+ my theory: something wants people to stay and be happy

[killbuckner]

Parts of my theory have been put in so many threads at this point I figured I would just put it down all in one big post here so I can look back on it later on in the season and see how ridiculous I sound. Sorry if this ends up overly long.

I think that the premise of the show is that the island wants the survivors to be content to stay on the island and will attack when the survivors are actively trying to leave. I think there is a more logical explanation and something else is actually pulling the levers, but I don't have any particular insight into what that aspect might be so its easier for now just to think about the island wanting it directly. I will go through some of the reasons why I think this fits what we have seen and later discuss some predictions so people can see if my theory holds any water.

The attacks have come when people are actively working to get off the island. When the pilot was using the transceiver in the cockpit he was immediately attacked and killed. He dropped the transceiver an instant before he was attacked. When sawyer was pressing Sayid to check for signal bars they were attacked by the polar bear. When Kate was in the tree trying to hang the antenna the monster approached but left the instant she dropped the antenna and it broke. I think this is a consistent pattern where actively trying to take steps to get off the island are being discouraged.

I think that the key to understanding the converse of this is Locke. The monster is a threat to Kate but did not harm Locke at all. And Locke was given the use of his legs immediately on arriving on the island. In my opinion, the reason why the island has been so good to locke is that Locke has no desire to ever leave. The producers have taken great pains to make it clear that Locke was supremely unhappy with his old life. He hated his job and his boss. His only relationship with a woman was with a phonesex operator who even started refusing to talk to him though he wanted to pay more. And because Locke was not allowed to do the walkabout, he was denied his destiny and the only thing he wanted. Locke simply had nothing else to live for in the real world once his destiny was denied to him. Locke simply has no reason to ever go back to the life he had, and the island has been exceptionally good to him because of this.

I think that Jack was led to the water source because that is what he needed to start thinking in terms of staying on the island long term instead of worrying about getting rescued. Charlie was given back his guitar because he chose something he could have on the island over the drugs which he would need from the outside world. I really think you will start to see a trend of the cave people being "luckier" than the beach people in many aspects, but I also think that taking a gift from the island is like making a deal with the mob. If you go back on your end of the deal there are immediate negative consequences. I think that Charlie will demand his drugs back and though Locke will give him one last chance to uphold his end of the bargain he will get the drugs. But because he went back on his end of the deal he will lose his guitar (plus possibly something else he values). I don't know whether it will be immediate where charlie is high and does something stupid and breaks the guitar himself or something more subtle where no one knows whether locke took the guitar back himself but I am pretty sure he will lose the guitar in some way. Likewise, I think that jack is going to try and remerge the 2 tribes and use the advantages of the caves to help with the rescue effort and this will cause the cavein. But I will also say that if I didn't know about the cavein I would just be saying that the cave people would just be luckier than the beach people and any tragedies would be on the beach only so it is very possible I am just spinning at this point.

I also think there is a large negative consequence to staying on the island long term. The outsiders will see the importance of doing everything they possibly can to get off the island, but the other people will become more and more content to just stay. (tied to having less and less hope of being rescued) Eventually it will be a matrix like struggle between the small number of outsiders who are trying to get everyone else to wake up and realize why they can't just take the easy life and be content to stay. But the beach people's life is going to be much harder because the island will constantly be attacking them where the cave people will live in peace and relative luxury. It won't be good vs evil, it will be the manipulated vs the people who are seeing clearly. I think the producers will not lay out the negative consequence for quite a while so at times it will seem that that beach people are rebelling just for the sake of doing it.

Overall I think this theory would explain quite a bit about the show. It explains why the tribes are split the way they are. It explains why Locke has been so lucky. It gives some order to the attacks. And the best thing about this theory is that the next episode will give us some immediate feedback on whether it has any validity. If Charlie takes his drugs back then loses his guitar it could be foreshadowing that Jack will take steps to use the caves to help with the rescue effort and there will be immediate negative consequences. And sorry this post ran so long, I just had a lot of stuff to get down.

(edited title to be more accurate)


Want to read more threads dealing with similar ideas? CLICK HERE (http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27074)

[gscaleta]

sounds pretty good. But why would the island allow a transmission warning people of the dangers to continue? And why would it allow the fire on the beach to keep raging?

[killbuckner]

I think its a free will sort of thing. The island can try and influence what you want and can put up barriers, but it can't actually stop you from doing anything you want to. It can give you incentive to stop trying to leave and can attack you at other times, but it can't make you do anything.

[gscaleta]

i'm amazed at all the theories and the good ones at that. I read one and say yeah that's it and then read another and say yeah that's it and so on and so on. Writers seem to be doing a decent job and I imagine are spending quite some time on these boards

[Wynter Zera]

Perhaps the island is on the back of a giant sea turtle and it's lonely.:D

[Aries7]

Killbuckner,

I agree with your statements completley...Everyone that is on the island has a reason to not want to go back and I think that is how the series will progress as each episode tells a story about a character. Jack did not fulfill his mothers request of bringing back his father...The Koreans obvoiusly are better off away from the wifes overbearing father...Locke has a new life and is needed by the others..Charlie was in a failed band which broke up and developed a drug habit (what better way to go clean but to be on deserted island)...Kate is a fugitive and has a new lease on life..Mike & son have some bonding time together....unmarried pregnant lady will probably find husband & future fatherfigure of baby amongst survivors..Boone & Sister need to be away from wealthy spoiled lifestyle to learn about life..Sawyer probably had gambling or debt problems and is now away from problems..Sayid probably is running from his past in Iraq and can have new lease on life with his contributions to group in the technology field.....These are all points that were brought up in various posts but it makes sense...

[gscaleta]

no insult intended because I agree that everyone for the most part has a reason to want to escape from life but would any sane person wish to go to that extreme? If I'm gonna get lost intentionally on an island I'm thinking Aruba or some place that has electricity and food etc.

[Aries7]

I bet there is a Sandals resort on the other side of the Island....

[MonsterEatsPilot]

I think this is a good theory and one of the better ones out there.

I have for a few episodes now, maintained that being on the island is not necessarily a "bad" thing.

I look forward to applying this theory to upcoming episodes.

Cheers!

-P

[gscaleta]

Why not incorporate the purgatory theory but twisting it a little and saying that the only way off the island and back to civilization is to come face to face with their demons and if they can beat em they can leave

[redmption]

I believe the island is giving the things people want...
I am really bad with the characters names so forgive me synopsis:

Jack wanted to make amends with his father/find water/be a leader. Heroin guy wanted to feel worth while. Locke wanted to walk again. Ect, Ect...
The boy reading the comic, like all boys reading comics, wants the things that happen in them to really happen in real life, to live the adventure, hence the polar bear coming to life. Jacks battle with being a leader spawned his fathers 'ghost' which he dealt with and found water at the same time. Heroin guy just wanted to feel useful and the cave collapse happened leading to him rescuing Jack. And of course Locke can walk again... So by giving the people on the island what they want they wont want to leave, or at least be content staying there. But that doesnt eplain the french translation and it talking about someone kill all of them...

[bigmouth]

In light of last night's episode, I think it's time to revisit this theory, and possibly link it to a few others.

The overriding impression I got of Danielle Rousseau was that (as the roots of their names suggest) she's the precise antithesis of Locke. For 16 years she has resisted the island, living in a "temporary" shelter with lights powered by batteries, and protecting herself with a gun. She clings to civilization, and does not want to stay. The island has responded to her hostility with its own.

What's more, I strongly suspect that she killed her fellow frenchies because they became like Locke has become. Their "sickness" was that they were seduced by the island into wanting to stay. In that regard, this theory may be connected to the suggestion I've seen on other threads that the island has somehow possessed Locke.

I'm not sure if this "possession" or "sickness" is literal or metaphorical. I do think, however, that it's useful to think of the castaways as being in various stages of infection. Those on the beach are in the earliest stages - they still cling to hopes of leaving. Those in the caves are in an intermediate stage - they've embraced the island tentatively, but would still leave if rescued. Locke, needless to say, is terminal.

One final thought along these lines. One of the driving forces of purgatory speculations has always been the characters' shady pasts. I don't believe in that theory, but I have always wondered if these pasts have some sort of other plot significance. The theory that island wants them to stay provides just that. It suggests these 48 were selected precisely because their pasts made them the most likely to want to stay on the island.

[Wynter Zera]

No. The island is not alive and therefore can not want anything. Period. It would be cheesy to make the island alive and I could never take anything that happened in the show seriously after that... It's too Marvel Comics and seriously lacks any kind of scientific basis. Other than that you are right about them getting what they want.

I'm still going with my "Monster from the ID" theory, which is super strong now after episode 9 (and I might add, complements this theory in many ways). In Forbidden Planet all the others DIED because eventually the desires of one person conflicted with another and someone’s ID had to go. Now we know about the virus, which gives us an explanation for how this could happen. [There is no explanation for a living island or any real foreshadowing for it either so far] They are causing things to manifest through unconscious desires. Hurly gets bored and wants something fun to do, Hurly gets golf clubs.

[bigmouth]

You are missing the point, wynterzera. The island need not literally be alive. The point is that whomever is running things wants them to stay, probably to participate in some kind of experiment.

[Wynter Zera]

Acctually I was posting the first time after reading the main theory. I hadn't read your post yet. And I'm not trying to be offensive nor am I attacking you. :)

Now to your post... If that's what your saying then actually, my “ID” theory complements this one. I agree it could be just one person who is able to manifest desires. Perhaps Alex wants friends? Even if someone else is granting the desires they are still getting their desires met.

[killbuckner]

awsecond- thanks for finding this post so I can read it again. I do think that this concept is picking up support as we go along and last night gave it a whole lot of momentum. Its clear I tried to be a little aggressive with some of my predictions on specifics, but the general trend is still favoring this. I also think that the sickness isn't literal- it is just the manifestation of the negative consequence of giving up desire to leave. First people just concentrate more on staying. Then people give up desire to leave. Eventually I think they start actively opposing people who are trying to leave.

And wynter- I agree that your theory is compatible with this. As I said in the original post, I didn't actually think it was the island that wanted them to stay but that something else was pulling the levers. But because we didn't have enough information to know what was pulling the levers it was easier to just think of it as the island wanting it. I edited the title of the post to make it a little more accurate.

[bigmouth]

Sorry, that makes no sense.

Whatever is causing the manifestations predated the arrival of the frenchies. It seduced them just as it has seduced Locke - and presumably "Adam" and "Eve" before them. If Alex is Danielle's child, he/she cannot be responsible.

[Wynter Zera]

We really don't know how long this phenomenon has been going on... It might have started with the scientist's arrival. Or maybe Adam and Eve are still around and those other bodies are just some of their crew or whatever that died.

[killbuckner]

Wynter- I think that I see the main difference between your theory and mine. To me Jack wasn't desiring the water so much as he was led to it. Something wanted him to find that water. It wasn't that he wanted it bad enough that it showed up.

But if you are saying that its possible that someone on the island already wants the people to stay and their desires are being manifested- then at this point the theories are completely compatible. I have no idea what is pulling the levers to cause gifts or attacks. If its the desire of one person that makes as much sense at this point as anything else. I think that whatever caused this phenonemon started even before "adam and eve" so I would be very skeptical that it started with the crash of the french woman's boat.

[Wynter Zera]

Here's another theory. My brother came up with it and calls it the Oracle of Delphi.

Scientists now believe that the oracle's ability came from gases leaked from a fault the temple was built over. He's some about it from the article.

["Ethylene inhalation is a serious contender for explaining the trance and behavior of the Pythia," said Diane Harris-Cline, a classics professor at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

"Combined with social expectations, a woman in a confined space could be induced to spout off oracles," she said.

According to traditional explanations, the Pythia derived her prophecies in a small, enclosed chamber in the basement of the temple. De Boer said that if the Pythia went to the chamber once a month, as tradition says, she could have been exposed to concentrations of the narcotic gas that were strong enough to induce a trance-like state. ]

Maybe our island is leaking gas that causes our survivors to hallucinate the thing crashing through the trees or some of the weird phenomenon. I fail to see how it relates since obviously many of the things they have are real, but it is interesting to consider.

[Wynter Zera]

Well the beauty of a Freudian theory is that the subconscious is the largest chunk of a person, not the Ego or Superego, so most of time they aren't even aware of what they want consiously. If dreaming becomes important I'm going to have fun because according to Fraud, dreaming is the gateway to the subconscious ID.

Yes there is a level of incompadibility in the theories. I would still prefer that everyone be manafesting desires rather than one person. I still think the master manipulator is human, but it's possible that he/she/it was alien.

[spooky]

But I wouldn't be surprised to find out in later episodes that this whole thing is centered around a child.

I think the child/less-ties-with-the-outside-world ideas are very interesting. I wonder if Locke could fit in with both ideas, or if anyone would buy into the idea the Locke is actually very child-like, himself? Maybe that's why he's affected more by 'the island,' or whatever? I know he seems so knowledgeable about survival skills, and has an adult's psychological insight into others. But there is something innocent about him to me, sometimes. We see him playing games (like his war game, or backgammon), we see him sitting, or standing arms-outstretched, gleeful in the rain. It really stuck me the way he said, "I like it here, too." He sounded just like a kid to me.

I suppose he's a calculating adult more often than not, but I see something still quite child-like in him. As KillBuckner says, he seems to have less ties to the outside world (no family that we know of, no job anymore). But he also seems less jaded by the responsibilities and injuries of life, and so maybe more open to the magic (or coercion) of the island?

[killbuckner]

The producers went to great lenghts to show how little Locke has left for him in the real world. Hated his job, only female contact was with a phone sex operator who didn't even want more of his money, and he was denied his "destiny" on the walkabout. Walt had nothing left for him but the producers were more subtle about it until recently. But having to completely start over in a new country with a father he had never met leaves very few ties.

Then there are a couple people who are a little more up in the air. Boone seeminly has given up desire to leave but we don't really know why. Sawyer still has a burning desire to leave but we don't know why. As always you can tell who is thinking more about staying or more about leaving by whether they are in the caves or on the beach. And its pretty clear that Locke is trying to win sayid over, it will be interesting to see what steps he takes to make sayid more comforatable on the island.

[thoughtform]

I think that we saw one of the ways Locke is thinking about Sayid is with Shannon. Why else tell Shannon what he told her? This would keep Sayid happy and less interested in leaving the island.

[faketree]

I think Sawyers desire to leave may have something to do with him not having found out who it was that ruined his life. That guy he did kill, the Shrimp truck guy, was obviously not him. Maybe Sawyer needs the island more than we know yet. His childhood was taken from him by this person.

Everything is coming back to children. I'm really interested to see what pans out having to do with all the kids.

[deelsee7]

Let's see, Froze...

Locke, no way does he want to go back to the box company and wheelchair.

Jack, maybe if he knew his father forgave him, but as it is, no.

Kate, ummmm... no!

Charlie, hmmm, will he choose Claire or his old life as a has-been rocker/heroin addict? He's staying.

Walt, we know he doesn't want to leave.

Michael, he says he wants to get Walt off the island, but he doesn't have any personal ties. Do we know if he was still working construction, or was he actually selling his art? He's attracted to Sun... He's still an unknown.

Sawyer, he did buy a spot on the raft, but I don't understand why. He doesn't seem to get much pleasure from being a con-man. And if Hibbs is typical of his 'colleagues' it's not like he's got a lot of friends to go back to. Right now, he's an unknown, but if Kate gives him the sign, he'd stay.

Boone, was a failure at everything but Mom's wedding dress business. Is he really anxious to go back to Mom's World now that Locke is helping him be his own man?

Shannon, that remains to be seen, but she certainly wasn't happy in her pre-island life, and if the Shannon/Sayid ship sets sail, I think she'd be happy to stay.

Sayid, wants off, but not sure why. We don't know enough about what he has done since he left Iraq. But Shannon could convince him to give it up...

Jin, he wasn't planning on going back to his old life anyway. Despite the current tension between him and Sun, I think he'd stay where ever she is.

Sun, was already planning on running away. Despite the current tension between her and Jin... see Jin above.

Hurley is the real unknown. Hopefully next week we'll learn why he doesn't want to go home.

Even Rose wouldn't leave without her husband. The rest of the redshirts... :D

[faketree]

bumping for tonights episode in case more stuff about children is revealed.

[killbuckner]

Just wanted to point out that Boone was attacked as he tried to use the radio in the cockpit just as the pilot was attacked and killed when he tried to use the transceiver way back in the beginning. I think that "the island" was testing whether boone had really given up his desire to leave and when he immediately went for the radio he was severely punished. Thats why Boone had to go up by himself. Locke has been given the use of his legs because he does not want to go back to the real world anymore, boone may be leaning in that direction but is obviously not there yet. The island wants people to be like Locke or walt who burned down the raft because they prefer to stay.

Plus just more evidence that Locke has nothing to go back to in the real world. In some other post at some point I was jokingly saying that It wouldn't surprise me if Locke watched both of his parents die in a terrible accident when he was a child- instead they made it so that he would want to see his parents even less. Whats next? his dog is going to die of cancer? The producers are goign to extreme lenghts to show just how little locke has left for him in the real world and how much happier he is on the island.

[jcrew1179]

Hey killbuckner, totally agree with you. I was skeptical that the Island can really be a living thing - able to carry out acts against the survivors, but if Boone really was attacked (I just thought that the plane fell due to his weight).

But it makes sense because "The Monster" probably lives in the Trees as well. Maybe the "Monster" and the "Island" are either the same thing or are connected with the "Island" telling the monster what to do.

I also didn't notice the parallels with the pilot and Boone. Both were in the airplane and both were trying to communicate with the outside world. Boone Actually SUCEEDED in talking to someone albeit Briefly!!! So maybe there will be an Outsider coming in in later Eps to try to locate and rescue the Survivors based on Boone's call.

Also, I bet Boone will be the survivor to die - I guess this is a foregone conclusion. But Locke didn't tell Jack that their was Heroin on the plane and that Boone is probably really High on Heroin right now.

Also, it was cool how the Hatch lit up at the end. The Island "Wiz of Oz" is probably controlling the monster and/or monitoring the island - or it could be Psychic. So now Locke will probably meet the Island's Oz.

[LoStMyMiNd]

I don't think Boone was attacked when he reached for the mic, I think his weight just naturally made the plane fall from the trees because it obviously looked like it was hanging by a thread.

I also think that hatch has a bank of high tech computers inside that are controlling the survivors in some way. The survivors could all be robots monitored by whatever is in the hatch

[SpidermanHouston]

I also think that hatch has a bank of high tech computers inside that are controlling the survivors in some way. The survivors could all be robots monitored by whatever is in the hatch

Yep, It's a HAL-9000 computer.

"I know you and Boone were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen. "

"Just what do you think you're doing, Locke? "

[LostInWilderness]

I agree with this theory. The power I keep calling the tower attracts people like Danielle and the lostaways and maybe the others and keeps them on the island. It blocks all attempts they make to leave. It also sets up situations that allow the characters to get over their inner demons. The hatch opposes the tower. It's probably where the others go to escape the influence of the tower. Both powers can manipulate people on the island, especially Locke.

[killbuckner]

I don't think it is a coincidence that both people who tried to use the radio in the cockpit were either killed or severly maimed. Locke knew that Boone could get severely hurt if he did not pass his "test" because he foresaw that in his dream. The island took away the use of Locke's legs so that boone would have to decide for himself whether he wanted to leave the island and boone was punnished when he chose wrongly. Locke thinks he is doing the right thing by trying to help people accept being on the island but he does not understand the long term consequences of giving up hope of leaving.

[drabauer]

As the longest open thread on the sentient-island-as-active-force, this thread deserves a review.

[DalilahWalker]

It's in ABC's best interest that everyone stays put on that island..There will be no rescues >: so don't even hope for one. The castaways will hook up with one another, Jack, Sawyer and Kate in a hot triangle :eek Claire and Charlie, Sayid and Shannon, Locke and Danielle, Michael and Jin's wife and Some Pacific Islander babe will wash ashore for Hugo. I hope next season they start constructing a really cool island condo out of natural materials found on the island (like Swiss Family Robinson)..Sure there will be the annoying Others :evil and Monsters 0] but hey its not so different than what we have to deal with on a daily basis in our world.. :(

[Warthawg1]

Yes, just today I ran across a crazy French lady.

[LostViking]

Funny how long this idea has been around - I had no idea. Taking a hint from SHTBL, I found this thread in the last pages of this board. So many interesting ideas here that proved true. I guess it is possible to predict this show.....

Whatever "it" is, it at the very least is attracting people to it. Locke for sure, maybe more.

[LostViking]

The overriding impression I got of Danielle Rousseau was that (as the roots of their names suggest) she's the precise antithesis of Locke. For 16 years she has resisted the island, living in a "temporary" shelter with lights powered by batteries, and protecting herself with a gun. She clings to civilization, and does not want to stay. The island has responded to her hostility with its own.

What's more, I strongly suspect that she killed her fellow frenchies because they became like Locke has become. Their "sickness" was that they were seduced by the island into wanting to stay. In that regard, this theory may be connected to the suggestion I've seen on other threads that the island has somehow possessed Locke.

I'm not sure if this "possession" or "sickness" is literal or metaphorical. I do think, however, that it's useful to think of the castaways as being in various stages of infection. Those on the beach are in the earliest stages - they still cling to hopes of leaving. Those in the caves are in an intermediate stage - they've embraced the island tentatively, but would still leave if rescued. Locke, needless to say, is terminal.

One final thought along these lines. One of the driving forces of purgatory speculations has always been the characters' shady pasts. I don't believe in that theory, but I have always wondered if these pasts have some sort of other plot significance. The theory that island wants them to stay provides just that. It suggests these 48 were selected precisely because their pasts made them the most likely to want to stay on the island.

This post by Bigmouth is the one I find most interesting - all his speculation is still accurate today - we have really not learned much almost one year later.

We still have no idea what the sickness is or if anyone really has it.

[sawyerhasbestlines]

Nice save from the abyss.

I really like what Bigmouth wrote. Beautiful.

Sometimes I feel like we are being distracted by all the "smoke and mirrors" (pun) in season 2. It's good to go back and be reminded of the basics.

[lostmio]

Originally Posted by bigmouth
The theory that island wants them to stay provides just that. It suggests these 48 were selected precisely because their pasts made them the most likely to want to stay on the island.


I don't know if Bigmouth still holds this theory or not.
The episodes since then confirm someone, island powers, wants them there for now. It may want to eat them, or it may want to convert them and send them back as evangelists for some cause or mission.

I don't think the main 12 of the 48 were selected for the reason above.
All of them are there because of some attribute - either a characteristic, skill, possession (ie Hurley's $$) or a connection with a person, family, organization, or other entity. At least a few of them were likely chosen because of something in their backgrounds, related to the island and/or powers.

They all have unhappy pasts because happy families make boring flashbacks and character development.

[LostViking]

I don't know if Bigmouth still holds this theory or not.
The episodes since then confirm someone, island powers, wants them there for now. It may want to eat them, or it may want to convert them and send them back as evangelists for some cause or mission.
.


Yes, I doubt he will agree with that word for word, I was looking past that part. The things he said about Danielle and Locke could still be correct. I don't think the sickness makes you want to stay on the island - but something on the island has convinced many to stop thinking about leaving.

[lostmio]

I don't think the sickness makes you want to stay on the island - but something on the island has convinced many to stop thinking about leaving.

Based upon the philosopher Rosseau's famous premise that desire for civilization is a sickness, I've speculated before that Danielle's idea of sickness may have been the desire to leave the island,

Who on the island has stopped thinking about leaving, other than possibly those who have for now given up on the idea of rescue?

[LostViking]

Who on the island has stopped thinking about leaving, other than possibly those who have for now given up on the idea of rescue

Well Locke definetly has given up on leaving. But I am not sure if any others are motivated to his level to stay.

In some ways, Jack and the others in the caves have chosen survival over sitting on the beach waiting for rescue.I see the caves as symbolic of wanting to stay on the island. It would be quite hard to see a ship from a cave. But, Jack seemed to come to the idea of moving everyone to the caves on his own. Although, it was the havid of christian that led him there.

[Alastair]

:bump:

This is one of my favorite theories and I would like to make sure it stays alive for a while ^_^

-Alastair

[LostInWilderness]

This theory has been updated here (http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17503).

[killbuckner]

It is still very fun for me to go back and read this theory. While I was obviously a little overagressive in some of my predictions the overall premise has held up VERY well. And I have to admit that everytime either the heroin or the guitar makes an appearance I still hold out hope that Charlie will have a relapse and the guitar will get taken away from him. I was pretty dissapointed when the losties abandoned the caves because it sure did put a huge dent into this theory- but there is evidence that the caves were abandoned by the producers as a logistical problem and not because of the story.

I do hope that the producers get back to this storyline. To me it is at the core of why they are on the island and will make for some great drama moving forward.

[mister-ben]

http://www.buy-utah.com/images/graphics/bagua-map.jpg
The Bagu wheel which has been used in feung sheu to make energies flow better shows eight factors of life each could be assigned to characters flashback stories. Perhaps the dots that relate to the dharma signs and characters' lifestyles are a related key to how each character must live or venture forward on the island. Or perhaps it is a computer key pass that will only allow access if the character's profile matches the key.
Look at the theory of six degrees of separation to tie in the flashbacks and this would logically mean that the others are related in some way to the survivors prior to the island. The theory only really holds the larger the populous so odds are these people are chosen by an outside force or person, or as in the 'matrix theory' reality is an illusion. Certainly I believe something is monitoring and acting on the islanders personalities,fears and desires.

[scrat]

Interesting theory, killbuckner, so, does this mean that you do not believe in the purgatory theory>

[Ratchetman]

Interesting theory, killbuckner, so, does this mean that you do not believe in the purgatory theory>:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

[Desmond's Bunny]

Killbuckner,
I agree completely that this is a main theme of the show, and am very impressed & surprised to see that someone posted this idea way back in 2004! Kudos to you.

[killbuckner]

I posted this theory 2 years ago today so I thought I would probably bump it back up. Just fun for me to go back and read about it. I still think this is a major theme of the show. It certainly ties into the whole theme about jack being delivered on the island to save ben.

[time is a river]

:bump:

[killbuckner]

I think that the key to understanding the converse of this is Locke. The monster is a threat to Kate but did not harm Locke at all. And Locke was given the use of his legs immediately on arriving on the island. In my opinion, the reason why the island has been so good to locke is that Locke has no desire to ever leave. The producers have taken great pains to make it clear that Locke was supremely unhappy with his old life. He hated his job and his boss. His only relationship with a woman was with a phonesex operator who even started refusing to talk to him though he wanted to pay more. And because Locke was not allowed to do the walkabout, he was denied his destiny and the only thing he wanted. Locke simply had nothing else to live for in the real world once his destiny was denied to him. Locke simply has no reason to ever go back to the life he had, and the island has been exceptionally good to him because of this.

I posted this over 5 years ago now! Its just fun for me to go back and see the parts I got right vs the parts I overguesed. I definitely was on the right track with this part of it though I did think that the show would end up going in a different direction.

[clayseason1]

Hey killbuckner! Long time no see!

I wish I could say I've gotten something right over the last 5 years! lol

You were "dead on" with Locke, although the motivation for "the island" was one of Locke being its tool -- meaning MiB's plan to use him to overcome Jacob.