For the second time this year, scientists have found evidence of gravitational waves.
Gravitational waves are ripples in the curvature of spacetime that propagate as waves.
generated in certain gravitational interactions and traveling outward
from their source. The possibility of gravitational waves was discussed
in 1893 by Heaviside using the analogy between the inverse-square law in gravitation and electricity.
Albert Einstein based his theory of general relativity on gravitational waves transporting energy as gravitational radiation. In his theory , gravity is treated as a phenomenon resulting from the curvature of spacetime. This curvature is caused by the presence of mass. Generally, the more mass that is contained within a given volume of
space, the greater the curvature of spacetime will be at the boundary of
its volume. As objects with mass move around in spacetime, the curvature changes to reflect the changed locations of those objects. In certain circumstances, accelerating objects generate changes in this curvature, which propagate outwards at the speed of light in a wave-like manner. These propagating phenomena are known as gravitational waves.
Gravitational waves cannot exist in the Newtonian theory of gravitation since Newtonian theory postulates that physical interactions propagate at infinite speed.
Astronomers which aims to use gravitational waves to collect observational data about objects such as neutron stars and black holes to supernova events to help explain the universe and the Big Bang Theory.
Understanding these concepts is important in figuring out if humans can leave Earth to make deep space explorations. In science fiction writings, the universe is so large it is impossible to travel long distances during a normal human life time. By bending the known rules, writers have given the prospect of space travel by bending time and space ("warp drive") to bounce around the vastness of space like driving cross country with an Interstate Highway map.
This adds to the discussion of whether time itself is linear. We currently perceive time as linear because our calendars and clocks march forward along a single line of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. But ancient people did not see time as linear, but as a cycle of spring, summer, fall and winter as based upon the rotation of objects in the sky.
For a space traveler, the concept of time and distance is important. The universe is expanding which means there are great forces pushing everything outward. It is up to us to figure out how to tap this unseen and unknown force to break the known boundaries of physics.
In physics, Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity of an object. An object's acceleration is the net result of any and all forces acting on the object, as described by Newton's Second Law. The second law states that the rate of change of momentum of a body, is
directly proportional to the force applied and this change in momentum
takes place in the direction of the applied force.
If gravitational waves are forces that ripple across the universe, those forces can be used to help propel objects in space. For example, if one is in the ocean, waves created by the force of currents, push any surface objects toward the shoreline at variable speeds depending upon atmospheric conditions (such as wind velocity). A surfer rides the wave at the same speed of the wave. But if the surfer adds to his own speed (such as adding a wind sail or a power prop to the board), he could go faster than the actual wave he is riding.
In theory, if one can ride a gravitational wave in space, you can use it to propel your rocket faster because you are adding more applied force than the rocket produces on its own. And if gravitational waves are moving at light speed, then adding any additional force to it could mean you can propel an object at greater than light speed (the key to interstellar travel).
Scientists wonder if black holes, star degradation or supernova events that expel mass into the universe have some corresponding effect on gravity and other unknown elements in space (such as dark matter or dark energy).
When Daniel arrived on the island, he noticed that the light acted differently and time did not sync with the freighter several miles off shore. The light may have had a ripple effect such as to disclose that the island was riding a gravitational wave away from the ship. This anomaly in nature could have been a great power source or portal across the spacetime universe. And that was the reason why Widmore and Linus were fighting for its control.
What was under the Hatch could have been a complex tied to the island's electromagnetic energy that could have created gravitational waves since the island itself was accelerating away from known objects in the same ocean space. The ripple in spacetime by using gravitational waves would phase the island out-of-sync with normal objects - - - in a way to make the island disappear because its gravity and mass would be different than Earth's. If true, the ramifications would have changed how man would fight future wars or explore space.
Showing posts with label portal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label portal. Show all posts
Monday, July 4, 2016
Thursday, December 17, 2015
A NEW EARTH
NASA is looking to have a manned mission to Mars.
And one benefit to this mission would be to determine if there was evidence of life on the red planet. Or, as some believe, the basis of life on Earth.
And one benefit to this mission would be to determine if there was evidence of life on the red planet. Or, as some believe, the basis of life on Earth.
A theory
called panspermia, which dates back to the 5th century BC, posits that
certain life forms can hop between planets, and even star systems, to
fertilize them with life.
Following this theory, science theorists
suspect that the first life on Earth never formed on our planet at all,
but instead, hitched a ride inside planetary fragments from Mars that
were flung into space after a powerful impact and eventually fell to
Earth.
This travel between different planets has a parallel in the lost time-travel/sideways universe arcs.
There is still no clear cut conclusion between the island world and the sideways world, which mirrored the lives of the characters on Earth. Various theories believed the sideways universe was connected to the island by some portal or electromagnetic time-space machine.
If you take this old science theory and apply it to the fiction of LOST, could the sideways world be actually another planet - - - a second Earth that was being colonized by removing human beings from Earth and teleporting them to a distant, similar world?
Why would anyone do this? In some sci-fi series, like Star Trek, there are advanced races of aliens with vast technologies who use it to help to reverse the decline in their own humanoid species. By taking humans from Earth and re-creating an Earth like setting (as was done in The Cage), with a group of people who are close knit friends, the alien planet could have its new gene pool.
So the sideways world was not purgatory but a New Earth, replicated for the benefit of the LOST survivors who were deemed dead by their families but kidnapped by the aliens to bond together on an island adventure in order to accept their new home in a distant galaxy.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE
Throughout human existence, mankind has been aware of a few absolute truths: people are born and people die.
It is how one perceives life is what has changed over the tens of thousands of years. In the past, ancient cultures mostly saw their lives in the cycles of Nature. Every year, like the seasons, would follow birth, harvest, death and rebirth. But in modern societies, the view is that life is a linear plane where each year of existence is another marker on a ruler.
Also, it is interesting that ancient cultures believed that there were present gateways from their creator gods to themselves on Earth. Ancient people looked to the stars in the heavens as the source of their own lives, including seeing the Milky Way as a portal to everlasting life. Modern religions have adapted some of those past beliefs into a system of morality, where the human spirit lives on after mortal death on Earth, to be transported to a new realm of existence (heaven or hell).
But in this modern view, there is debate on whether there are intermediate steps in the transition from human to soul spirit. The ancient Egyptians believed that a human soul is divided at death so one part has to suffer judgment through a long, dangerous journey through the underworld with the hope to be reunited with its other part in paradise. Modern theology tends to state that if a person is good in his or her life, they will be rewarded in some fashion: external bliss in heaven in angelic form or reborn as another person or life form on Earth.
It is the transitory nature of life to death to potential rebirth that keeps the human mind from going completely mad at the prospect of nothingness at the end game.
So how could LOST fit into this existence time line? The island was supposed to be the place of life, death and rebirth. It did not have the physics of an actual Earth island, so it is assumed that it is either a supernatural place or overlaps into another dimension of time-space. In other words, the island could be the space between human life and death.
For some viewers, that intermediate place makes sense. The characters pre-815 back stories show edtheir lives, troubles and sins. The sideways world showed the waiting room in the after life. The bridge between the two different existences had to be the island. It goes to show then that the characters could still be "alive" on the transitional island realm, but not able to "move on" to the after life unless certain conditions were met.
If you then view the island as a land of make believe, not of Earth but its own unique sphere of existence, it is easier to gloss over the factual inaccuracies or inconsistent story plot points because none of those really matter in a place which has no normal rules.
It is how one perceives life is what has changed over the tens of thousands of years. In the past, ancient cultures mostly saw their lives in the cycles of Nature. Every year, like the seasons, would follow birth, harvest, death and rebirth. But in modern societies, the view is that life is a linear plane where each year of existence is another marker on a ruler.
Also, it is interesting that ancient cultures believed that there were present gateways from their creator gods to themselves on Earth. Ancient people looked to the stars in the heavens as the source of their own lives, including seeing the Milky Way as a portal to everlasting life. Modern religions have adapted some of those past beliefs into a system of morality, where the human spirit lives on after mortal death on Earth, to be transported to a new realm of existence (heaven or hell).
But in this modern view, there is debate on whether there are intermediate steps in the transition from human to soul spirit. The ancient Egyptians believed that a human soul is divided at death so one part has to suffer judgment through a long, dangerous journey through the underworld with the hope to be reunited with its other part in paradise. Modern theology tends to state that if a person is good in his or her life, they will be rewarded in some fashion: external bliss in heaven in angelic form or reborn as another person or life form on Earth.
It is the transitory nature of life to death to potential rebirth that keeps the human mind from going completely mad at the prospect of nothingness at the end game.
So how could LOST fit into this existence time line? The island was supposed to be the place of life, death and rebirth. It did not have the physics of an actual Earth island, so it is assumed that it is either a supernatural place or overlaps into another dimension of time-space. In other words, the island could be the space between human life and death.
For some viewers, that intermediate place makes sense. The characters pre-815 back stories show edtheir lives, troubles and sins. The sideways world showed the waiting room in the after life. The bridge between the two different existences had to be the island. It goes to show then that the characters could still be "alive" on the transitional island realm, but not able to "move on" to the after life unless certain conditions were met.
If you then view the island as a land of make believe, not of Earth but its own unique sphere of existence, it is easier to gloss over the factual inaccuracies or inconsistent story plot points because none of those really matter in a place which has no normal rules.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
DIMENSIONAL THEORY
Another popular fan theory to explain LOST was that somehow Flight 815 went through a time-space portal during its flight from Sydney to LA.
Fan Theory: Flight 815 flew the vortex of a time-space portal which allowed it to crash land on an island in a different dimension.
Once the viewers were told that the island was capable of moving in both time and space, theorists speculated that the cause of the island's properties had to be beyond the confines of Earth physics. Some thought that the plane could have gone through a wormhole, and instantaneously traversed the galaxy to a parallel universe. In a similar vein, the portal or vortex moved the plane into an event horizon bubble near a wormhole that was fairly stable, but shifting within our known universe.
The idea that the castaways were released from the boundaries of nature was helpful to explain away the inconsistencies and paradoxes of the time travel arcs. It would have to have some bearing on the fact that the off-island world was a duplicate of the characters' prior lives. When the first glimpse of the sideways world came into existence, fans thought that was confirmation that the characters were somehow connected to different but parallel lives in two different universes.
That would also come into play with the mental instability of many characters. The longer one would have been connected to their "other self" in a different dimension, some of dementia could logically follow.
Scientists do not believe that wormholes are stable. It would tear a part any object, including space ships and people, just beyond the event horizon. Wormholes are capable of consuming entire galaxies.
Theoretical scientists and science fiction writers believe that there is nothing in our knowledge base to refute the possibility of multiple universes co-existing in the same space and time. For example, a digital television signal can contain several different channels broadcasting at the same time.
This theory is still discussed as a better explanation for the show's end game, if one tries to refute the clear statement that all the characters in the sideways church were dead. But what is "dead" in another universe? Are the rules the same or different? They must be different if the second universe's projection to our universe caused an island to disappear.
There were clues to the mechanics of a time-space portal in the series. In the frozen donkey wheel room, there were hieroglyphs which stated certain positions or "Earth gates." A gateway to another place or dimension, besides the teleportation to North Africa? It is possible. It follows ancient religions that stated that a person's soul must go on a journey to another world. It is possible that these different concepts were pooled together at some point to try to create a story line to try to end the show on some sci-fi bearing. But this line of thinking was never wrapped up into a coherent story.
Fan Theory: Flight 815 flew the vortex of a time-space portal which allowed it to crash land on an island in a different dimension.
Once the viewers were told that the island was capable of moving in both time and space, theorists speculated that the cause of the island's properties had to be beyond the confines of Earth physics. Some thought that the plane could have gone through a wormhole, and instantaneously traversed the galaxy to a parallel universe. In a similar vein, the portal or vortex moved the plane into an event horizon bubble near a wormhole that was fairly stable, but shifting within our known universe.
The idea that the castaways were released from the boundaries of nature was helpful to explain away the inconsistencies and paradoxes of the time travel arcs. It would have to have some bearing on the fact that the off-island world was a duplicate of the characters' prior lives. When the first glimpse of the sideways world came into existence, fans thought that was confirmation that the characters were somehow connected to different but parallel lives in two different universes.
That would also come into play with the mental instability of many characters. The longer one would have been connected to their "other self" in a different dimension, some of dementia could logically follow.
Scientists do not believe that wormholes are stable. It would tear a part any object, including space ships and people, just beyond the event horizon. Wormholes are capable of consuming entire galaxies.
Theoretical scientists and science fiction writers believe that there is nothing in our knowledge base to refute the possibility of multiple universes co-existing in the same space and time. For example, a digital television signal can contain several different channels broadcasting at the same time.
This theory is still discussed as a better explanation for the show's end game, if one tries to refute the clear statement that all the characters in the sideways church were dead. But what is "dead" in another universe? Are the rules the same or different? They must be different if the second universe's projection to our universe caused an island to disappear.
There were clues to the mechanics of a time-space portal in the series. In the frozen donkey wheel room, there were hieroglyphs which stated certain positions or "Earth gates." A gateway to another place or dimension, besides the teleportation to North Africa? It is possible. It follows ancient religions that stated that a person's soul must go on a journey to another world. It is possible that these different concepts were pooled together at some point to try to create a story line to try to end the show on some sci-fi bearing. But this line of thinking was never wrapped up into a coherent story.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
PORTALS
A "portal" is a doorway, gate, or other entrance, esp. a large and elaborate one. It also means in computer science, an Internet site providing access or links to other sites. As an adjective, portal means of or relating to an opening in an organ through which major blood vessels pass, esp. the transverse fissure of the liver.
There were many heated debates during the original series about whether the island itself was some form a portal to another world, universe, or dimension. The portal idea made sense to some because of the bizarre unexplained components of the early series story construction. Further adding to the mysteries were the hieroglyphs in the FDW that indicated that there were several "gates" that the wheel moved to including "Earth gates."
When the concept of the "light force" which was described as "life, death and rebirth" was introduced as the catalyst to get to the End in Season 6, it added another level of evidence that the island sat on something more than volcanic rock.
A cross section from the clues results in the above diagram. The snow globe effect described by Desmond and confirmed by the difficulty of finding the island despite all modern technology shows the unique metaphysical properties of the island energy field. The light source was found in various wells or caves by islanders, who tried to tap it in order to escape the island's hold. Using the force by turning the FDW resulted in people being transported through both time and space. A disruption of the light force (the Incident) resulted in the island world (or some of the souls on the island) to violently time skip and nose bleed as their brains turned to mush. The events on the island were at least in part psychically connected to the souls trapped in a state of limbo in the sideways world.
If you look at the shape of the diagram, it occurs to me that it looks partly human. The snow globe is the human skull, as it protects and shields the brain from danger. The island could be the memory banks of the brain, its experiences and connections. The underground could be the subconscious where a person's dreams, fears, secrets and nightmares reside. The portal may be the engine or the heart of the person. In ancient Egyptian death rituals, a person's heart would be weighed against a feather to determine if the person was worthy of an after life. And the sideways represents the person's internal soul which remains hidden during life from the mind and subconscious but to be awakened in the after life.
The island construction could be symbolic of various beliefs in the after life transit of a person's soul (the collective personality, memories, accomplishments, sins, connections, and bonds) needed to move forward into another realm of existence.
There were many heated debates during the original series about whether the island itself was some form a portal to another world, universe, or dimension. The portal idea made sense to some because of the bizarre unexplained components of the early series story construction. Further adding to the mysteries were the hieroglyphs in the FDW that indicated that there were several "gates" that the wheel moved to including "Earth gates."
When the concept of the "light force" which was described as "life, death and rebirth" was introduced as the catalyst to get to the End in Season 6, it added another level of evidence that the island sat on something more than volcanic rock.
If you look at the shape of the diagram, it occurs to me that it looks partly human. The snow globe is the human skull, as it protects and shields the brain from danger. The island could be the memory banks of the brain, its experiences and connections. The underground could be the subconscious where a person's dreams, fears, secrets and nightmares reside. The portal may be the engine or the heart of the person. In ancient Egyptian death rituals, a person's heart would be weighed against a feather to determine if the person was worthy of an after life. And the sideways represents the person's internal soul which remains hidden during life from the mind and subconscious but to be awakened in the after life.
The island construction could be symbolic of various beliefs in the after life transit of a person's soul (the collective personality, memories, accomplishments, sins, connections, and bonds) needed to move forward into another realm of existence.
Monday, July 15, 2013
JACOB'S LADDER
There is a biblical story called Jacob's Ladder. It gives a symbolic
representation of the steps pious humans have in order to get to heaven.
The description of Jacob's ladder appears in the Book of Genesis:
Jewish commentaries offer several interpretations of Jacob's ladder. Some scholars believe the ladder signified the exiles which the Jewish people would suffer before the coming of the Messiah. First the angel representing the 70-year exile of Babylonia climbed "up" 70 rungs, and then fell "down." Then the angel representing the exile of Persia went up a number of steps, and fell, as did the angel representing the exile of Greece. Only the fourth angel, which represented the final exile of Rome by the guardian angel (Esau), kept climbing higher and higher into the clouds. Jacob feared that his children would never be free of Esau's domination, but God assured him that at the End of Days, Edom too would come falling down.
Another interpretation of the ladder keys into the fact that the angels first "ascended" and then "descended." This explains that Jacob, as a holy man, was always accompanied by angels. When he reached the border of the future land of Israel, the angels who were assigned to the Holy Land went back up to Heaven and the angels assigned to other lands came down to meet Jacob. When Jacob returned to Canaan he was greeted by the angels who were assigned to the Holy Land.
Another view is that the place at which Jacob stopped for the night was in reality the future home of the Temple in Jerusalem. The ladder therefore signifies the "bridge" between Heaven and earth, as prayers and sacrifices offered in the Holy Temple soldered a connection between God and the Jewish people.
The philosopher Philo Judaeus had an allegorical interpretation of the ladder. He gave four interpretations, which are not mutually exclusive:
In Islam, Jacob is revered as a father figure and a prophet. Muslim scholars drew a parallel with Jacob's vision of the ladder and Muhammad's event of the Mi'raj. The ladder of Jacob was interpreted by Muslims to be one of the many symbols of God, and many saw Jacob's ladder as representing in its form the essence of Islam, which emphasizes following the "straight path." The significance of the ladder in the Islamic mystic perspective that the ladder is the created Universe. Jacob dreamed and saw the ladder stretching from Heaven to earth, with Angels going up and down upon it; and it is also the "straight path", for indeed the way of religion is none other than the way of creation itself retraced from its end back to its Beginning.
Angels have been best described as messengers to human beings. There were numerous messengers in the series counseling, mentoring and helping the main characters get back to or survive the island. People like Naomi, Abbadon, and Eloise intervened in the characters lives and gave them information to help or direct them back to the island. Some turned into messengers of Jacob as a result of their stay on the island (Alpert and Dogen). One theory is that Jacob was the guardian angel for his "candidates."
The Island as a nexus point between realms is consistent with the symbolism of Jacob's ladder. The idea that the ladder represents both the beginning and end, with angels going back and forth through time to guide souls up the steps, is consistent with the time skips of the Island. At times, a person needs to take two steps back (learn something) in order to move one step forward (toward redemption or knowledge or peace).
The Island could also be a representation of a temple, where lost souls are sorting out by the angels, who give each person opportunities to move up the ladder toward heaven. Some, like Michael, miss their opportunity when he kills Libby and Ana Lucia to cover up his betrayal. Others, like Jack, have to juggle at times the competing interests of his fellow castaways like Solomon.
It is clear that the Island was some kind of "bridge" that allowed the main characters to forge a sideways world finish line to their ascent into the after life. But there is no consistency from a moral perspective of who was allowed the grace of God to arrive at the sideways church to "move on." Most of the people in the church had ethical and moral faults that were never forgiven. The writers large white wash of the past comes from a narcissistic perspective: once a person acknowledged his or her own death in the sideways world, their sins were magically erased so they could finish the climb to heaven. Or, as a few have mentioned, that the sideways purgatory was just that; the white light may not have been salvation but the doorway to punishment for their unforgiven sins.
In order to get to paradise, a soul must retrace its path from the end back to the beginning. This concept is similar to the ancient Egyptian beliefs that upon death, the soul divides and takes many dangerous journeys in order to be reincarnated in the after life. On the Island, the main characters did retrace their lives (some events or decisions mirrored past events). People did have second or third chances to change their lives. Some took advantage of that opportunity; some failed to revert to their dark pasts. The retracing of the characters lives through the island trials (steps of the ladder) could be the hidden mystery of the series. Jacob's role was not one of the devil or judge, but as a spotter on the ladder each candidate sought to climb.
The description of Jacob's ladder appears in the Book of Genesis:
There are various interpretations of this story in various religions.Jacob left Beersheba, and went toward Haran. He came to the place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it [or "beside him"] and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Issac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it." And he was afraid, and said, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
Jewish commentaries offer several interpretations of Jacob's ladder. Some scholars believe the ladder signified the exiles which the Jewish people would suffer before the coming of the Messiah. First the angel representing the 70-year exile of Babylonia climbed "up" 70 rungs, and then fell "down." Then the angel representing the exile of Persia went up a number of steps, and fell, as did the angel representing the exile of Greece. Only the fourth angel, which represented the final exile of Rome by the guardian angel (Esau), kept climbing higher and higher into the clouds. Jacob feared that his children would never be free of Esau's domination, but God assured him that at the End of Days, Edom too would come falling down.
Another interpretation of the ladder keys into the fact that the angels first "ascended" and then "descended." This explains that Jacob, as a holy man, was always accompanied by angels. When he reached the border of the future land of Israel, the angels who were assigned to the Holy Land went back up to Heaven and the angels assigned to other lands came down to meet Jacob. When Jacob returned to Canaan he was greeted by the angels who were assigned to the Holy Land.
Another view is that the place at which Jacob stopped for the night was in reality the future home of the Temple in Jerusalem. The ladder therefore signifies the "bridge" between Heaven and earth, as prayers and sacrifices offered in the Holy Temple soldered a connection between God and the Jewish people.
The philosopher Philo Judaeus had an allegorical interpretation of the ladder. He gave four interpretations, which are not mutually exclusive:
- The angels represent souls descending to and ascending from bodies (some consider this to be Philo's clearest reference to the doctrine of reincarnation).
- In the second interpretation the ladder is the human soul and the angels are God's logoi, pulling the soul up in distress and descending in compassion.
- In the third view the dream depicts the ups and downs of the life of the "practiser" (of virtue vs. sin).
- Finally the angels represent the continually changing affairs of men.
In Islam, Jacob is revered as a father figure and a prophet. Muslim scholars drew a parallel with Jacob's vision of the ladder and Muhammad's event of the Mi'raj. The ladder of Jacob was interpreted by Muslims to be one of the many symbols of God, and many saw Jacob's ladder as representing in its form the essence of Islam, which emphasizes following the "straight path." The significance of the ladder in the Islamic mystic perspective that the ladder is the created Universe. Jacob dreamed and saw the ladder stretching from Heaven to earth, with Angels going up and down upon it; and it is also the "straight path", for indeed the way of religion is none other than the way of creation itself retraced from its end back to its Beginning.
Angels have been best described as messengers to human beings. There were numerous messengers in the series counseling, mentoring and helping the main characters get back to or survive the island. People like Naomi, Abbadon, and Eloise intervened in the characters lives and gave them information to help or direct them back to the island. Some turned into messengers of Jacob as a result of their stay on the island (Alpert and Dogen). One theory is that Jacob was the guardian angel for his "candidates."
The Island as a nexus point between realms is consistent with the symbolism of Jacob's ladder. The idea that the ladder represents both the beginning and end, with angels going back and forth through time to guide souls up the steps, is consistent with the time skips of the Island. At times, a person needs to take two steps back (learn something) in order to move one step forward (toward redemption or knowledge or peace).
The Island could also be a representation of a temple, where lost souls are sorting out by the angels, who give each person opportunities to move up the ladder toward heaven. Some, like Michael, miss their opportunity when he kills Libby and Ana Lucia to cover up his betrayal. Others, like Jack, have to juggle at times the competing interests of his fellow castaways like Solomon.
It is clear that the Island was some kind of "bridge" that allowed the main characters to forge a sideways world finish line to their ascent into the after life. But there is no consistency from a moral perspective of who was allowed the grace of God to arrive at the sideways church to "move on." Most of the people in the church had ethical and moral faults that were never forgiven. The writers large white wash of the past comes from a narcissistic perspective: once a person acknowledged his or her own death in the sideways world, their sins were magically erased so they could finish the climb to heaven. Or, as a few have mentioned, that the sideways purgatory was just that; the white light may not have been salvation but the doorway to punishment for their unforgiven sins.
In order to get to paradise, a soul must retrace its path from the end back to the beginning. This concept is similar to the ancient Egyptian beliefs that upon death, the soul divides and takes many dangerous journeys in order to be reincarnated in the after life. On the Island, the main characters did retrace their lives (some events or decisions mirrored past events). People did have second or third chances to change their lives. Some took advantage of that opportunity; some failed to revert to their dark pasts. The retracing of the characters lives through the island trials (steps of the ladder) could be the hidden mystery of the series. Jacob's role was not one of the devil or judge, but as a spotter on the ladder each candidate sought to climb.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
REFLECTIONS
It was once believed that if one stared into a reflective surface, like a mirror or polished volcanic glass, the person would be transported to other worlds. More than 400 years ago, the Aztecs used mirrors to see the future. Even during the 18th century era of enlightenment, many people would mediate in their reflection in order to "hear" angels give them prophecies about the future.
So what does this have to do with Lost? There was a theme around mirrors. Mirrors as a reflection or introspection of a character's soul. And throughout the series, we saw characters stare blankly out into the ocean (a reflective surface). Is this the portal to the off-island events and alternative realities?
It may be considered a sub-set of mental themes of the series. Are the characters crazy, or are they really crazy. Can someone really have a conversation with a dead person? Can a dead person actually physically assault a live person? Can disembodied souls remain as whispers? If the characters were all surrounded by a mirror surface (the ocean), is this an inner trace for each character to find what he or she lost in their real lives?
One would have hoped that all the characters would have some some profound meaning during their island stays. But in the end, there was no Great Plan revealed; there was no great understanding; there was no great bond between the characters. It was like they all got off the boat in the same port of call.
Which gets us back to the island itself. If the journey to and through the island was one to test the soul, to find redemption, then none of the characters really surged past the finish line. In fact, the best one could say is that most of the characters were "punished" mentally for their past transgressions, but the island did not change their base personalities (Sayid continued to be a torturer; Sawyer continued to be a con-artist, etc.). The only people "rewarded" by the island appeared to be Rose and Bernard, since her cancer was "cured" and they spent their time alone and happy. The only mental anguish they suffered as a couple was the separation when the plane crashed on the island.
Even if the island was a passage of punishment, that would mean that the reunion in the church was not the happy time most people believed what happened to the characters. What if the next leg of the after life journey was not to heaven (the white light) but actually to the next stage of death: judgment. Only after the pain of punishment is there a judgment to determine if a soul has redeemed his or herself to be worthy of a heavenly after life. So believed the ancient Egyptians. That belief is the cornerstone of most modern religions. So when there was lack of religious context throughout the series, and the mish-mash of all religious symbols in the church, one could assume that the characters next chapter would be answering for all their personal sins. They certainly did not reflect on their past mistakes in the sideways world. Once they were awakened, it was time to "move on." To what? Judgment. That is the most probable answer to the question.
So what does this have to do with Lost? There was a theme around mirrors. Mirrors as a reflection or introspection of a character's soul. And throughout the series, we saw characters stare blankly out into the ocean (a reflective surface). Is this the portal to the off-island events and alternative realities?
It may be considered a sub-set of mental themes of the series. Are the characters crazy, or are they really crazy. Can someone really have a conversation with a dead person? Can a dead person actually physically assault a live person? Can disembodied souls remain as whispers? If the characters were all surrounded by a mirror surface (the ocean), is this an inner trace for each character to find what he or she lost in their real lives?
One would have hoped that all the characters would have some some profound meaning during their island stays. But in the end, there was no Great Plan revealed; there was no great understanding; there was no great bond between the characters. It was like they all got off the boat in the same port of call.
Which gets us back to the island itself. If the journey to and through the island was one to test the soul, to find redemption, then none of the characters really surged past the finish line. In fact, the best one could say is that most of the characters were "punished" mentally for their past transgressions, but the island did not change their base personalities (Sayid continued to be a torturer; Sawyer continued to be a con-artist, etc.). The only people "rewarded" by the island appeared to be Rose and Bernard, since her cancer was "cured" and they spent their time alone and happy. The only mental anguish they suffered as a couple was the separation when the plane crashed on the island.
Even if the island was a passage of punishment, that would mean that the reunion in the church was not the happy time most people believed what happened to the characters. What if the next leg of the after life journey was not to heaven (the white light) but actually to the next stage of death: judgment. Only after the pain of punishment is there a judgment to determine if a soul has redeemed his or herself to be worthy of a heavenly after life. So believed the ancient Egyptians. That belief is the cornerstone of most modern religions. So when there was lack of religious context throughout the series, and the mish-mash of all religious symbols in the church, one could assume that the characters next chapter would be answering for all their personal sins. They certainly did not reflect on their past mistakes in the sideways world. Once they were awakened, it was time to "move on." To what? Judgment. That is the most probable answer to the question.
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