SMMinke
09-21-05, 05:32 PM
This theory is basically a “Unified” theory that attempts to describe what I think is going on in LOST. However, I also hope to have people question parts of it in the hopes that I can modifiy it as things are pointed out that disprove any part of it. I also ask more questions that I think are interesting. I just basically like to talk about the show and LOVE exploring different theories and “what-ifs”. The following IS a long post—but I honestly think we are dealing with a 6-season or more show here so I think it’s appropriate.
I believe that each of these characters are in fact meeting former and future "versions" of themselves. Remember that when I say "versions", that doesn't imply that the folks will look the same. Instead, I still think it's a soul-in-a-different package thing. I totally thought that Jack and Kate had found themselves in the cave, so this is just building on that. All of these little "Trinkets" that the show brings forth of course have some intrinsic value and are emphasized for a reason. The airplane that Kate HAD to have, the "time Capsule" that her and the guy buried-- which Kate will undoubtedly come across again in a place that she never expected to see it, the black and white stones, etc. Who was the skeleton that SAWYER and Kate found when they went swimming? Sawyer? Does he lose Kate to Jack and end up in the very place that holds some emotional value to the relationship that he and Kate share?
I'm still one of the theorizers from way back who believe in a religious undercurrent in this show (and not just Christianity but all religions). The simple fact that the number can be manipulated to get "666" is no coincidence, IMHO. You take the set of numbers 4, 8,15, 16, 23, 42 and add 4+8+15+16+23 to get 66. Now separate 42 to get 4+2= 6. The numbers are the glue that holds all of this together-- and I wouldn't discount "Matrix" theories either-- where each of these characters exist in different planes and in different ways. It's almost as if someone took those movies and said, "Wow, they were really close to something really theologically cool-- let's see if I can straighten it out for them and wrap it all up in a neater bow with an island package.". Metaphysically, my theory is basically that all of these "Lost Souls" are having to go through a repetitive cycle until the reach their personal absolution
Bears repeating that the "God in the Machine" is one of the episode's title and also of course the title of a chapter in Sawyer's book "Watership Down" -- a book I've read many times that basically deals with the internal fabric of society that seems to be a key player in this show. In that book, the rabbits are basically leaving their former lives based on a premonition by one of the rabbits who has a “foresight” ability. They basically end up attempting to find “Utopia”. They quickly realize that politics and perceptions are different in every Warren (rabbit den) they visit. In one instance, there is even an instance of the female rabbits being lured away from the group because the female rabbits that existed in that warren are now barren due to pestisides. In another, “religion” has turned the warren into a cult in which the rabbhits are complacent and trust the leadership to make all of the decisions. No one gets anything done and they just live out their lives and die with no real motivation. In another, the rabbits have established a “military” society. As the rabbits continue on their journey, they end up picking up rabbits from each warren they visit. Ultimately, they build their own Warren while having learned the lesson that Utopia is not only unattainable but also undesirable.
So, are the “Others” actively seeking out fertile females (pregnancy after all is proof of that!) so that they can continue their society? Mix that with Sawyer's "Wrinkle in Time" book and you have a really good start to piecing this all together. In that book, we deal with alternate realities with the wrinkles in time referring to they way time folds in on itself to create tangential points that allow one time plane to intersect with another. Finally, since books seem to be “clues”—are you telling me that there were no Bibles on board the plane? Have they already revealed one that I don’t know about?
Don't neglect the parallels to biblical characters here. Like Moses striking the rock with his staff, Locke struck the hatch rather than “having faith” that the island would provide. In the bible, that cost Moses his chance to enter the “promised land”. Will it cost Locke in a similar way? On another biblical note, is Aaron basically going to be a Christ-figure—or is that Walt? For that matter, is Walt the “God” here after all is said and done. Is he unknowingly affecting everything and everyone and their lives. Is he the magnet that drew them all to the same place for their final reckoning?
I also still think that as I mentioned back before the season finale-- the machine in the hatch can control many things, from time to the level of the WATER around the island. Those velocity vectors on those maps looked like tidal current mapping. It made me think that the tides would in fact make escape from the island via boat all but impossible.
The maps that Said laid out and tried to connect are different because either they reflect a time-shift, time lapse, or both. Also, maybe the water levels and currents were different and we are actually looking at the same island from three different perspectives. This may be why the ship called the "Black Rock" looked like an actual small black rock in the middle of the bay on one of the maps. The notation on the map could have just reference where that ship either went down after hitting the rock in the map or was beached when the water level was changed or changed over time.
Let's go back to the cable that is running into the sea. This MIGHT support the "3-Island Concept even more as the cable might connect similar hatches on the other islands. Maybe it’s an anchor cable to keep the island in place or to “reel” it in?
How unexpected would it be if we find ourselves down in the hatch and maybe even underwater during the start of the next season? I have a feeling that perspective is going to be a major player here as well. It's typically what you use to fool people and trick them into thinking one thing when they would maybe think another if they could JUST see a bigger picture! I know that Hawaii has a vast system of underground tunnels so I expect a system of tunnels to be down the hatch. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the part of the structure that they unearthed is actually the top of a tall tower in a structure that used to be “above-ground”.
For instance, everyone seems to have thought that what we saw in the hatch was a giant ladder leading WAY down in the gound. This show seems to be all about your PERCEPTION of what’s going on and taking that and turning it on its ear. So when I posted way back that I suspected that while the losties are thinking that they are trying to open the hatch to get “in” something— they may actually be “escaping” something that they were already “in”. So maybe they have been quarantined?
Will this whole thing be that they were in a world that has been “generated” and run by the machine/machines? Can the machines control the weather as well as the tidal currents? Can the water level of the island or islands be manipulated? Just as the compass doesn’t work correctly—does time itself work on the same scale? All good questions. Does it not sound as if a machine is “powering up” when exiting from each commercial break and “powering down” when we enter one and when each episode ends?
Make no mistake, I think that the show’s very title of “Lost” is misleading on purpose. Just like the movie “Castaway” was actually referring not to the idea that he was a castaway, but rather that his former life was the castaway.
I can see this whole series ending by starting on a central character's "eye" and
zooming OUT so that we see the physical layout of the islands OR islands. So that the point is made that everything is “in the eye of the beholder”. That would be a dramatic way of tying it all together without saying a word!
So, basically-- I think that the references to "balance" and yin&yang (also reflected in the juxtaposition of characters like Jack and Sawyer) mean that everything on this island is repeating itself through different physical means. When I saw the title of the next episode (Man of Science, Man of Faith), I was encouraged that I’m on the right track. "The Machine" is on a simple level simply providing a means-to-an-end to sort "good souls" from "bad souls".
Those numbers will continue to be the glue that holds everything together. The numbers are the means that the machine uses to control the characters souls both on and off the island in a giant simulation in which perceptions, geography, science, faith, and even time itself is variable. I think the show is basically heading towards a version of “The Meaning of Life”, making the key questions of "Where are We?" and "Why are We Here?" that much more relevant!
A noble but complicate task, to be sure. Basically, everything that we take for granted will be explored over the 6 seasons or so that this show will be on the air. I truly think it will take at least that long to hash out everything. My only hope is that at the end of the series, things make sense and it’s every bit as complicated as we hope it is!
Everyone ready for tonight? I’m sure they’ll throw something at me to get me all turned around and frustrated again! What fun!
I believe that each of these characters are in fact meeting former and future "versions" of themselves. Remember that when I say "versions", that doesn't imply that the folks will look the same. Instead, I still think it's a soul-in-a-different package thing. I totally thought that Jack and Kate had found themselves in the cave, so this is just building on that. All of these little "Trinkets" that the show brings forth of course have some intrinsic value and are emphasized for a reason. The airplane that Kate HAD to have, the "time Capsule" that her and the guy buried-- which Kate will undoubtedly come across again in a place that she never expected to see it, the black and white stones, etc. Who was the skeleton that SAWYER and Kate found when they went swimming? Sawyer? Does he lose Kate to Jack and end up in the very place that holds some emotional value to the relationship that he and Kate share?
I'm still one of the theorizers from way back who believe in a religious undercurrent in this show (and not just Christianity but all religions). The simple fact that the number can be manipulated to get "666" is no coincidence, IMHO. You take the set of numbers 4, 8,15, 16, 23, 42 and add 4+8+15+16+23 to get 66. Now separate 42 to get 4+2= 6. The numbers are the glue that holds all of this together-- and I wouldn't discount "Matrix" theories either-- where each of these characters exist in different planes and in different ways. It's almost as if someone took those movies and said, "Wow, they were really close to something really theologically cool-- let's see if I can straighten it out for them and wrap it all up in a neater bow with an island package.". Metaphysically, my theory is basically that all of these "Lost Souls" are having to go through a repetitive cycle until the reach their personal absolution
Bears repeating that the "God in the Machine" is one of the episode's title and also of course the title of a chapter in Sawyer's book "Watership Down" -- a book I've read many times that basically deals with the internal fabric of society that seems to be a key player in this show. In that book, the rabbits are basically leaving their former lives based on a premonition by one of the rabbits who has a “foresight” ability. They basically end up attempting to find “Utopia”. They quickly realize that politics and perceptions are different in every Warren (rabbit den) they visit. In one instance, there is even an instance of the female rabbits being lured away from the group because the female rabbits that existed in that warren are now barren due to pestisides. In another, “religion” has turned the warren into a cult in which the rabbhits are complacent and trust the leadership to make all of the decisions. No one gets anything done and they just live out their lives and die with no real motivation. In another, the rabbits have established a “military” society. As the rabbits continue on their journey, they end up picking up rabbits from each warren they visit. Ultimately, they build their own Warren while having learned the lesson that Utopia is not only unattainable but also undesirable.
So, are the “Others” actively seeking out fertile females (pregnancy after all is proof of that!) so that they can continue their society? Mix that with Sawyer's "Wrinkle in Time" book and you have a really good start to piecing this all together. In that book, we deal with alternate realities with the wrinkles in time referring to they way time folds in on itself to create tangential points that allow one time plane to intersect with another. Finally, since books seem to be “clues”—are you telling me that there were no Bibles on board the plane? Have they already revealed one that I don’t know about?
Don't neglect the parallels to biblical characters here. Like Moses striking the rock with his staff, Locke struck the hatch rather than “having faith” that the island would provide. In the bible, that cost Moses his chance to enter the “promised land”. Will it cost Locke in a similar way? On another biblical note, is Aaron basically going to be a Christ-figure—or is that Walt? For that matter, is Walt the “God” here after all is said and done. Is he unknowingly affecting everything and everyone and their lives. Is he the magnet that drew them all to the same place for their final reckoning?
I also still think that as I mentioned back before the season finale-- the machine in the hatch can control many things, from time to the level of the WATER around the island. Those velocity vectors on those maps looked like tidal current mapping. It made me think that the tides would in fact make escape from the island via boat all but impossible.
The maps that Said laid out and tried to connect are different because either they reflect a time-shift, time lapse, or both. Also, maybe the water levels and currents were different and we are actually looking at the same island from three different perspectives. This may be why the ship called the "Black Rock" looked like an actual small black rock in the middle of the bay on one of the maps. The notation on the map could have just reference where that ship either went down after hitting the rock in the map or was beached when the water level was changed or changed over time.
Let's go back to the cable that is running into the sea. This MIGHT support the "3-Island Concept even more as the cable might connect similar hatches on the other islands. Maybe it’s an anchor cable to keep the island in place or to “reel” it in?
How unexpected would it be if we find ourselves down in the hatch and maybe even underwater during the start of the next season? I have a feeling that perspective is going to be a major player here as well. It's typically what you use to fool people and trick them into thinking one thing when they would maybe think another if they could JUST see a bigger picture! I know that Hawaii has a vast system of underground tunnels so I expect a system of tunnels to be down the hatch. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the part of the structure that they unearthed is actually the top of a tall tower in a structure that used to be “above-ground”.
For instance, everyone seems to have thought that what we saw in the hatch was a giant ladder leading WAY down in the gound. This show seems to be all about your PERCEPTION of what’s going on and taking that and turning it on its ear. So when I posted way back that I suspected that while the losties are thinking that they are trying to open the hatch to get “in” something— they may actually be “escaping” something that they were already “in”. So maybe they have been quarantined?
Will this whole thing be that they were in a world that has been “generated” and run by the machine/machines? Can the machines control the weather as well as the tidal currents? Can the water level of the island or islands be manipulated? Just as the compass doesn’t work correctly—does time itself work on the same scale? All good questions. Does it not sound as if a machine is “powering up” when exiting from each commercial break and “powering down” when we enter one and when each episode ends?
Make no mistake, I think that the show’s very title of “Lost” is misleading on purpose. Just like the movie “Castaway” was actually referring not to the idea that he was a castaway, but rather that his former life was the castaway.
I can see this whole series ending by starting on a central character's "eye" and
zooming OUT so that we see the physical layout of the islands OR islands. So that the point is made that everything is “in the eye of the beholder”. That would be a dramatic way of tying it all together without saying a word!
So, basically-- I think that the references to "balance" and yin&yang (also reflected in the juxtaposition of characters like Jack and Sawyer) mean that everything on this island is repeating itself through different physical means. When I saw the title of the next episode (Man of Science, Man of Faith), I was encouraged that I’m on the right track. "The Machine" is on a simple level simply providing a means-to-an-end to sort "good souls" from "bad souls".
Those numbers will continue to be the glue that holds everything together. The numbers are the means that the machine uses to control the characters souls both on and off the island in a giant simulation in which perceptions, geography, science, faith, and even time itself is variable. I think the show is basically heading towards a version of “The Meaning of Life”, making the key questions of "Where are We?" and "Why are We Here?" that much more relevant!
A noble but complicate task, to be sure. Basically, everything that we take for granted will be explored over the 6 seasons or so that this show will be on the air. I truly think it will take at least that long to hash out everything. My only hope is that at the end of the series, things make sense and it’s every bit as complicated as we hope it is!
Everyone ready for tonight? I’m sure they’ll throw something at me to get me all turned around and frustrated again! What fun!