Every major religion has a creation myth that has elements of gods creating human beings on Earth. Several religions also believe that once a person dies, their spirit will be reincarnated into another person (or form).
The ancient Egyptians had a complex view of reincarnation. Their belief system is founded on two gods coming to Earth to begat mankind. The subsequent Pharaohs were believed to be the reincarnated souls of those original gods. Since they were gods, Pharaohs ruled with impunity.
But the incarnate god was not reserved just for royalty. The Egyptians believed that when a person died, his "ba," the spirit associated with one's character and personality, leaves the body to find a new vessel in which to be reborn. The souls of the departed continue to return to new bodies for an infinite cycle.
There have been several research papers on the subject. Scientists interviewed various people from different parts of the globe who claimed to have remembered clear details of their past lives. Scientists then would take this information and try to independently verify the recalled facts. In several instances, researchers concluded that the interviewees remembered things that they could have not known (personal information, names of relatives, phone numbers, houses, etc) that were not accessible to them in the present time.
There has always been a puzzle when reproduction happens in people. When the egg and sperm fuse, historically it was said there is a "spark of life," some form of energy which gives rise to fertility to the newborn. Theorists think that spark of energy may be a soul that the fuels the rebirth of a spirit.
On the other extreme, in the realm of B-movie sci-fi, science knows of all the elements of a human body, its chemical composition and structure. In theory, what is missing from the base elements is a form of electrical current that makes the human organs (including brain) function. In Frankenstein, the mad scientist uses lightning bolts to jump start "life" in a corpse. This "re-animation" is different than reincarnation since the former tries to re-use the old vessel to bring back a person's life.
It is not as far fetched as one would assume since emergency room personnel routinely revive cardiac arrest patients with electric stimulation. But in the re-animation world, it is assumed that the brain functions as a storage device for all memories, personality, speech, etc like a turned off hard drive. Turning the brain back on would revive that person's personality.
But the Egyptian view would say no. The dead person's character and personality is not located in the brain but in the spirit (or soul) of the individual. And once the person dies, their soul leaves the body so re-animation will not work.
In the Egyptian dead scrolls, it is said that the deceased spirits have to journey through the underworld to be judged before being reborn. And since one spirit can be reborn more than once, the journey could be fraught with danger.
In LOST, the island could be a representative underworld where souls travel to begin their journey to the after life. This would explain why certain characters, Mikhail Bakunin, could apparently die over and over again on the island. It could also explain how Desmond survived the Swan station implosion to be found naked wandering around the jungle (symbolic "reborn.")
One of the story principles in the series was giving the characters "a second opportunity" in life. Reincarnation would be a means to give a person (especially a tortured soul like Locke) a new beginning, a new life.
Showing posts with label souls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label souls. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Thursday, February 5, 2015
THE BIG GAME
The Super Bowl ended on a controversial play. The Seahawks were ripped for throwing a slant pass at the one yard line. The Patriots rookie defensive back made a stellar play by reading it, reacting, and intercepting the pass to see New England's victory.
Once a person knows the rules of a game, then that person can create a strategy on how to win the game. One needs a strategy in order to coordinate his moves toward the path of victory.
But if one believes LOST was really a game engine where the main characters were pawns in some elaborate contest, does that hold up to scrutiny like the last Super Bowl play?
There are several possibilities of the game theory of LOST.
First, that LOST was merely the representation of a massive on-line first person adventure game. As such, the characters were not real but avatars on a computer screen. Each character would have had a real live person controlling their movements and actions (which we could assume mirror the players). The nice aspect of this theory is that the series characters were constantly playing games, some outright and some coy manipulations. There were elements of extreme first person shooter violence. There were some adventure-danger elements like attacks and kidnaps. There were torturous means of finding information to lead characters on quests for answers. The initial premise was that the castaways wanted to find a means of rescue. And like a linear platformer, they had to move along on missions to find the means to get off the island (such as finding the radio tower, or the Hatch).
Second, that LOST was some sort of Westworld live-action danger theme park. In the movie, the mechanical robots go haywire, putting the guests in real danger. Likewise, the island could be considered a theme park that pits various "teams" against each other for the "control" of the island. It is like capture-the-flag with live ammo.
Third, that LOST was really a supernatural game of chess or Senet played by immortals Jacob and MIB. In Greek mythology, the gods would look down upon human beings as inferior play things. The gods would mess with their lives at will. By substituting real human beings for chess pieces, and manipulating their own "free" will into action, Jacob and MIB could have a formed an amusing but cruel chess match filled with chaotic outcomes. And this could be the reason why Jacob continually brought more humans to their island to play game after game with MIB, who certainly was bored up to the point that the 815ers arrived on the island. A supernatural chess match makes the main characters human, alive but in a different level of existence which looks real, has real outcomes including death.
One of the supposed tenets of the show was that the island "had rules." Widmore and Ben claimed to each other that there was a rule violation (such as the killing of Alex by Widmore). However, technically the non-killing of family members did not apply to Alex, since Ben was not her real father. So when Ben was going to go after Penny, Widmore's daughter, it would have been Ben who was breaking the rules.
But we would later learn that the rules were whatever the island guardian decided them to be. So the rules were no rules. The only clear rule was that Crazy Mother decreed that Jacob and his brother could never kill each other. It was one god scolding and casting a spell on two lesser gods. But what happened? Jacob's brother killed Crazy Mother, and Jacob in turn set off the events to kill his own brother. So that rule was broken. Both Crazy Mother and brother were buried in the caves, with the smoke monster assuming the form of MIB to haunt Jacob for an eternity.
The game theory would work if there was an actual end game. One could still assume that the end game was rescue or leaving the island. Those few people who got on the Ajira plane may have been "the winners" of the game, but really what did they win? A future life of pain in the real world? If the ability to leave the island was a player's victory, then why did the O6 return to the island? Did they get a second life, a second chance to "level up" in strength and importance? No, Jack and Kate were subservient to Sawyer in the Others camp. Sayid was merely a shell crazy man. Sun was lost in another time.
And this is a basic problem with the plot of the show. There was no clear path to a defined conclusion of the island action. The sideways world resolution confused everyone because it marked "death" for every character as the "reward." When is death the best option for a game player?
Once a person knows the rules of a game, then that person can create a strategy on how to win the game. One needs a strategy in order to coordinate his moves toward the path of victory.
But if one believes LOST was really a game engine where the main characters were pawns in some elaborate contest, does that hold up to scrutiny like the last Super Bowl play?
There are several possibilities of the game theory of LOST.
First, that LOST was merely the representation of a massive on-line first person adventure game. As such, the characters were not real but avatars on a computer screen. Each character would have had a real live person controlling their movements and actions (which we could assume mirror the players). The nice aspect of this theory is that the series characters were constantly playing games, some outright and some coy manipulations. There were elements of extreme first person shooter violence. There were some adventure-danger elements like attacks and kidnaps. There were torturous means of finding information to lead characters on quests for answers. The initial premise was that the castaways wanted to find a means of rescue. And like a linear platformer, they had to move along on missions to find the means to get off the island (such as finding the radio tower, or the Hatch).
Second, that LOST was some sort of Westworld live-action danger theme park. In the movie, the mechanical robots go haywire, putting the guests in real danger. Likewise, the island could be considered a theme park that pits various "teams" against each other for the "control" of the island. It is like capture-the-flag with live ammo.
Third, that LOST was really a supernatural game of chess or Senet played by immortals Jacob and MIB. In Greek mythology, the gods would look down upon human beings as inferior play things. The gods would mess with their lives at will. By substituting real human beings for chess pieces, and manipulating their own "free" will into action, Jacob and MIB could have a formed an amusing but cruel chess match filled with chaotic outcomes. And this could be the reason why Jacob continually brought more humans to their island to play game after game with MIB, who certainly was bored up to the point that the 815ers arrived on the island. A supernatural chess match makes the main characters human, alive but in a different level of existence which looks real, has real outcomes including death.
One of the supposed tenets of the show was that the island "had rules." Widmore and Ben claimed to each other that there was a rule violation (such as the killing of Alex by Widmore). However, technically the non-killing of family members did not apply to Alex, since Ben was not her real father. So when Ben was going to go after Penny, Widmore's daughter, it would have been Ben who was breaking the rules.
But we would later learn that the rules were whatever the island guardian decided them to be. So the rules were no rules. The only clear rule was that Crazy Mother decreed that Jacob and his brother could never kill each other. It was one god scolding and casting a spell on two lesser gods. But what happened? Jacob's brother killed Crazy Mother, and Jacob in turn set off the events to kill his own brother. So that rule was broken. Both Crazy Mother and brother were buried in the caves, with the smoke monster assuming the form of MIB to haunt Jacob for an eternity.
The game theory would work if there was an actual end game. One could still assume that the end game was rescue or leaving the island. Those few people who got on the Ajira plane may have been "the winners" of the game, but really what did they win? A future life of pain in the real world? If the ability to leave the island was a player's victory, then why did the O6 return to the island? Did they get a second life, a second chance to "level up" in strength and importance? No, Jack and Kate were subservient to Sawyer in the Others camp. Sayid was merely a shell crazy man. Sun was lost in another time.
And this is a basic problem with the plot of the show. There was no clear path to a defined conclusion of the island action. The sideways world resolution confused everyone because it marked "death" for every character as the "reward." When is death the best option for a game player?
Monday, December 22, 2014
THE BACKGROUND CHARACTER
Walt's dog was the first to find and wake Jack after the crash.
Vincent was also the reason Michael tried to bond with his son by going into the jungle to find the lost dog.
Vincent was the one character that no one suspected of doing anything wrong.
But one clue that everyone missed first time around was this:
if Walt was so attached to Vincent, why did he not bring the dog with him on the raft?
If the one true rule of the island was that the smoke monster could not leave it - - - that could lead to an assumption that Vincent was NOT real, but a smoke monster in disguise. Which makes perfect sense if the smoke monster wanted to learn about the new humans on its island. What better way to gather intelligence than roaming through the camp listening to what everyone was saying. Vincent would have been the perfect spy.
We were introduced to Vincent in an odd way. Shortly after the crash. Vincent was searching the jungle. While doing this, he heard a whistle. It was Christian, who we would know later, was dead. And this Christian form was actually a smoke monster. He called Vincent over and told him to go wake up "his son." As Vincent ran off towards Jack to do this, Christian stated that Jack "had work to do." Vincent then continued running until he found Jack, who had just regained consciousness. As Jack awoke, he saw Vincent running towards him through the jungle and stopping to look at Jack. Vincent then continued exploring the jungle.
But since he had a "light" coat, perhaps Vincent was a manifestation of Jacob, who some believe was also a smoke monster due to his immortality and his inability to kill another smoke monster, MIB. Perhaps, both smoke monsters needed to awake, reincarnate or "save" a dead or dying Jack in order to fulfill their mutual desire to "die and leave the island."
We know that many "lost" souls remain trapped on the island (the whispers) including Michael. In the end, Vincent returns to the bamboo jungle to curl up next to dying Jack. Was this Jacob comforting Jack for taking the leadership role on the island - - - to direct his soul to the afterlife reunion?
Likewise, was Jacob in Vincent form attached Jack's dying soul from the plane crash into the island realm so it could be prepared for the after life?
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.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
SOUL REVERSAL
I was watching an old anime recently in which a young girl was forced into an arranged marriage that she did not want. As a result, she collapsed because of the internalized emotional trauma to the extent that her soul left her body.
In many mystic cultures, a person's soul is considered an independent entity that resides within a human being. Human bodies are the bio-chemical machine shells in which a soul lives.
The concept of a soul living a human body because of a highly emotional situation can be used as a theory on the LOST story line.
Specifically, the sideways world arc is the place of dead which we assume are the souls of the departed.
In the sideways story, Flight 815 arrives safely in LA. We know that this is an elaborate and complex collective illusion based upon the facts stated in the ending. So, the sideways story must begin when Flight 815 crashes on the island. It means that the characters souls left their bodies as part of the emotional trauma of the plane crash.
But in a fantasy genre, that does not mean that the characters who crashed on the island were dead. Their souls had left their bodies, but their bodies continued to live, perhaps on the raw emotions that caused their souls to leave.
A "soul" is defined as the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. It is a person's moral or emotional nature or sense of identity. It is also described as theemotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic expression.
This soul escape to the sideways realm can explain why many of the island characters lacked a moral sensibility. The characters relied on basic instincts and self-reliance in order to survive. It can also explain why many people never "died" on the island because their souls were still alive and not in their bodies to sever the mortal links on Earth. There continued to be a sideways connection to keep the bodies alive . . . the "constant" that Faraday did not quite understand. It was when the souls made a full "reconnection" with their human bodies and actually died did the memories of the disembodied soul remembered the island events ("awaken').
In many mystic cultures, a person's soul is considered an independent entity that resides within a human being. Human bodies are the bio-chemical machine shells in which a soul lives.
The concept of a soul living a human body because of a highly emotional situation can be used as a theory on the LOST story line.
Specifically, the sideways world arc is the place of dead which we assume are the souls of the departed.
In the sideways story, Flight 815 arrives safely in LA. We know that this is an elaborate and complex collective illusion based upon the facts stated in the ending. So, the sideways story must begin when Flight 815 crashes on the island. It means that the characters souls left their bodies as part of the emotional trauma of the plane crash.
But in a fantasy genre, that does not mean that the characters who crashed on the island were dead. Their souls had left their bodies, but their bodies continued to live, perhaps on the raw emotions that caused their souls to leave.
A "soul" is defined as the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. It is a person's moral or emotional nature or sense of identity. It is also described as theemotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic expression.
This soul escape to the sideways realm can explain why many of the island characters lacked a moral sensibility. The characters relied on basic instincts and self-reliance in order to survive. It can also explain why many people never "died" on the island because their souls were still alive and not in their bodies to sever the mortal links on Earth. There continued to be a sideways connection to keep the bodies alive . . . the "constant" that Faraday did not quite understand. It was when the souls made a full "reconnection" with their human bodies and actually died did the memories of the disembodied soul remembered the island events ("awaken').
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
MATCH GAME
Time to try to match the LOST characters to their Deadly Sins.
LUST: There was plenty of carnal knowledge on the show, from hook-ups to emotional manipulation. The character that had the most loin fever was probably KATE, who was the attention getter who when she wanted something, she went out and got it.
GLUTTONY. It is easy to point to HURLEY as the main choice. He had an issue when he was put in charge of the pantry-food drop supplies. He was uncomfortable with the responsibility since food was his alternative to dealing with his pain (abandonment issues, loneliness, etc.)
GREED. There are many characters who wanted wealth, fame, power and control. Ben and Widmore are prime examples of ruthless behavior. But at the same time, but at a more reserved level, Sun was very greedy in her personal expectations and inheritance while Jin was also looking to break away from his poor fisherman caste to become wealthy. An intense, selfish desire for something defines greed. On a non-material basis, MIB may have been the most greedy, since his sole being as a smoke monster was to escape his island prison, at any cost, including centuries of human lives.
SLOTH. Who was in the camp that lived off the work of other people? SHANNON was the prime example of a rich, spoiled girl who did not have any tangible skill sets for independence, let alone survival. First, she relied solely on Boone to help her through her problems. Then, after Boone was gone, she hooked up briefly with Sayid. She never took it upon herself to take charge of her own situation.
ENVY. Jealousy is a deep dagger in the heart of man. There were many characters who were biting their lip, looking from the outside at the close bonds, friendships and adventures of the other cast members. Arzt was one guy who talked big in camp, but got himself blown up on his only real mission. Frogert was a guy in camp who was constantly complaining that he was not getting the respect he deserved (as a red shirt).
WRATH. Extreme anger at one's own situation and the fate that life imposed upon someone clearly reflects the inner demons of LOCKE. As often as he lashed out at others, including his crazy mother and his con man father, Locke was more angry at his own failed decisions and illusions of grandeur to stop and see the good things in his life, such as Helen. And once he lost her, he had lost any chance of happiness. That is why he was bitter to the end, on and off the island.
PRIDE. This sin is a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements. There are several characters whose world revolved around their own accomplishments. Sawyer believed solely in himself; he knew he could con anyone, including another con man. Arrogance may be the twin brother of pride. Likewise, JACK was self-absorbed with the title of "miracle spine surgeon" by taking impossible cases and defying all medical science to have them walk again. He could do no wrong. Which such a background of being "right," it was only at the end when he admitted that Locke was right about the island.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
HEART & SOUL
There is circumstantial evidence that a person's soul weighs approximately 5 ounces. This measurement was done immediately before and after a person passes on. Philosophically, death releases the soul and hence, its weight.
But man has weighed the concept of the soul since the dawn of time. Man's own origin stories, even from days of pre-religion, felt that man was more than an animal; that man had a higher purpose; that looking at the infinite stars at night - - - we had to have a sense of immortality.
It would seem logical that the soul would reside inside a person's heart. The heart is the engine that keeps one's body alive by circulating the blood and plasma to all the various organs. Literary circles have described a person as having a "good heart," or a "black heart" to characterize a personality.
Is the physical heart and the metaphysical soul work concurrently to make us special?
The LOST characters arrived at the island with hearts in various states of disarray. It must have been a burden upon their troubled souls.
One could consider that a person can only mend their heart by using his or her soul (enlightenment).
Purification rituals began from the earliest tribes and civilizations. The act of cleansing was deemed to be an important means of connecting to one's self, family, community and the heavens. To cleanse the burdens of the soul requires soul searching, understanding and change.
For whatever reason, the island was the laboratory for such soul searching. Jack grappled with his feelings and guilt of his relationship with his father. Locke grappled with his feelings of abandonment and loneliness. Kate grappled with her feelings of guilt and responsibility. Coming to terms with these basic but overpowering emotional states was the key to their character development.
LOST may have been an exercise in mending one's heart and soul. One has to look outside one's self to others in order to cure what ails you.
But man has weighed the concept of the soul since the dawn of time. Man's own origin stories, even from days of pre-religion, felt that man was more than an animal; that man had a higher purpose; that looking at the infinite stars at night - - - we had to have a sense of immortality.
It would seem logical that the soul would reside inside a person's heart. The heart is the engine that keeps one's body alive by circulating the blood and plasma to all the various organs. Literary circles have described a person as having a "good heart," or a "black heart" to characterize a personality.
Is the physical heart and the metaphysical soul work concurrently to make us special?
The LOST characters arrived at the island with hearts in various states of disarray. It must have been a burden upon their troubled souls.
One could consider that a person can only mend their heart by using his or her soul (enlightenment).
Purification rituals began from the earliest tribes and civilizations. The act of cleansing was deemed to be an important means of connecting to one's self, family, community and the heavens. To cleanse the burdens of the soul requires soul searching, understanding and change.
For whatever reason, the island was the laboratory for such soul searching. Jack grappled with his feelings and guilt of his relationship with his father. Locke grappled with his feelings of abandonment and loneliness. Kate grappled with her feelings of guilt and responsibility. Coming to terms with these basic but overpowering emotional states was the key to their character development.
LOST may have been an exercise in mending one's heart and soul. One has to look outside one's self to others in order to cure what ails you.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
HOW TO GET HOME
One of the themes of LOST was the character's desire to "get home."
There are many expressions about home.
Home is where you live.
Home is where you sleep.
Home is the shelter where you keep your possessions.
Home is where the heart is.
But in broader context, home is connected with the promised land in many cultures.
This supposes that our life on earth is a transitory event. That on the path of life, our mortality is nothing more than a way station to the next form of existence.
Many religions have concepts of heaven or paradise for "good" people after they die on Earth. It is a comforting notion on what happens after we pass on, and for those we leave behind.
Many ancient cultures believed that man was created from the stars, and upon death returns to the stars.
But there is no clear explanation for how this transition happens.
There are views of the brimstone of hell for sinners, and near-death experiences where people began walking to the "bright light," but since no one has been revived from the after life, we really don't know what happens next. It is a matter of faith over science.
So it is open to interpretation and imagination of how one travels back to the stars, or paradise.
The concept of the soul is a means of explanation. It is the spiritual vessel that can transcend time and space; to recreate your body in a different dimension to live on.
This journey may be as important as the destination. That is another strong theme in the series. The journey of the main characters to get to the sideways church.
The whole LOST saga could be placed in the after life journey of the characters. They needed to suffer physical and mental pain in order to figure out what was truly important. It was not a moral redemption but a personal manifestation of releasing one's own emotional demons in order to see the world around them in a new light. They need to get beyond the material aspects of life because they are immaterial in the after life. They need to get deep personal bonds with other souls in order to share the burden of getting to the doors of paradise.
If this is the true purpose of LOST, then the sideways season makes a little more sense.
There are many expressions about home.
Home is where you live.
Home is where you sleep.
Home is the shelter where you keep your possessions.
Home is where the heart is.
But in broader context, home is connected with the promised land in many cultures.
This supposes that our life on earth is a transitory event. That on the path of life, our mortality is nothing more than a way station to the next form of existence.
Many religions have concepts of heaven or paradise for "good" people after they die on Earth. It is a comforting notion on what happens after we pass on, and for those we leave behind.
Many ancient cultures believed that man was created from the stars, and upon death returns to the stars.
But there is no clear explanation for how this transition happens.
There are views of the brimstone of hell for sinners, and near-death experiences where people began walking to the "bright light," but since no one has been revived from the after life, we really don't know what happens next. It is a matter of faith over science.
So it is open to interpretation and imagination of how one travels back to the stars, or paradise.
The concept of the soul is a means of explanation. It is the spiritual vessel that can transcend time and space; to recreate your body in a different dimension to live on.
This journey may be as important as the destination. That is another strong theme in the series. The journey of the main characters to get to the sideways church.
The whole LOST saga could be placed in the after life journey of the characters. They needed to suffer physical and mental pain in order to figure out what was truly important. It was not a moral redemption but a personal manifestation of releasing one's own emotional demons in order to see the world around them in a new light. They need to get beyond the material aspects of life because they are immaterial in the after life. They need to get deep personal bonds with other souls in order to share the burden of getting to the doors of paradise.
If this is the true purpose of LOST, then the sideways season makes a little more sense.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
NINE LIVES
The old saying is "cats have 9 lives." It is not really based upon any actual science, but mere observation that cats tend to get in and out of trouble in McGuffin fashion. For some reason, cats that fall off building ledges always land on their paws.
What if people had this cat-like trait?
We clearly saw Patchy, the one-eyed Other, "die" numerous times only to come back and thwart the Losties plans. That seems to be an obvious writer's ploy to surprise the viewers, and add the taint of mystery about the island (why do some people die, and some do not?) Ben was taken to the temple and was "reborn," but Sayid was taken to the temple waters - - - died and was reincarnated as an evil minion. Locke "survived" a 10 story plunge, an airplane crash, and being shot in gut. Pretty darn lucky; 9 lives cat lucky.
Like most things in LOST, story continuity and rules are very inconsistent. Who lives and who dies is probably more attached to the emotional viewer meter than anything else.
But if life teaches us, everyone comes across events that could change their path, for good or ill. Just like in Monopoly, some people tend to get more "Get Out of Jail Free" cards than other people.
But to put a more sci-fi spin on this concept, one could look at a person's life as having one of those sub-sandwich shop customer loyalty cards: after 9 meals, you get one free. But in the scope of one's life line, the card allows 9 critical events to pass that does not cost you your life. The grim reaper clicks off those events until you run out of freebies - - - then you have to pass on.
You can reflect on your own life to remember various events that could have gone badly.
One probably does not realize that this is happening. But a few, like Patchy, who did crazy stupid and clearly suicidal things, probably did know that he would return. With that type of knowledge, one would have great power to control any situation.
You can count on your own how many of the main characters survived car crashes, mental illness, alcohol /drug addictions, shootings, falls, explosions, fights - - - before, during and after their island dangers.
If you look at the characters as counting down not time, but their 9 lives in order to get to the promised land, then that may explain the dull attitude and lack of grasping their dangerous surroundings when they flew off into the jungle on crazy missions. Their subconscious must have been pulling them through the gateway of their own existence.
What if people had this cat-like trait?
We clearly saw Patchy, the one-eyed Other, "die" numerous times only to come back and thwart the Losties plans. That seems to be an obvious writer's ploy to surprise the viewers, and add the taint of mystery about the island (why do some people die, and some do not?) Ben was taken to the temple and was "reborn," but Sayid was taken to the temple waters - - - died and was reincarnated as an evil minion. Locke "survived" a 10 story plunge, an airplane crash, and being shot in gut. Pretty darn lucky; 9 lives cat lucky.
Like most things in LOST, story continuity and rules are very inconsistent. Who lives and who dies is probably more attached to the emotional viewer meter than anything else.
But if life teaches us, everyone comes across events that could change their path, for good or ill. Just like in Monopoly, some people tend to get more "Get Out of Jail Free" cards than other people.
But to put a more sci-fi spin on this concept, one could look at a person's life as having one of those sub-sandwich shop customer loyalty cards: after 9 meals, you get one free. But in the scope of one's life line, the card allows 9 critical events to pass that does not cost you your life. The grim reaper clicks off those events until you run out of freebies - - - then you have to pass on.
You can reflect on your own life to remember various events that could have gone badly.
One probably does not realize that this is happening. But a few, like Patchy, who did crazy stupid and clearly suicidal things, probably did know that he would return. With that type of knowledge, one would have great power to control any situation.
You can count on your own how many of the main characters survived car crashes, mental illness, alcohol /drug addictions, shootings, falls, explosions, fights - - - before, during and after their island dangers.
If you look at the characters as counting down not time, but their 9 lives in order to get to the promised land, then that may explain the dull attitude and lack of grasping their dangerous surroundings when they flew off into the jungle on crazy missions. Their subconscious must have been pulling them through the gateway of their own existence.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
POSSESSION
Continuing with the recent theme of multiple souls, there is another possible theory on the island survivors. Instead of dying in the plane crash, they survived but in a weakened state. In such a physical state that the whispers (the ghosts of dead souls who can't leave the island) attempt to enter their bodies in order to get off the island.
This is exactly what MIB/Smokey told the survivors when he was in the form of Flocke.
And it makes some deal of sense. If the island has a strange electromagnetic pull, and certain souls without redemption cannot navigate to the after life, the whispers would then have to find a way out. We know they have an intelligent core as whisper Michael had a conversation with Hurley.
Now, some may counter and say that the whispers were merely mental illusions or delusions, since Alpert's dead wife appeared to him even though she never died on the island.
The idea of Miles and Hurley being able to talk to the dead has two possible reasons. First, they are truly special people, mediums, to the other side. Second, they could have been contacted by the whisper souls directly in order to influence or change their actions so as to help those immortal souls trapped on the island to escape. Perhaps in a roundabout way, this is the real conclusion to the LOST story as Hurley becomes the island guardian and "shuts it down" which probably would include releasing the souls to their own sideways reality.
So if dead souls could possess living beings, how did they get the survivors to do their bidding? There was a chain of influence spread down from Jacob to Alpert to Ben to Jack to the beach camp.
The problem is what is Jacob. Is he a god, an intelligent being with supernatural powers? Or is he a possessed soul who is granted immortality for so long as a whisper possesses his body? The only real supernatural force shown with any unusual power was the smoke monster, MIB. But he had the lone desire to leave the island, and during the course of the final episodes did everything in his power to recruit, destroy, scare and kidnap people in order for him to get his way. (Ironically, all of these missions and plans may have been a smoke screen; the smoke monster may never have wanted or could not leave the island.)
If the whispers are trapped on the island, was this a form of punishment? In Michael's case, it was since he killed two innocent people. In Alpert's case, he was tried and convicted of murder but sold in slavery instead of receiving his punishment. If so, then the island is a form of hell but no in the conventional fire and brimstone setting.
If the islanders were possessed by whispers, what happens if they are lucky enough to leave? For example, since Jack and Kate saw ghosts form their past on the island, we can assume that window was created by the whispers as a means of controlling them. Once they left the island, the whispers were not able to release themselves into the real world. It made them very unhappy. It caused Jack down a spiral path of personal destruction - - - and an illogical quest to return to the island (so his whisper could go back to its "home.") Recall, Jack's return to the island makes no sense since he had no idea that any of his friends were still alive after the island vanished. It was not Jack that wanted to go back to the island, but the soul who possessed his body and mind.
One can weave a good ghost possession premise to LOST because it is as good as any other theory in trying to explain the illogical motivations of some of the characters and the strong, absurd connection people had with the island.
This is exactly what MIB/Smokey told the survivors when he was in the form of Flocke.
And it makes some deal of sense. If the island has a strange electromagnetic pull, and certain souls without redemption cannot navigate to the after life, the whispers would then have to find a way out. We know they have an intelligent core as whisper Michael had a conversation with Hurley.
Now, some may counter and say that the whispers were merely mental illusions or delusions, since Alpert's dead wife appeared to him even though she never died on the island.
The idea of Miles and Hurley being able to talk to the dead has two possible reasons. First, they are truly special people, mediums, to the other side. Second, they could have been contacted by the whisper souls directly in order to influence or change their actions so as to help those immortal souls trapped on the island to escape. Perhaps in a roundabout way, this is the real conclusion to the LOST story as Hurley becomes the island guardian and "shuts it down" which probably would include releasing the souls to their own sideways reality.
So if dead souls could possess living beings, how did they get the survivors to do their bidding? There was a chain of influence spread down from Jacob to Alpert to Ben to Jack to the beach camp.
The problem is what is Jacob. Is he a god, an intelligent being with supernatural powers? Or is he a possessed soul who is granted immortality for so long as a whisper possesses his body? The only real supernatural force shown with any unusual power was the smoke monster, MIB. But he had the lone desire to leave the island, and during the course of the final episodes did everything in his power to recruit, destroy, scare and kidnap people in order for him to get his way. (Ironically, all of these missions and plans may have been a smoke screen; the smoke monster may never have wanted or could not leave the island.)
If the whispers are trapped on the island, was this a form of punishment? In Michael's case, it was since he killed two innocent people. In Alpert's case, he was tried and convicted of murder but sold in slavery instead of receiving his punishment. If so, then the island is a form of hell but no in the conventional fire and brimstone setting.
If the islanders were possessed by whispers, what happens if they are lucky enough to leave? For example, since Jack and Kate saw ghosts form their past on the island, we can assume that window was created by the whispers as a means of controlling them. Once they left the island, the whispers were not able to release themselves into the real world. It made them very unhappy. It caused Jack down a spiral path of personal destruction - - - and an illogical quest to return to the island (so his whisper could go back to its "home.") Recall, Jack's return to the island makes no sense since he had no idea that any of his friends were still alive after the island vanished. It was not Jack that wanted to go back to the island, but the soul who possessed his body and mind.
One can weave a good ghost possession premise to LOST because it is as good as any other theory in trying to explain the illogical motivations of some of the characters and the strong, absurd connection people had with the island.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
MULTIVERSE
Theoretical scientists are at the cross roads of quantum dynamics with the Higgs Bosom and particle string theories. Some believe that current information suggests that there are no parallel or multi-universes.
Parallel universes or alternative dimensions have been part of the human culture since the beginning. Ancient cultures had a clear understanding of cosmic planetary and star movements which was the foundation for after death dimensions where souls would go to live in paradise.
When the sideways story arc came into view, many fans thought that the sci-fi element of a parallel universe would explain it. It had its merits. One, there are many writers who believed that there are several parallel universes, like onion skin layers, that contain the same people, places and events but are shaped solely by the decisions individuals make at key points in time. For example, if Jack did not ask out Sarah in universe one, then Jack would wind up with Juliet in universe two.
Two, other writers believe that scientists like Einstein calculated that there may be as many as 26 separate dimensions that compose of our known universe. The idea of another dimension was used to explain the anomalies in time and space formulas. It also may be a crutch to dream that if there are other dimensions, our laws of physics may not apply - - - which could result in objects going faster than the speed of light.
Three, other people believe that we live in a plain of existence that overlaps into other worlds. For example, people believe that somewhere on the planet there is your double, a doppelganger. Others believe that their sixth sense is actually caused by encounters with one's self from another dimension. Finally, some people believe there is duality within each of us: that the conscious and subconscious mind operate in two different universes in which they cross over when the mind rests in a dream state.
A multiverse explanation would diminish the poor writing and continuity errors in the sideways story arc. But it would be such a bad McGuffin that most fans really don't want to go down that tired road.
Parallel universes or alternative dimensions have been part of the human culture since the beginning. Ancient cultures had a clear understanding of cosmic planetary and star movements which was the foundation for after death dimensions where souls would go to live in paradise.
When the sideways story arc came into view, many fans thought that the sci-fi element of a parallel universe would explain it. It had its merits. One, there are many writers who believed that there are several parallel universes, like onion skin layers, that contain the same people, places and events but are shaped solely by the decisions individuals make at key points in time. For example, if Jack did not ask out Sarah in universe one, then Jack would wind up with Juliet in universe two.
Two, other writers believe that scientists like Einstein calculated that there may be as many as 26 separate dimensions that compose of our known universe. The idea of another dimension was used to explain the anomalies in time and space formulas. It also may be a crutch to dream that if there are other dimensions, our laws of physics may not apply - - - which could result in objects going faster than the speed of light.
Three, other people believe that we live in a plain of existence that overlaps into other worlds. For example, people believe that somewhere on the planet there is your double, a doppelganger. Others believe that their sixth sense is actually caused by encounters with one's self from another dimension. Finally, some people believe there is duality within each of us: that the conscious and subconscious mind operate in two different universes in which they cross over when the mind rests in a dream state.
A multiverse explanation would diminish the poor writing and continuity errors in the sideways story arc. But it would be such a bad McGuffin that most fans really don't want to go down that tired road.
Monday, August 25, 2014
SOUL POSSESSION
In the new British series, Intruders, the premise is that after people die, their souls can live on . . . by possessing a live individual. It is an interesting concept of demonic possession from ancient times (which in many instances was misdiagnosis of actual medical conditions like seizure disorders).
LOST did feature elements of multiple souls. In ancient Egyptian death rituals, the person's soul is divided at death into the ka and ba which separately have to journey through the underworld to try to be reunited in the after life. If souls were released upon death, sci-fi allows for these intelligent vessels to inhabit other human beings.
In a bait-and-switch type theory, the 815 survivors could have been "possessed" by lost souls, the whispers, trapped on the island. In fact, the only reason the survivors "lived" after the crash was that they were re-possessed by island souls.
For example, what if Jack was near death in the bamboo grove when dead Horace, the former leader of the Dharma group, possesses his body? There were many of the Dharma group that was purged by Ben's Others. And when the Others member died, they destroyed the body which may be so that that body could not be repossessed by an island soul.
If there were possession by island souls, that could explain why Jack immediately took to pushing back against Ben and the Others because deep inside he knew of their threat and danger because Horace's soul was influencing his decision making process. When they talked about "a war" on the island, it may be a never ending saga of souls reanimating their revenge with new visitors time after time for eternity (much like the reality of the Middle East conflicts).
The island souls could become the dominate personality in a person's body; repressing the person's actual soul until its "second death." The real soul may be in a sort of suspended animation, a dream state of confusion, during the island time line. Perhaps the suspended animation of souls is a better explanation of the sideways limbo state.
LOST did feature elements of multiple souls. In ancient Egyptian death rituals, the person's soul is divided at death into the ka and ba which separately have to journey through the underworld to try to be reunited in the after life. If souls were released upon death, sci-fi allows for these intelligent vessels to inhabit other human beings.
In a bait-and-switch type theory, the 815 survivors could have been "possessed" by lost souls, the whispers, trapped on the island. In fact, the only reason the survivors "lived" after the crash was that they were re-possessed by island souls.
For example, what if Jack was near death in the bamboo grove when dead Horace, the former leader of the Dharma group, possesses his body? There were many of the Dharma group that was purged by Ben's Others. And when the Others member died, they destroyed the body which may be so that that body could not be repossessed by an island soul.
If there were possession by island souls, that could explain why Jack immediately took to pushing back against Ben and the Others because deep inside he knew of their threat and danger because Horace's soul was influencing his decision making process. When they talked about "a war" on the island, it may be a never ending saga of souls reanimating their revenge with new visitors time after time for eternity (much like the reality of the Middle East conflicts).
The island souls could become the dominate personality in a person's body; repressing the person's actual soul until its "second death." The real soul may be in a sort of suspended animation, a dream state of confusion, during the island time line. Perhaps the suspended animation of souls is a better explanation of the sideways limbo state.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
THE EYE TO THE SOUL
It has been said in ancient times that the eye is the entrance to man's soul.
The opening and closing of a person's eye was a key symbolic feature in LOST.
From an island story line perspective, it all began when Jack, lying alone in the bamboo grove, opens his right eye. What does that action represent?
The right side of the brain is allegedly the analytical side of the mind. The other side is the creative side. The right side of the brain houses the logical constructs of human existence - - - sight, problem solving, applied knowledge, etc. Any person alive needs those brain functions to stay alive.
But if the eye opening represents the opening Jack's mind to his soul, then that puts a whole different context and premise to the series.
Whether you are in the camp of Jack being alive or the camp that Jack died in the crash, there is a third possibility: Jack was alive after the crash, BUT he never moved from the bamboo grove. Everything we saw and Jack "experienced" was his through his soul.
If Jack landed on his back from the free fall from the broken plane, most likely he would have crushed his spine, causing paralysis. His will to live and to help his fellow passengers was strong enough for him to release his inner self, his soul, to reach out and interact with other souls in something similar to a vivid dream.
Since a major reference point in the series was ancient Egyptian death rituals, this release of the soul and its own physical journey through the underworld, can also be adapted in the above situation where Jack is still alive, but unable to move; but his soul manifests itself to go help others. In an odd way, this could also explain the great mystery of the smoke monster - - - it too is a soul of a living person. Since a smoke monster can manifest itself in any shape or form, such as human like the Man in Black or Christian (based on memories), then Jack's smoke monster could manifest itself as Jack. In fact, everyone on board who survived could be smoke monsters. An island filled with smoke monsters who do not realize that they are disembodied souls trying to find answers to the questions that haunted them prior to boarding Flight 815.
Because if Jack never moved from the bamboo grove, it would explain why the series ended with him in the same grove. In his final battle with Flocke, he was far, far away from the beach camp. He was in no condition to trek miles back to the grove through the mountain terrain. It is more reasonable to believe that his soul returned to his body for its unification.
It is the return of his soul to his body, when Jack can be at peace. When Jack then closes his eye, he dies - - - thereby releasing his soul from the earthly attachment of living - - - so it can be awakened in the after life.
This theory is much more "spiritual" in context than what the writers-producers vaguely said during their post-LOST interviews.
The opening and closing of a person's eye was a key symbolic feature in LOST.
From an island story line perspective, it all began when Jack, lying alone in the bamboo grove, opens his right eye. What does that action represent?
The right side of the brain is allegedly the analytical side of the mind. The other side is the creative side. The right side of the brain houses the logical constructs of human existence - - - sight, problem solving, applied knowledge, etc. Any person alive needs those brain functions to stay alive.
But if the eye opening represents the opening Jack's mind to his soul, then that puts a whole different context and premise to the series.
Whether you are in the camp of Jack being alive or the camp that Jack died in the crash, there is a third possibility: Jack was alive after the crash, BUT he never moved from the bamboo grove. Everything we saw and Jack "experienced" was his through his soul.
If Jack landed on his back from the free fall from the broken plane, most likely he would have crushed his spine, causing paralysis. His will to live and to help his fellow passengers was strong enough for him to release his inner self, his soul, to reach out and interact with other souls in something similar to a vivid dream.
Since a major reference point in the series was ancient Egyptian death rituals, this release of the soul and its own physical journey through the underworld, can also be adapted in the above situation where Jack is still alive, but unable to move; but his soul manifests itself to go help others. In an odd way, this could also explain the great mystery of the smoke monster - - - it too is a soul of a living person. Since a smoke monster can manifest itself in any shape or form, such as human like the Man in Black or Christian (based on memories), then Jack's smoke monster could manifest itself as Jack. In fact, everyone on board who survived could be smoke monsters. An island filled with smoke monsters who do not realize that they are disembodied souls trying to find answers to the questions that haunted them prior to boarding Flight 815.
Because if Jack never moved from the bamboo grove, it would explain why the series ended with him in the same grove. In his final battle with Flocke, he was far, far away from the beach camp. He was in no condition to trek miles back to the grove through the mountain terrain. It is more reasonable to believe that his soul returned to his body for its unification.
It is the return of his soul to his body, when Jack can be at peace. When Jack then closes his eye, he dies - - - thereby releasing his soul from the earthly attachment of living - - - so it can be awakened in the after life.
This theory is much more "spiritual" in context than what the writers-producers vaguely said during their post-LOST interviews.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
CONSUMED BY THE LIGHT
What happened when a person came into direct contact with the light source?
The first instance we know of was Jacob's brother drifting into the main light cave, and then a raging smoke monster flew out. The question is whether a human being or soul that comes into contact with the light turns into a dark smoke monster.
It is a good question. And it would help explain a lot of mysteries.
Desmond was consumed by the light when he turned the fail safe key. He should have been killed, or better, he was killed but "reborn" by the light itself. So what would the light create? Another smoke monster.
As a result of that incident, Desmond became special or different, in both time and space.
When Jacob finished the frozen donkey wheel his brother started, we assumed he used it. Did it turn him into an ageless smoke monster? He used the FDW to leave the island to go touch his candidates to bring them to the island.
When Ben used the FDW did he also die and become a smoke monster, too? Despite all the beatings, injuries and near death experiences, Ben never died on the island time periods.
When Locke used the FDW to re-set the time skipping island, did he die in the teleportation to the desert? If so, how could he have died in the seedy hotel room if he was a smoke monster? Because Ben, another smoke monster, killed him.
So when Locke's body returned to the island with Ben, who really assumed its form? We all assume that it was MIB, the darkness created from Jacob's brother's death in the light cave. But could have been someone else?
Since we don't know what the smoke monster was, we can't say for sure how many of them inhabited the island. Some believe that there was a smoke monster judging each person on the island; that a person's subconscious itself manifests as a smoke monster.
The first instance we know of was Jacob's brother drifting into the main light cave, and then a raging smoke monster flew out. The question is whether a human being or soul that comes into contact with the light turns into a dark smoke monster.
It is a good question. And it would help explain a lot of mysteries.
Desmond was consumed by the light when he turned the fail safe key. He should have been killed, or better, he was killed but "reborn" by the light itself. So what would the light create? Another smoke monster.
As a result of that incident, Desmond became special or different, in both time and space.
When Jacob finished the frozen donkey wheel his brother started, we assumed he used it. Did it turn him into an ageless smoke monster? He used the FDW to leave the island to go touch his candidates to bring them to the island.
When Ben used the FDW did he also die and become a smoke monster, too? Despite all the beatings, injuries and near death experiences, Ben never died on the island time periods.
When Locke used the FDW to re-set the time skipping island, did he die in the teleportation to the desert? If so, how could he have died in the seedy hotel room if he was a smoke monster? Because Ben, another smoke monster, killed him.
So when Locke's body returned to the island with Ben, who really assumed its form? We all assume that it was MIB, the darkness created from Jacob's brother's death in the light cave. But could have been someone else?
Since we don't know what the smoke monster was, we can't say for sure how many of them inhabited the island. Some believe that there was a smoke monster judging each person on the island; that a person's subconscious itself manifests as a smoke monster.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
POSSESSIVE SOULS
Here is a new theory derived from Japanese folklore.
In Nara, the birth place of Japanese culture. there are stories of nature, culture, history; folk stories, and tradition there. "Tsukumo-gami" are things that existed for a long time that develops a self-awareness and soul. This is a unique idea that things have souls. For example, when you lose an important thing on your desk, without becoming frustrated you should think of it this way. "It is trying to come back to me!" Then you won't get so frustrated or you'll be happy when you see them again. This is very Japanese way of thinking that every possession has its own soul.
It is something hidden in plain sight. It is a very interesting concept.
What strikes me now is that fans were really pulled into what Desmond said about his attempted escape from the island.
Desmond described the Island as a snow globe after experiencing navigational problems trying to escape it. Desmond had tried to flee the Island in his boat, but he steered due west rather than the necessary bearing. As a result, he arrived back at the Island.
JACK: So, before you ran off, I guess you just forgot to mention that you still have a sailboat. Why'd you come back?
DESMOND [laughing]: Do you think I did it on purpose? I was sailing for two and half weeks, bearing due West and making 9 knots. I should have been in Fiji in less than a week. But the first piece of land I saw wasn't Fiji, was it? No. No, it was here -- this, this island. And you know why? Because this is it. This is all there is left. This ocean and this place here. We are stuck in a bloody snow globe. There's no outside world. There's no escape. So, just go away, huh. Let me drink.
There were also other references to snow globes in the series. Hurley's comic book contained a picture of a dome covering a magical city. There was also a snow globe on the counter of the shop where Michael pawned his watch. And there was a large blue globe on the top shelf of a bookcase in Aaron's bedroom.
The explanation of the castaways being trapped on the island was that they were caught in a snow globe created by unique magnetic energy. Except, what if it was more literal?
Snow globes are souvenir items that depict a time, event or place. The classic example is a winter holiday scene. The item is jostled and plastic snow is churned about in the fluid to create a winter scene.
Instead of an explanation that the show was all inside Hurley's head, put it inside of a tropical snow globe that over time developed its own souls. All the characters were actually animated from the elements of the globe.
The light at the end could represent many different things. It could represent an actual light switch in the globe that turns on a lamp so people can see the scene more clearly. Or, it could mean the actual light of the sun being shown coming into a broken element of the casing (releasing the souls being bonded inside the globe into the real world).
Such a complex and magical premise was never considered in the original pilot script or the writer's guide. The premise seems more suited to Japanese anime, where tales of humans being intertwined in a spirit world are common stories. But the idea that the island was a snow globe, and that its objects inside it developed consciousness or souls, has its own wonderful possibilities.
In Nara, the birth place of Japanese culture. there are stories of nature, culture, history; folk stories, and tradition there. "Tsukumo-gami" are things that existed for a long time that develops a self-awareness and soul. This is a unique idea that things have souls. For example, when you lose an important thing on your desk, without becoming frustrated you should think of it this way. "It is trying to come back to me!" Then you won't get so frustrated or you'll be happy when you see them again. This is very Japanese way of thinking that every possession has its own soul.
It is something hidden in plain sight. It is a very interesting concept.
What strikes me now is that fans were really pulled into what Desmond said about his attempted escape from the island.
Desmond described the Island as a snow globe after experiencing navigational problems trying to escape it. Desmond had tried to flee the Island in his boat, but he steered due west rather than the necessary bearing. As a result, he arrived back at the Island.
JACK: So, before you ran off, I guess you just forgot to mention that you still have a sailboat. Why'd you come back?
DESMOND [laughing]: Do you think I did it on purpose? I was sailing for two and half weeks, bearing due West and making 9 knots. I should have been in Fiji in less than a week. But the first piece of land I saw wasn't Fiji, was it? No. No, it was here -- this, this island. And you know why? Because this is it. This is all there is left. This ocean and this place here. We are stuck in a bloody snow globe. There's no outside world. There's no escape. So, just go away, huh. Let me drink.
There were also other references to snow globes in the series. Hurley's comic book contained a picture of a dome covering a magical city. There was also a snow globe on the counter of the shop where Michael pawned his watch. And there was a large blue globe on the top shelf of a bookcase in Aaron's bedroom.
The explanation of the castaways being trapped on the island was that they were caught in a snow globe created by unique magnetic energy. Except, what if it was more literal?
Snow globes are souvenir items that depict a time, event or place. The classic example is a winter holiday scene. The item is jostled and plastic snow is churned about in the fluid to create a winter scene.
Instead of an explanation that the show was all inside Hurley's head, put it inside of a tropical snow globe that over time developed its own souls. All the characters were actually animated from the elements of the globe.
The light at the end could represent many different things. It could represent an actual light switch in the globe that turns on a lamp so people can see the scene more clearly. Or, it could mean the actual light of the sun being shown coming into a broken element of the casing (releasing the souls being bonded inside the globe into the real world).
Such a complex and magical premise was never considered in the original pilot script or the writer's guide. The premise seems more suited to Japanese anime, where tales of humans being intertwined in a spirit world are common stories. But the idea that the island was a snow globe, and that its objects inside it developed consciousness or souls, has its own wonderful possibilities.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
MUSICAL CLUES
Music that was played on the series was speculated by some viewers to be hidden clues.
For example, in the Season 2 episode, "The Hunting Party" Jack faces a major problem as he wakes to find a gun wielding Michael, who leaves to find Walt, who kidnapped by the Others. With the help of Locke and Sawyer, Jack heads out to bring Michael back before he is killed by the natives.
During this episode, the music playing in the Hatch was "Fall on Me", by Pousette-Dar Band.
The lyrics may be the clues:
Fall, fall on me
If you're gonna fall
fall on me
and if you're go'in down
hold on to me
I can see the sorrow in you're eyes
I can feel you're heart wondering why
If you're gonna fall,
fall on me
and if you're go'in down
hold on to me
Now you feel
you've lost all reason
can't face another day
when it's despair
it's just a season
that comes and goes away
If you're gonna fall
fall on me
and if you're go'in down
hold on to me
If you're go'in down
hold on to me
when you got a soul
that shines on
so much love can't help but turn mine on,
If you're gonna fall,
fall on me
and if you're go'in down
hold on to me
Fall, fall on me
Two things come to mind in reading the lyrics:
1) when a castaway like Michael loses all reason (his anger to get back his son), it is just another seasonal plot point that "comes and goes away."
2) the reference to "a soul" prequels death, but in Michael's case even Walt's love for him cannot turn his soul from a trapped whisper to the sideways world reunion.
The first comment reinforces that retrospective feeling for some that LOST had no continuity from season to season; there was no clearly defined plot structure; it was a free form series with more story arc dead ends than well constructed story telling of an epic tale.
The second comment reinforces that the characters were not whom they seem to represent, either in human form or as lost spirits trapped in a transitional world of the living and the dead. Many of the main characters brutally failed in their actions on the island, but still received a happy reunion in the after life sideways church. It would seem that failing together was better than failing alone.
For example, in the Season 2 episode, "The Hunting Party" Jack faces a major problem as he wakes to find a gun wielding Michael, who leaves to find Walt, who kidnapped by the Others. With the help of Locke and Sawyer, Jack heads out to bring Michael back before he is killed by the natives.
During this episode, the music playing in the Hatch was "Fall on Me", by Pousette-Dar Band.
The lyrics may be the clues:
Fall, fall on me
If you're gonna fall
fall on me
and if you're go'in down
hold on to me
I can see the sorrow in you're eyes
I can feel you're heart wondering why
If you're gonna fall,
fall on me
and if you're go'in down
hold on to me
Now you feel
you've lost all reason
can't face another day
when it's despair
it's just a season
that comes and goes away
If you're gonna fall
fall on me
and if you're go'in down
hold on to me
If you're go'in down
hold on to me
when you got a soul
that shines on
so much love can't help but turn mine on,
If you're gonna fall,
fall on me
and if you're go'in down
hold on to me
Fall, fall on me
Two things come to mind in reading the lyrics:
1) when a castaway like Michael loses all reason (his anger to get back his son), it is just another seasonal plot point that "comes and goes away."
2) the reference to "a soul" prequels death, but in Michael's case even Walt's love for him cannot turn his soul from a trapped whisper to the sideways world reunion.
The first comment reinforces that retrospective feeling for some that LOST had no continuity from season to season; there was no clearly defined plot structure; it was a free form series with more story arc dead ends than well constructed story telling of an epic tale.
The second comment reinforces that the characters were not whom they seem to represent, either in human form or as lost spirits trapped in a transitional world of the living and the dead. Many of the main characters brutally failed in their actions on the island, but still received a happy reunion in the after life sideways church. It would seem that failing together was better than failing alone.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
LEVELS OF DEATH
There is still a nagging question about the sideways purgatory stinger. First, it came out of left field and led many viewers to question the first season plane crash as being unsurvivable. Second, it clearly stated that all the characters were in fact dead, but some died long before and others long after Jack did. But Jack realized his death in the church before we saw him actually "die" on the island. Third, the story telling vehicle of flashbacks, flash forwards and leaps in time create an uncertainty of WHEN the characters "died."
If death is the ending, when did the characters actually die?
It is not as simple answer. For those who steadfastly believe that the characters survived the plane crash, then bear in mind in the scheme of LOST universe, the characters were "alive" in their own perception and interaction with people and objects in the sideways world. It was "real" to them, even though they did not realize it was not the Earth existence we know as life.
As such, there is no prohibition that this perception of a sideways "real" life could extend to the island world, or even to each character's flashback or background events. In other words, LOST may have been a show about death from the very beginning.
I speculated long ago that deep within the background stories of the main characters, there were chilling life and death moments which we were led to believe each character survived. But what if they did not?
No one knows what happens after death. Many cultures believe a human soul must travel through inter-dimensional portals to find paradise. Some religions believe a soul is judged in hell or the various levels of the underworld before it is cleansed or purged of its sins to be worthy for heaven.
The LOST universe could be a construction of various levels or stages of the after life. If during childhood, the main characters were killed by the accidents or traumatic events in their lives, then those child souls could have been given an opportunity to perceive or "live" a new life in a sideways world like existence. Those could be contained in the recent or adult flashbacks; illusions and dreams of children coming to "life." Once those souls ran their course in their first after life level, they were rounded up and boarded Flight 815 for the next level of spiritual attainment, the island. With themes like sacrifice, trust, redemption and judgment, the island is the ideal place for a religious component or a place where lost souls could get rid of regrets or selfish desires in order to move on to the next level of spiritual existence.
It is probably hard to imagine that the characters who boarded Flight 815 in Sydney were already dead. But it does make sense in reference to the season finale in the church. The characters died at different times in different places and they could not move on without finding each other. The whole series then did not have to follow Earth bound concepts of linear time, physics, time or any form of relativity because it was not of this planet.
Now, the show's creators and writers would dismiss this theory as nonsense because they continue to be adamant that the characters did not die in the plane crash. Again, it may be parsing words, but if they were already "dead" before the plane crash, then it would be true that they would not die in the conventional sense in the plane crash on the island.
For example, Locke's "miracle birth" aftermath was actually the beginning of his soul's first life in the after life. It would have been highly improbable that a premature baby injured in a car collision in rural America in the 1950s would have survived the trauma with limited medical technology. This theory is bolstered by the fact that an immortal, Richard Alpert, visited him in the hospital.
Jacob was then not recruiting human beings but lost souls who were given a second chance to live a normal (abet fantasy) life.
It would also explain why Michael, after he left the island, could not kill himself. Mr. Friendly told him that the island was not through with him; he had work to do. A supernatural place was affecting Michael's suicide attempts; therefore, off-island was also a realm of supernatural actions. They could be classified as one in the same. If the island was a place of death then so to would be the off-island.
And then there is the Aaron problem. How could he be "born" twice? He was "born" just as the series ended in the sideways purgatory where everyone present was already dead (but just not aware of it). Aaron was so born earlier on the island. How could that be when the island did not or could not allow births of babies (if the island is hell or the after life that makes sense: who can bring new human life in the after life that is made up solely of souls). So this gets the trace back to Claire and her auto accident which severely injured and ultimately killed her mother. It could have also killed herself and her baby, leading the moments after the accident her first stage in the after life. Since Aaron was never born, he was always a spirit in the show who would manifest himself when Claire needed him.
This levels of death theory tries to unify the various aspects of a disjointed story line under one single premise: death.
If death is the ending, when did the characters actually die?
It is not as simple answer. For those who steadfastly believe that the characters survived the plane crash, then bear in mind in the scheme of LOST universe, the characters were "alive" in their own perception and interaction with people and objects in the sideways world. It was "real" to them, even though they did not realize it was not the Earth existence we know as life.
As such, there is no prohibition that this perception of a sideways "real" life could extend to the island world, or even to each character's flashback or background events. In other words, LOST may have been a show about death from the very beginning.
No one knows what happens after death. Many cultures believe a human soul must travel through inter-dimensional portals to find paradise. Some religions believe a soul is judged in hell or the various levels of the underworld before it is cleansed or purged of its sins to be worthy for heaven.
The LOST universe could be a construction of various levels or stages of the after life. If during childhood, the main characters were killed by the accidents or traumatic events in their lives, then those child souls could have been given an opportunity to perceive or "live" a new life in a sideways world like existence. Those could be contained in the recent or adult flashbacks; illusions and dreams of children coming to "life." Once those souls ran their course in their first after life level, they were rounded up and boarded Flight 815 for the next level of spiritual attainment, the island. With themes like sacrifice, trust, redemption and judgment, the island is the ideal place for a religious component or a place where lost souls could get rid of regrets or selfish desires in order to move on to the next level of spiritual existence.
It is probably hard to imagine that the characters who boarded Flight 815 in Sydney were already dead. But it does make sense in reference to the season finale in the church. The characters died at different times in different places and they could not move on without finding each other. The whole series then did not have to follow Earth bound concepts of linear time, physics, time or any form of relativity because it was not of this planet.
Now, the show's creators and writers would dismiss this theory as nonsense because they continue to be adamant that the characters did not die in the plane crash. Again, it may be parsing words, but if they were already "dead" before the plane crash, then it would be true that they would not die in the conventional sense in the plane crash on the island.
For example, Locke's "miracle birth" aftermath was actually the beginning of his soul's first life in the after life. It would have been highly improbable that a premature baby injured in a car collision in rural America in the 1950s would have survived the trauma with limited medical technology. This theory is bolstered by the fact that an immortal, Richard Alpert, visited him in the hospital.
Jacob was then not recruiting human beings but lost souls who were given a second chance to live a normal (abet fantasy) life.
It would also explain why Michael, after he left the island, could not kill himself. Mr. Friendly told him that the island was not through with him; he had work to do. A supernatural place was affecting Michael's suicide attempts; therefore, off-island was also a realm of supernatural actions. They could be classified as one in the same. If the island was a place of death then so to would be the off-island.
And then there is the Aaron problem. How could he be "born" twice? He was "born" just as the series ended in the sideways purgatory where everyone present was already dead (but just not aware of it). Aaron was so born earlier on the island. How could that be when the island did not or could not allow births of babies (if the island is hell or the after life that makes sense: who can bring new human life in the after life that is made up solely of souls). So this gets the trace back to Claire and her auto accident which severely injured and ultimately killed her mother. It could have also killed herself and her baby, leading the moments after the accident her first stage in the after life. Since Aaron was never born, he was always a spirit in the show who would manifest himself when Claire needed him.
This levels of death theory tries to unify the various aspects of a disjointed story line under one single premise: death.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
THE TOLL
A new clue opens this discussion of the big premise.
"We Sin Toll."
It is an anagram. TPTB loved to put anagram Easter eggs throughout the series.
We can all agree that Flight 815 was the biggest piece of the puzzle. It was of critical importance because those 324 people on board were either destined, kidnapped, trapped or caught by the island.
There were great pushes and pulls to get the main characters on that flight. Sun was supposed to leave Jin at the airport to flee her marriage, but relented at the end. Hurley rushed through the terminal and barely got on board. Sayid was not supposed to be on the flight at all, but he made a last minute change to stay a day to bury a friend that he had betrayed. It was more than just coincidence that the passenger manifest turned into cherry picking candidates for Jacob's lighthouse.
Jacob said that he had spied his candidates from the island. He knew about them. He had gone to see them. He touched them. He found each of them to have a common trait: a miserable life like his own. That is why he brought them to the island.
The question is whether Jacob manipulated each candidate or gave them the free will option to follow him. It would seem that Jacob had power over them and supernatural powers to get them to the island.
In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon is the ferryman of Hades who carries the souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay for passage was sometimes placed in or on the mouth of a dead person. Some authors say that those who could not pay the fee, or those whose bodies were left unburied, had to wander the shores for one hundred years (which may explain the island "whispers," trapped spirits who cannot move on.)
It is possible that Jacob was Charon, the ferryman who directed souls toward their after life journey.
Which brings us back to the new anagram.
There was always a question on where Jack was seated on the plane. There was confusion of whether it was Seat 23 A, 23 B or just before the crash, 23 C. In the plane scenes, there was no one seated next to Jack. However, during the eulogy at the memorial service for the dead passengers (Claire using the passenger manifest), Harold Wollstein was named as the person who was seated in 23 C.
We never saw Wollstein, in person or his body in the wreckage. However, the anagram for "Wollstein" is "We Sin Toll."
Was he, or better yet, Seat 23 C, the trigger for the ferry ride to the after life? In a plane load of sinners, was Jack marked to be the "toll" for everyone who "survived" the crash to begin their journey through the levels of the underworld to arrive in their sideways after life? In order for anyone associated with Jack to have a chance for a happy ending in heaven, Jack had to sacrifice himself on their behalf. Is that why Jack was last to awaken? Is that why Jack had no other life after MIB's defeat (like we presume Sawyer, Claire, Kate, Miles and Frank did after they left the island)?
If you believe in the big premise that the passengers died in the plane crash, but "lived" on in the underworld called the island, then Jack's "destiny" to become the island guardian and to save his friends souls would all be tied back to Jack being on Flight 815, and in the seat of from which "the devil" (as Jacob was called by MIB) extracted his toll.
"We Sin Toll."
It is an anagram. TPTB loved to put anagram Easter eggs throughout the series.
We can all agree that Flight 815 was the biggest piece of the puzzle. It was of critical importance because those 324 people on board were either destined, kidnapped, trapped or caught by the island.
There were great pushes and pulls to get the main characters on that flight. Sun was supposed to leave Jin at the airport to flee her marriage, but relented at the end. Hurley rushed through the terminal and barely got on board. Sayid was not supposed to be on the flight at all, but he made a last minute change to stay a day to bury a friend that he had betrayed. It was more than just coincidence that the passenger manifest turned into cherry picking candidates for Jacob's lighthouse.
Jacob said that he had spied his candidates from the island. He knew about them. He had gone to see them. He touched them. He found each of them to have a common trait: a miserable life like his own. That is why he brought them to the island.
The question is whether Jacob manipulated each candidate or gave them the free will option to follow him. It would seem that Jacob had power over them and supernatural powers to get them to the island.
In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon is the ferryman of Hades who carries the souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay for passage was sometimes placed in or on the mouth of a dead person. Some authors say that those who could not pay the fee, or those whose bodies were left unburied, had to wander the shores for one hundred years (which may explain the island "whispers," trapped spirits who cannot move on.)
It is possible that Jacob was Charon, the ferryman who directed souls toward their after life journey.
Which brings us back to the new anagram.
There was always a question on where Jack was seated on the plane. There was confusion of whether it was Seat 23 A, 23 B or just before the crash, 23 C. In the plane scenes, there was no one seated next to Jack. However, during the eulogy at the memorial service for the dead passengers (Claire using the passenger manifest), Harold Wollstein was named as the person who was seated in 23 C.
We never saw Wollstein, in person or his body in the wreckage. However, the anagram for "Wollstein" is "We Sin Toll."
Was he, or better yet, Seat 23 C, the trigger for the ferry ride to the after life? In a plane load of sinners, was Jack marked to be the "toll" for everyone who "survived" the crash to begin their journey through the levels of the underworld to arrive in their sideways after life? In order for anyone associated with Jack to have a chance for a happy ending in heaven, Jack had to sacrifice himself on their behalf. Is that why Jack was last to awaken? Is that why Jack had no other life after MIB's defeat (like we presume Sawyer, Claire, Kate, Miles and Frank did after they left the island)?
If you believe in the big premise that the passengers died in the plane crash, but "lived" on in the underworld called the island, then Jack's "destiny" to become the island guardian and to save his friends souls would all be tied back to Jack being on Flight 815, and in the seat of from which "the devil" (as Jacob was called by MIB) extracted his toll.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
WORK OUT
If you ever have worked in a shipping/receiving department for a factory or warehouse, you know that it can be quite a tedious job. It is repetitive. It does not challenge workers on an intellectual level. You process boxes, sort them, post them, and ship them out. Hour after hour; day after day; week after week, etc.
So what if this concept is overlaid onto the LOST story?
What if Jacob and his brother (some reports thought he was to be called "Saul") are merely shipping/receiving workers but instead of handling parcels they handle "bad souls?"
There was a constant stream of "visitors" that come to the island. From what we have learned, most of the visitors came to the island for some "special" purpose, but MIB said they lost their way and "corrupted" the system. What system?
If the characters coming to the island were lost souls seeking redemption, the island is the sorting facility to determine whether they should be accepted and move on to heaven or be rejected and destroyed by the island.
The concept would simplify the story lines.
The main characters all came to the island with troubled pasts, infidelities, sins, crimes and personal issues. If the island was to test their inner resolve to see if they could be reclaimed by a higher entity (god), then the taskmasters would be Jacob and MIB.
Jacob and MIB would be devilish minions working in the after life. Their job was to determine whether a person's soul had enough qualities to be saved. In order to make that determination, Jacob and MIB put those souls through a series of tests which mirrored their prior back stories to determine whether those dead souls could change. Change would be the key to salvation.
But after thousands of years, Jacob and MIB got bored with routine soul searching and devised a more elaborate system. Some of it involved cult worship; some of it involved horror and power struggles. Instead of change for salvation, the motivation to release souls to the after life plane was to see if the mere human souls could outsmart, outwit and outplay their superiors (which is very Survivor like). Those who played the game very poorly turned into whispers (trapped spirits). Those who played the game so-so turned into the Others, fodder for the next group of souls. Those who actually defeated Jacob and MIB got their release to the other side.
So what if this concept is overlaid onto the LOST story?
What if Jacob and his brother (some reports thought he was to be called "Saul") are merely shipping/receiving workers but instead of handling parcels they handle "bad souls?"
There was a constant stream of "visitors" that come to the island. From what we have learned, most of the visitors came to the island for some "special" purpose, but MIB said they lost their way and "corrupted" the system. What system?
If the characters coming to the island were lost souls seeking redemption, the island is the sorting facility to determine whether they should be accepted and move on to heaven or be rejected and destroyed by the island.
The concept would simplify the story lines.
The main characters all came to the island with troubled pasts, infidelities, sins, crimes and personal issues. If the island was to test their inner resolve to see if they could be reclaimed by a higher entity (god), then the taskmasters would be Jacob and MIB.
Jacob and MIB would be devilish minions working in the after life. Their job was to determine whether a person's soul had enough qualities to be saved. In order to make that determination, Jacob and MIB put those souls through a series of tests which mirrored their prior back stories to determine whether those dead souls could change. Change would be the key to salvation.
But after thousands of years, Jacob and MIB got bored with routine soul searching and devised a more elaborate system. Some of it involved cult worship; some of it involved horror and power struggles. Instead of change for salvation, the motivation to release souls to the after life plane was to see if the mere human souls could outsmart, outwit and outplay their superiors (which is very Survivor like). Those who played the game very poorly turned into whispers (trapped spirits). Those who played the game so-so turned into the Others, fodder for the next group of souls. Those who actually defeated Jacob and MIB got their release to the other side.
Monday, September 16, 2013
SOUL CONCEPT
In the trailer for the new Italian animated film, The Art of Happiness, it is postulated that there are only a finite number of human souls. Souls are then recycled in a seemingly endless array of new lives. It is inferred that perhaps those recycled souls begin to retain some of their past lives, which in a cumulative affect, would drive a person mad.
If that is the premise of the movie, it is an interesting, concise and clear story line anyone could follow. It adds an element that our organic bodies, which are bio-chemical machines, are just that - - - machines. It is the spiritual soul that is the actual "living" intellectual being that runs the human machine.
Bill Murray became intellectually and emotionally greater in Groundhog Day by the mere fact that he repeated the same day over and over again; the premise that time stood still for him drove him to the depths of madness until he came to terms with his plight.
LOST had its own seemingly immortal characters in the same perplexing situation of being an endless stream trapped in time and place.
Jacob is the prime example. He appeared to be the longest living resident on the island. He came ashore in vitro to be born on the island during the ancient Roman period. He and his brother lived into early adulthood, until Jacob caused his brother's death. As a result, Jacob spent thousands of years alone on the island - - - haunted by the smoke monster who took the appearance of his dead brother.
Jacob's and MIB's presence on the island was locked in stone. It had to drawn them into forms of cruel madness. Jacob wanted desperately to give up his guardianship position so he brought human souls to the island. MIB only wanted to leave the island - - - escape its bonds. But through the centuries they could never achieve any of their goals. The situation always turned sour ("corrupted") and they would have to start again.
For some reason, Alpert was spared the wrath of MIB. He became Jacob's immortal liaison to the people brought to the island. Jacob would influence the visitors indirectly in order to find his replacement. MIB on the other hand did not want Jacob to achieve his goal, so he recruited the same visitors to sabotage Jacob's plan. MIB recruited Alpert to kill Jacob, but Jacob turned Alpert to his camp.
Alpert was another person trapped on the island via immortality. He spent centuries in the service of Jacob, watching people come to the island and perish. It is strange that Alpert was allowed to leave the island to recruit for Ben. Alpert always returned to the island. He never thought of escaping it. He was the one former human who knew the powers of the island first hand - - - because he never aged a day because of the island. Alpert never got a promotion for his service. He was always a messenger.
It was only after his contact with the 815 survivors that he found some desire to move on from his plight in the island.
One of the mysteries unanswered is what ever happened to Jacob, MIB or Alpert. Were they trapped human souls on a purgatory island? Were they always supernatural spirits whose sole purpose was to direct human souls in the after life? Or were they trapped in a direct but personal time warp? Or did their troubled souls get recycled into the sideways world?
If that is the premise of the movie, it is an interesting, concise and clear story line anyone could follow. It adds an element that our organic bodies, which are bio-chemical machines, are just that - - - machines. It is the spiritual soul that is the actual "living" intellectual being that runs the human machine.
Bill Murray became intellectually and emotionally greater in Groundhog Day by the mere fact that he repeated the same day over and over again; the premise that time stood still for him drove him to the depths of madness until he came to terms with his plight.
LOST had its own seemingly immortal characters in the same perplexing situation of being an endless stream trapped in time and place.
Jacob is the prime example. He appeared to be the longest living resident on the island. He came ashore in vitro to be born on the island during the ancient Roman period. He and his brother lived into early adulthood, until Jacob caused his brother's death. As a result, Jacob spent thousands of years alone on the island - - - haunted by the smoke monster who took the appearance of his dead brother.
Jacob's and MIB's presence on the island was locked in stone. It had to drawn them into forms of cruel madness. Jacob wanted desperately to give up his guardianship position so he brought human souls to the island. MIB only wanted to leave the island - - - escape its bonds. But through the centuries they could never achieve any of their goals. The situation always turned sour ("corrupted") and they would have to start again.
For some reason, Alpert was spared the wrath of MIB. He became Jacob's immortal liaison to the people brought to the island. Jacob would influence the visitors indirectly in order to find his replacement. MIB on the other hand did not want Jacob to achieve his goal, so he recruited the same visitors to sabotage Jacob's plan. MIB recruited Alpert to kill Jacob, but Jacob turned Alpert to his camp.
Alpert was another person trapped on the island via immortality. He spent centuries in the service of Jacob, watching people come to the island and perish. It is strange that Alpert was allowed to leave the island to recruit for Ben. Alpert always returned to the island. He never thought of escaping it. He was the one former human who knew the powers of the island first hand - - - because he never aged a day because of the island. Alpert never got a promotion for his service. He was always a messenger.
It was only after his contact with the 815 survivors that he found some desire to move on from his plight in the island.
One of the mysteries unanswered is what ever happened to Jacob, MIB or Alpert. Were they trapped human souls on a purgatory island? Were they always supernatural spirits whose sole purpose was to direct human souls in the after life? Or were they trapped in a direct but personal time warp? Or did their troubled souls get recycled into the sideways world?
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