316 put this whole show together for me: here's my take thus far

[BigBlueXLII]

Trying to come up with a sequence of events type breakdown of LOST would be impossible for me, there’s just far too much information. However, I will do my best to hit all the most critical events. I’ve been a fan of this show since the beginning, and for those of you who have seen every episode multiple times, I think you’ll enjoy this.

The Island in LOST isn’t an island at all. It is in fact a manifestation of the human consciousness. The events surrounding it are quite literally the battle between light and dark, black and white, good vs. evil. The approaching event however is the most significant, the one that conditions have been set in motion to create. I believe the event that this is all leading up to be is (drum roll) the “second coming.”

Every faith and religion in the world has texts that reference a savior who has attained a higher level of consciousness. The theme in this last episode, "316", was basically trying to create previously recorded conditions to reproduce an identical outcome. They use it to explain how the Oceanic 6 will get back to the island, but as with many things on this show; I take it as having a larger significance to figuring out the big picture. The conditions leading up to the coming of the “savior type” are exactly what the good side is trying to recreate, and the island is the only place where that can happen. The consciousness is the only place where a true “savior” can be born.

As far as which character is going to turn out to be “Jesus”, I gotta go with John Locke. We never really learned who Locke’s father was, but his mother does say that he was immaculately conceived….Again this last episode was named “316”. John 316: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The note that John wrote to Jack whom we finally see him read right before they go back said… “I wish you had believed in me.” John Locke has always been the one being tested, having to overcome his crisis of faith, his abusive father figure, being paralyzed, being shot. Locke tells Sawyer when asked about changing the past, that he needed that pain. Those experiences are what molded John into what he needed to be, and then the only thing left for him to do was die in order to save everyone else. As Christian Sheppard tells him, “I guess that’s why they call it sacrifice”. That was the final experience he needed to have in order to overcome any fears he might have left. And now he’s being brought back to the island to be reincarnated….hmm…

As far as the island itself goes, it seems that different aspects of the consciousness are represented as actual things on the island. The Temple is the most significant, representing the higher self, and as Ben states, it is a sanctuary. The Temple is guarded by the shadow monster in the show, a symbolic reference for the shadow of your consciousness. If you want to reach the Temple, you have to face your shadow. Those who face their shadow and pass the test “appear” to die on the island, but in fact their consciousness is just sent to The Temple. I think this is also true for people who are already at the higher level but get killed by other circumstances. They aren’t dead, they’ve just reached a higher level of consciousness, such as Charlie, Echo, Anna Lucia, Libby…that is why they can appear to people off the island and help them. If however, you face your shadow and do not pass the test, you become “sick” as Danielle describes it, and basically try to kill everyone who is an outsider. The Looking Glass is another station on the island, which I believe is used to look through time, instead of you physically making the trip. I believe once Ben took over, he used it for his own manipulative purposes, as in one of the episodes, he admits to lying to his people about having shut it down.

Now, I believe The Dharma Initiative started out with good intentions, but Ben’s story is critical to what happens to them. Ben’s mother died at birth, and for his entire life, his father blamed him for it. He took all his problems out on Ben, and basically scarred him emotionally and psychologically. This is one of the biggest themes in all of the characters development in the show, people overcoming their issues caused by abusive parents and childhood traumas. He thought the Dharma Initiative was evil because of his father, so he grows up and kills them and takes over. I do believe Ben is on his own side, but is more inclined to helping the Losties now, although we’ll have to wait and see exactly how he got all jacked up... Desmond seems to be the only wildcard that Ben can’t predict though. Desmond is the key precisely for that reason; he is an x-factor, an unpredictable element in the equation. He is the one that brings Oceanic 815 to the island, and Ben didn’t plan for it. Mrs. Hawking however, knew about Desmond, knew what he was going to have to do, and convinced him to give up proposing to Penny in order to save the world. She is far more powerful than Ben, and is on the side of good, and apparently Charles Widmore. This is why Daniel Farady tells Desmond to find her, because he knows she’s the only one that can do anything about it from the outside. And I’m quite sure that Mrs. Hawking is a direct reference to Stephen Hawking, which would explain how she knows so much about time travel and consciousness. People arriving on the island who weren’t invited apparently has major effects on the course of events, and that’s exactly what Desmond did by crashing 815, he creates unpredictable situations that Ben is not prepared for. Ben gets detailed files on everyone, and uses their emotional issues to manipulate them into doing things. Desmond seems to have figured it out, check out his lines in “316”.

Again, I know this isn’t in any sort of order, but it’s kinda hard to think chronologically in a show with time travel J Anyway, that’s all I can handle for now, this stuff makes my brain hurt. Feel free to correct any mistakes I’ve made.

[Labbies4Vincent]

Your posting pretty much paralleled my own LOST concept summary, which I tend to write for my own benefit after each show. Awesome, I enjoyed your ideas.

[Another Other]

Not quite sure if I can buy into the idea that the show is about the Second Coming so much as it is about the end of the world. Now, they both involve a savior, but I don't find John Locke to be as much of a religious figure as he is an archetypical figure. But who knows... we'll have to wait and see on that.

One thing you just made me realize, however, is that Locke has been confirmed dead for approximately 3 days. Now, he very well may have been dead for about a week or so given the obituary being written up.. but that -could- have feasibly been done the same day as his death I suppose. If you follow Biblical parallels, you'll see that John Locke's sacrificial death and apparent soon-to-come resurrection (if the preview is to be believed) are very close to a 3-day time window. Eloise Hawking specifically told Ben that he had 70 hours to find them all. Why 70? Perhaps it wasn't just that they had to catch that specific flight as it was that John Locke could only be brought back to life within that time table. He essentially died to save others and will (hopefully) rise again in three days. Very fascinating parallel.

[BigBlueXLII]

Nice catch on the 3 day thing, didn't even see that, and I totally agree. Apparently the rules of reincarnation do have a 72 hour time window, otherwise the soul has to start over again as a baby?

[meddy]

Bigblue, - WOW! I like the way you put all of this together! (Especially because I am a HUGE Locke fan ).

[BigBlueXLII]

Thanks Meddy, I'm pretty sure other people had some of the same ideas, it's just hard to exlpain this stuff on the internet lol. I mean come one, it's taking professional writers 6 seasons of hour long episodes with a bajillion dollar budget to tell it properly

[Michaud]

Great job, BigBlue. I think I'd struggle to fit my theory into a single post. Very interesting indeed.

Originally Posted by Another Other

Not quite sure if I can buy into the idea that the show is about the Second Coming so much as it is about the end of the world. Now, they both involve a savior, but I don't find John Locke to be as much of a religious figure as he is an archetypical figure. But who knows... we'll have to wait and see on tha

There seem to be so many references within Lost to both the Gospels and Revelation, as well as many other biblical texts, that they could be trying both at the same time. The resurrection of Locke as the Second Coming.

Peace
M

[Ash_1200]

Its an interesting theory Big. I find a second coming as such possibly to big a concept to wrap my mind around. While I agree the religous tones and themes completely saturate the show, with current events and stories yet to be told I would be more inclined to believe the story of our castaways will end up in the hands of someone very very far back in the past and possibly translated into what we now call the bible.

Who knows, but it seems we will see lots of tinkering in the past from here on out that will solve the mysteries of what weve seen so far i.e the things the tailies find in that cave, missing hatch reel, blanket, book of law and eye...the mural possibly.

The implications of thier story being translated into our modern day bible as an end game would play out to be an incredibly huge part of our lives as we all know just how much our present day is affected by religion. For one thing to happen differently would have worldwide impact in ways noone could comprehend.

I wonder who, what, where the Devil is in all of this.

[BigBlueXLII]

Thanks Mich, I am also of the opinion that the prevailing storyline will have elements of multiple religions and philosophies. Reason being, if you were gonna get the story right, you would have to take bits and pieces from everyone, because as we can all agree, no one religion or philosophy has gotten it completely right on their own. You also have to account for different vantage points, two people can be standing right next to each other and give completely different descriptions of what they just saw, ESPECIALLY if it's something that can't be explained by conventional logic.

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bump for mroe feedback

[Devera]

You might want to check out Life of John (is Locke the messiah)? thread by BlackLotus. It's been around since 2007 and has been really watching this imagery in the show, especially in relation to Locke. (I personally think Locke is more of a John the Baptist figure, a messenger before the arrival of the chosen one, but we shall see what happens in the end). There is Christ imagery associated with most of our male LOST characters, and almost all the females have been associated with madonna imagery.