIB could experiment and play with them - - - to feed off their fears, emotions, laughter and tears.
It would help explain the ending where the immortal Jacob just "gives up." It is like a little child who outgrown his infant toys. He just walks away from them; they are put in the box in attic to be lost from memory. He releases the final governors of life to allow the main characters the false chance to save themselves from the inevitable: death. But even that was a cruel hoax.
Yes, gods of death do not portray themselves as nice guys. The culture puts the stamp of evil on them because death is something no one wants because it is the possible premature end of the line.
LOST as the playground of gods of death is a plausible premise for the series.
Friday, July 10, 2015
THE SAME EFFORT
There is a proverb which states: We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. ... It takes the same amount of effort.
If one takes an honest, introspective look at one's self, that proverb is an accurate statement.
Effort is a vigorous or determined attempt to accomplish something; a strenuous physical or mental exertion.
So effort takes strength, focus and a goal.
The results we get is equal to the amount of effort we put into the task.
Our mind is not our best friend. It tricks us every day. It makes "excuses" that allows us to procrastinate, take risks, go outside one's comfort zone under the security blanket of making sure we don't "get hurt." It may rain today, so I won't go outside to exercise (jog, run, walk). I won't give up soda because it will give me a caffeine withdrawal headache. It takes too much time to go out and meet new people.
Those excuses are in direct contradiction to one's own personal goals such as losing weight, meeting new people, getting out of a social rut, etc. You may want to change your life but your mind and will creates road blocks to starting a plan to achieve those goals.
It seems contradictory, but it may be the last vestige of basic animal instincts in man who for self-preservation was wary of strangers, the dark, animal noises, risky paths and painful experiences.
Every person is given 24 hours each day to use as he or she pleases. Free will gives us choices. those personal choices is what controls what paths we take during our lives. Some of these paths lead to happiness and fulfillment, while other paths lead us to loneliness and sadness.
In LOST, the vast majority of main characters were going down personal paths of unhappiness. For example, Jack chose to follow his father's career path as a surgeon, but that is not really what he wanted to do. His career path sucked the life out of him - - - turning him into a loner whose only purpose was to work at the hospital in order to get some recognition from his father.
Sawyer also chose to take his life down a dark road of revenge. He could have accepted his parents deaths for what they were, a troubled murder-suicide caused by being taken by a con artist. But there had to be something more than financial stress to cause such destruction of his family unit. Sawyer was given a chance by his uncle to become a fine young man, but Sawyer chose to copy the man who caused him grave pain. And once he fulfilled his goal of revenge, it left him hollow - - - he had led a meaningless life with nothing to show for it.
If Jack or Sawyer had put in the same effort on something more positive, a different career path, they would have been better human beings. They probably would not have been loners prior to Flight 815. They probably would have had their own happy families from the lessons learned in their own childhoods. Instead, they took the broken pieces of their lives and obsessed on them to the point of darkness.
Everyone needs to take stock in their lives on a periodic basis. Are you putting in the effort to be happy?
If one takes an honest, introspective look at one's self, that proverb is an accurate statement.
Effort is a vigorous or determined attempt to accomplish something; a strenuous physical or mental exertion.
So effort takes strength, focus and a goal.
The results we get is equal to the amount of effort we put into the task.
Our mind is not our best friend. It tricks us every day. It makes "excuses" that allows us to procrastinate, take risks, go outside one's comfort zone under the security blanket of making sure we don't "get hurt." It may rain today, so I won't go outside to exercise (jog, run, walk). I won't give up soda because it will give me a caffeine withdrawal headache. It takes too much time to go out and meet new people.
Those excuses are in direct contradiction to one's own personal goals such as losing weight, meeting new people, getting out of a social rut, etc. You may want to change your life but your mind and will creates road blocks to starting a plan to achieve those goals.
It seems contradictory, but it may be the last vestige of basic animal instincts in man who for self-preservation was wary of strangers, the dark, animal noises, risky paths and painful experiences.
Every person is given 24 hours each day to use as he or she pleases. Free will gives us choices. those personal choices is what controls what paths we take during our lives. Some of these paths lead to happiness and fulfillment, while other paths lead us to loneliness and sadness.
In LOST, the vast majority of main characters were going down personal paths of unhappiness. For example, Jack chose to follow his father's career path as a surgeon, but that is not really what he wanted to do. His career path sucked the life out of him - - - turning him into a loner whose only purpose was to work at the hospital in order to get some recognition from his father.
Sawyer also chose to take his life down a dark road of revenge. He could have accepted his parents deaths for what they were, a troubled murder-suicide caused by being taken by a con artist. But there had to be something more than financial stress to cause such destruction of his family unit. Sawyer was given a chance by his uncle to become a fine young man, but Sawyer chose to copy the man who caused him grave pain. And once he fulfilled his goal of revenge, it left him hollow - - - he had led a meaningless life with nothing to show for it.
If Jack or Sawyer had put in the same effort on something more positive, a different career path, they would have been better human beings. They probably would not have been loners prior to Flight 815. They probably would have had their own happy families from the lessons learned in their own childhoods. Instead, they took the broken pieces of their lives and obsessed on them to the point of darkness.
Everyone needs to take stock in their lives on a periodic basis. Are you putting in the effort to be happy?
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
GATEWAY
There may be a stairway to heaven, but there is a gateway to hell. Most ancient people around the globe believed in an underworld or hell. After a person died, their spirit or soul would have to traverse that underworld to be judged by gods or demons.
So universal was that notion, that key elements of the gateway to the underworld emerged:
1. Ancient cultures believed that erupting volcanoes were the openings to the underworld. this brought about the fire and brimstone picture of that place.
2. Ancient people believed that there were several gateways around the world, mostly on remote islands, including Helka north of Iceland.
3. Islands are created by the volcanic eruption and cooling of molten lava above the ocean's surface. Hawaii is the most famous U.S. volcanic island chain. It's native people had great respect for their fire god, Pele.
4. Volcanoes and their associated caves were found to sacred places by many ancient peoples. Some believed that the caves were closer to their dead ancestors, who may have needed their prayers or offerings in order to escape the punishment of hell.
5. Volcanoes, because of their violent explosive and destructive nature, were feared by natives. And this fear associated with an afterlife under ground in a pit of fire was enough to start the basis of all modern religions. What you did in life on earth would have consequences in the after life.
LOST's setting had many of these aspects. The main story is set on a Pacific volcanic island. Early in the story, Jack found a cave with fresh water (life) and death (Adam & Eve). The frozen donkey wheel was deep underground which had in hieroglyphs the words "Earth gates." The island rumbled like an earthquake or volcanic eruption during the time travel sequences. All of the candidates were put through tests to be judged as successor guardian. Everyone on the island feared some form of retribution or punishment for their past behavior. Michael ended up trapped on the island as a whisper (spirit) because he killed Ana Lucia and Libby. The island contained supernatural elements, including the element of movement and stealth.
The ancients believed that these gates were the nexus point between various dimensions. It is a place where humans could actually traverse to hell while still being alive. Likewise, the demons who controlled hell could leave and make it into the human world. Recall, MIB called Jacob "the Devil." Likewise, MIB/Flocke was called an evil incarnate. They could have been demons who foraged into the human world to purge, test and judge souls.
In The End, it is inferred that the island was some sort of gateway for the main characters to find their way into the sideways world (after life).
So universal was that notion, that key elements of the gateway to the underworld emerged:
1. Ancient cultures believed that erupting volcanoes were the openings to the underworld. this brought about the fire and brimstone picture of that place.
2. Ancient people believed that there were several gateways around the world, mostly on remote islands, including Helka north of Iceland.
3. Islands are created by the volcanic eruption and cooling of molten lava above the ocean's surface. Hawaii is the most famous U.S. volcanic island chain. It's native people had great respect for their fire god, Pele.
4. Volcanoes and their associated caves were found to sacred places by many ancient peoples. Some believed that the caves were closer to their dead ancestors, who may have needed their prayers or offerings in order to escape the punishment of hell.
5. Volcanoes, because of their violent explosive and destructive nature, were feared by natives. And this fear associated with an afterlife under ground in a pit of fire was enough to start the basis of all modern religions. What you did in life on earth would have consequences in the after life.
LOST's setting had many of these aspects. The main story is set on a Pacific volcanic island. Early in the story, Jack found a cave with fresh water (life) and death (Adam & Eve). The frozen donkey wheel was deep underground which had in hieroglyphs the words "Earth gates." The island rumbled like an earthquake or volcanic eruption during the time travel sequences. All of the candidates were put through tests to be judged as successor guardian. Everyone on the island feared some form of retribution or punishment for their past behavior. Michael ended up trapped on the island as a whisper (spirit) because he killed Ana Lucia and Libby. The island contained supernatural elements, including the element of movement and stealth.
The ancients believed that these gates were the nexus point between various dimensions. It is a place where humans could actually traverse to hell while still being alive. Likewise, the demons who controlled hell could leave and make it into the human world. Recall, MIB called Jacob "the Devil." Likewise, MIB/Flocke was called an evil incarnate. They could have been demons who foraged into the human world to purge, test and judge souls.
In The End, it is inferred that the island was some sort of gateway for the main characters to find their way into the sideways world (after life).
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
BELIEF
What we do comes out of who we believe we are.
— Rob Bell
Jack believed he could be as good a "leader" as his father, especially in life and death decisions.
Kate believed she was saving her mother from an abusive relationship, but she was wrong.
Charlie believed he could get his one-hit wonder band back together, but he was wrong.
Sawyer believed he could revenge for his parents deaths, and he did but at a great personal cost.
Claire believed she could give up her baby for adoption, but fate did not allow it.
Hurley believed he was cursed by the Numbers, and he was right because Desmond failed to input the Numbers in time.
Locke believed he was an outdoor hunter, and on the island he had his chance to become one.
Locke also believed he could be a great leader, but he was wrong and it cost him his life.
Rose knew after the crash that everything was going to be fine with Bernard, and she was right.
Boone believed that he was Shannon's protector, but he was wrong.
Shannon believed that the castaways would be rescued, and she was wrong.
Sayid believed that he would be reunited with his love, Nadia, but he was wrong.
Sun believed that she could leave Jin, but she could not.
Widmore believed that he could return to the island to rule it, but he died instead.
Ben believed that he could rule the island, but he betrayed Jacob and lost his power over the Others.
Artz believed he was the man of science, but the science of unstable TNT killed him.
Dr. Chang believed that he could use the unique electromagnetic properties, but he caused The Incident.
Juliet believed that she could leave the island to return to her family, but she was wrong.
Desmond believed that he would be reunited with Penny some day, and he was right.
Christian did not believe that he could reconcile with his son, but he was wrong.
Eloise believed that she could manipulate people to keep from "awakening" her son Daniel in the sideways world, and she was correct.
LOST viewers believed that we would receive the answers to the big questions and island mysteries . . . .
Jack believed he could be as good a "leader" as his father, especially in life and death decisions.
Kate believed she was saving her mother from an abusive relationship, but she was wrong.
Charlie believed he could get his one-hit wonder band back together, but he was wrong.
Sawyer believed he could revenge for his parents deaths, and he did but at a great personal cost.
Claire believed she could give up her baby for adoption, but fate did not allow it.
Hurley believed he was cursed by the Numbers, and he was right because Desmond failed to input the Numbers in time.
Locke believed he was an outdoor hunter, and on the island he had his chance to become one.
Locke also believed he could be a great leader, but he was wrong and it cost him his life.
Rose knew after the crash that everything was going to be fine with Bernard, and she was right.
Boone believed that he was Shannon's protector, but he was wrong.
Shannon believed that the castaways would be rescued, and she was wrong.
Sayid believed that he would be reunited with his love, Nadia, but he was wrong.
Sun believed that she could leave Jin, but she could not.
Widmore believed that he could return to the island to rule it, but he died instead.
Ben believed that he could rule the island, but he betrayed Jacob and lost his power over the Others.
Artz believed he was the man of science, but the science of unstable TNT killed him.
Dr. Chang believed that he could use the unique electromagnetic properties, but he caused The Incident.
Juliet believed that she could leave the island to return to her family, but she was wrong.
Desmond believed that he would be reunited with Penny some day, and he was right.
Christian did not believe that he could reconcile with his son, but he was wrong.
Eloise believed that she could manipulate people to keep from "awakening" her son Daniel in the sideways world, and she was correct.
LOST viewers believed that we would receive the answers to the big questions and island mysteries . . . .
Friday, October 11, 2013
PERSONALITY CHART
On the left side, positive attributes which begin with basic hope, then move up to dreams, love, trust and leadership. On the right side, negative attributes with basic regret, then fears, hate, naivety, to being a follower. A stronger will comes with each level toward the bottom line of being either a leader or a follower (a theme of the series).
I started the chart by simple word association. I began with hope, then quickly worked up the emotional ladder. I then started on the right side with the opposite of hope which I thought would be regret, and then by quick word association got through the series to the opposite of leader.
On the light side, there is a fairly clear progression a person would take in a path to leadership. One would have to have some hope (which is tied to a goal). From that point, one would dream about that goal. One must love what they are after. Then they must trust themselves enough to succeed. And once that trust has been obtained, it can be projected upon others to form leadership.
Likewise, regrets can easily morph into fears. Fears can compound themselves into hate. Hate can cloud judgment to make a person outwardly naive. Being naive means people can take advantage of you. You become a follower.
In the light example, we can take Jack. Jack had hope as a young boy that he would someday impress his father. He dreamed that he would become as successful as this father. He loved medicine and his ability to help other people. His love of his craft led to other people, including patients, trusting his judgment. Such trust can him leadership skills in his OR teams. People looked to him to make the right clinical decisions. Those qualities made him a natural candidate to lead the survivors.
On the flip side, Locke had regrets from an early age. He regretted not having a normal family life as a child. Her feared that he would be unwanted as he was raised by successive foster homes. He began to hate how people perceived him. He hated that he was being directed to the uncool sciences when he wanted to be a popular athlete. His hate made him distrustful of other people. As a result, he bounced from meaningless job to meaningless job. He became withdrawn. He was then quite naive when his father reappeared in his life. So much so, that his kidney was stolen. Because he was so naive about the people around him, he could only be a follower throughout his life. And that realization is something that Locke attempted to rebel against, until he realized that no one would follow him. That dissolved any hope (and all those light side emotional states) of change. He died a bitter and broken man.
But both sides can stumble down a different path. Hope can turn into fears, which could become so strong as to consume one's psyche to love the paranoia and pain. That misguided love of pain can lead to naive isolation, which was the safety net Hurley had at Santa Rosa.
Likewise, regrets can turn into one's dreams. Unfulfilled dreams can quickly turn into hate. Hate can be marshaled into developing a trust with other people who do not factor in your dreams. That trust turns one into a follower, just as Sayid had become during his youth to Iraqi soldier days.
This chart also shows that change can make a difference. False hope can turn into hate, but that strong emotion can be channeled into great leadership qualities, as was the case with Ben and his ascension to leader of the Others.
Likewise, regrets can turn to love and that love can make you follow a special person instead of running away, which is an explanation for Kate becoming Jack's partner in the after life church at the end.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
SUSPEND BELIEFS
In many forms of entertainment, one has to suspend belief in order to enjoy the show. This is different than suspense, which is the creative choices to lead a viewer down a path of twists and turns to a climatic end. This is part of the creator-consumer bargain.
To suspend disbelief temporarily allow oneself to believe something that isn't true, especially in order to enjoy a work of fiction.
First, was the survival of a mid-air plane separation at high altitude. It is highly remote that anyone would have survived a terminal velocity fall into the ocean, beach or reef. But we accepted the premise that several people did survive the plane crash in order for their stories to move forward.
Second, was the appearance of a "smoke monster." All supernatural things are unknown in our daily lives so we must forget reality and accept that monsters can exist in our entertainment world.
Third, was the mysterious "healing" properties of the Island. Rose was cured of her terminal cancer. Locke was cured of his permanent paralysis. We must accept that miracles can happen, just as in Jack's backstories about his miraculous spinal surgery results.
Fourth, that the island was a) unseen; b) moving; c) had strange light properties; d) was surrounded by some type of snow globe barrier, and e) disappear without displacing any ocean water. The acceptance of something unworldly and defies natural laws of physics begins to stretch the supernatural aspects of the story. But some people can buy in to the premise that the Island is not a island in the conventional sense.
Fifth, that characters meet horrific deaths but somehow come back to life. For example, Mikal (Patchy) had more lives than an alley cat including incineration by the sonic fence. Sayid was dead but somehow was resurrected at the Temple.
Sixth, that Desmond could have survived the Hatch explosion-implosion, then survive the megawatt EM shed which fried a workman. The ability of a human to transform into a superpower being is standard fare in action science fiction comics.
Seventh, that there is an unknown element called the Light Force which represents "life, death and rebirth." And that this force somehow needs human intervention and protection in order to survive.
Eighth, that human beings can "create" their own purgatory to have happy reunions in the after life. Modern religion conventions seem to state the opposite.
Ninth, that an unknown entity that can shape shift, capture memories of the dead, and take human form can be killed by a rifle bullet. The smoke monster attacks on islanders was vicious and unstoppable. Sayid could not kill Flocke in its human form. We have to believe "something" changed to allow Flocke to die.
It is fine that the LOST mythology presented various aspects of our existence which we, as viewers, had to suspend our current knowledge, experience, and beliefs, in order to accept the story. But each of those belief suspensions now have to be taken with a grain of salt.
It is fine that writers create situations where they ask you to suspend your beliefs to go forth in a science fiction or supernatural world. But it is also the writer's responsibility to educate or explain why you should take that leap of story telling faith. In the above examples, the TPTB did not explain their fictional basis for any of these major plot points. There was no explanation of how these plot points could exist in the LOST world. There was no explanation of why these plot points were important to our understanding of the characters or the story arcs. The writers never tied these plot points together to explain any of the island mysteries. Strange twists left hanging is like staring at a clothes line on a windy day.
To suspend disbelief temporarily allow oneself to believe something that isn't true, especially in order to enjoy a work of fiction.
First, was the survival of a mid-air plane separation at high altitude. It is highly remote that anyone would have survived a terminal velocity fall into the ocean, beach or reef. But we accepted the premise that several people did survive the plane crash in order for their stories to move forward.
Second, was the appearance of a "smoke monster." All supernatural things are unknown in our daily lives so we must forget reality and accept that monsters can exist in our entertainment world.
Third, was the mysterious "healing" properties of the Island. Rose was cured of her terminal cancer. Locke was cured of his permanent paralysis. We must accept that miracles can happen, just as in Jack's backstories about his miraculous spinal surgery results.
Fourth, that the island was a) unseen; b) moving; c) had strange light properties; d) was surrounded by some type of snow globe barrier, and e) disappear without displacing any ocean water. The acceptance of something unworldly and defies natural laws of physics begins to stretch the supernatural aspects of the story. But some people can buy in to the premise that the Island is not a island in the conventional sense.
Fifth, that characters meet horrific deaths but somehow come back to life. For example, Mikal (Patchy) had more lives than an alley cat including incineration by the sonic fence. Sayid was dead but somehow was resurrected at the Temple.
Sixth, that Desmond could have survived the Hatch explosion-implosion, then survive the megawatt EM shed which fried a workman. The ability of a human to transform into a superpower being is standard fare in action science fiction comics.
Seventh, that there is an unknown element called the Light Force which represents "life, death and rebirth." And that this force somehow needs human intervention and protection in order to survive.
Eighth, that human beings can "create" their own purgatory to have happy reunions in the after life. Modern religion conventions seem to state the opposite.
Ninth, that an unknown entity that can shape shift, capture memories of the dead, and take human form can be killed by a rifle bullet. The smoke monster attacks on islanders was vicious and unstoppable. Sayid could not kill Flocke in its human form. We have to believe "something" changed to allow Flocke to die.
It is fine that the LOST mythology presented various aspects of our existence which we, as viewers, had to suspend our current knowledge, experience, and beliefs, in order to accept the story. But each of those belief suspensions now have to be taken with a grain of salt.
It is fine that writers create situations where they ask you to suspend your beliefs to go forth in a science fiction or supernatural world. But it is also the writer's responsibility to educate or explain why you should take that leap of story telling faith. In the above examples, the TPTB did not explain their fictional basis for any of these major plot points. There was no explanation of how these plot points could exist in the LOST world. There was no explanation of why these plot points were important to our understanding of the characters or the story arcs. The writers never tied these plot points together to explain any of the island mysteries. Strange twists left hanging is like staring at a clothes line on a windy day.
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