I was thinking about the whole incident and at first it made no sense to me that they were still going to push the button or at least Eko is still going to.
Well I thought about it some more and it came to me why this is part of a test.
What if them finding the Pearl hatch is part of the test. The test to see if even they knew the supposed truth if they are the faithful that the island (or whoever is providing these dreams) is searching for.
The true test of faith is when someone is presented with seemingly factual evidence that disproves their faith but they remain faithful. Faith is something intangible and goes beyond what you can see with your own eyes and is often contradicted by what seems to be reality. It would be like those that are presented with the scientific evidence of the similarities between men and primates but they still deny evolution and believe in creation.
So I think it is part of the test. Them finding of the Pearl is part of it and maybe it's a test of someone or something beyond Dharma and not part of the Dharma test. I do think there is something bigger than them at work here.
So I think it is part of the test. Them finding of the Pearl is part of it and maybe it's a test of someone or something beyond Dharma and not part of the Dharma test. I do think there is something bigger than them at work here.
I rarely post....gotta' say that I agree with what you're saying here. IMO the island has been a host for "something" that's been around for a long time. One of the creators of the show (not sure of which one) said that they wanted the island, itself, to be a character too. Yes, I think that this goes way beyond Dharma.
I would have been like Locke if that had happened to me. I would have been angry that I had been tricked. I guess I am just not the spiritual type. Ecko's take on the whole thing just seemed kind of odd to me.
Eko's take on the button is very much like religion. No matter what the facts are, no matter what common sense tells you, blindly follow a belief no matter what.
I think it's possible that Dharma is recruiting people for some type of army/cult or something of that nature. They are trying to find people that are easy to brainwash. The easiest people to brainwash are those that will have blind faith no matter what knowledge they gain that disproves their beliefs. (Pushing a button even though the whole concept does not make sense AND after you have watched a video telling you the whole thing is just a psychological experiment.)
Once they find someone that DOES do this (keep pushing the button, or whatever that station's task is), they send someone to go get this person. This is why Henry was sent to get Locke. Now that Locke has lost his faith in the button, maybe they will come after Eko.
This would also make sense as to why they want children. Children can almost always be brainwashed to believe a certain set of beliefs.
I just still don't get why Eko turned into First Season Locke.
I think first season for Locke to regain the use of his legs made him a man of faith and for Ecko like he said to watch his brother die and take his brothers place as a priest only to have that job lead him to a remote island where his brother's dead body ended up caused Ecko to thinka greater power must have planned this. Especially after the girl who came back told him what she did and don't forget the dream. I think all that would have an impact on anyone.
I think first season for Locke to regain the use of his legs made him a man of faith and for Ecko like he said to watch his brother die and take his brothers place as a priest only to have that job lead him to a remote island where his brother's dead body ended up caused Ecko to thinka greater power must have planned this. Especially after the girl who came back told him what she did and don't forget the dream. I think all that would have an impact on anyone.
I agree with what you said about Eko believing in a "greater power." I think many people who are deeply religious claim that they have seen "God's plan" through some experience that somehow made it clear to them, and this changed their lives. This fits Eko's explanation to Locke about coming to the island.
It seems Eko was a priest (well, after trying to bully his brother into making him one for nefarious purposes, if I remember correctly) solely to take his brother's place, to carry on for him, but without truly having faith (as he said he didn't believe the drowning girl's mother). Now that he's had this experience on the island with his brother, he believes there is something bigger. When he found his brother's body, Eko (I think) takes his crucifix necklace and places it around his neck, symbolically taking on faith. Since then, he's been carving scripture in his stick and building a church. Watching the Pearl video doesn't shake him, despite the fact that it directly conflicts with his beliefs about why they are there. He still sees a larger "plan."
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