LOST is a difficult show for those not familiar with some of the aspects it deals with. Plus, I have read a lot of spiritual literature that increases the level of understanding of the following to be difficult. So, please forgive my obtuseness in the subject matter I share here

I have woken up on some mornings looking at myself from head to toe with an affirmation: “I exist” followed by “…but why?” This is like the moment like the castaways crashing on the island. We’re alive! We’re here! But why? 

I cannot explain how watching the first season of LOST was like. It was a very deep & personal experience. A fountain of new ideas & emotions poured down as I was introduced to each character one by one. I felt drawn to Locke’s character but to other degrees, one can identify to all characters on some level.

Who hasn’t felt rejected? Who hasn’t felt not good enough? Who hasn’t felt that they were just not a good person who could be redeemed? Who hasn’t ever lost loved ones only to wish to seek revenge? Who hasn’t felt limited by their circumstances yet felt they were born for so much more? Who hasn’t felt betrayed of their life from illness? Who hasn’t felt anger for being blamed for something they had no control over? Who hasn’t felt “lost” after being separated for so long from someone they knew was their life? Who hasn’t wanted to know their purpose in life? Who hasn’t wrestled with the demons inside? 

Who hasn’t hoped that they’d be “found” within the maze of walls that life creates to prevent us from becoming who we were born to become?

All these were the questions that came to mind as I watched the first season unfold. I had huge empathy for these castaways. The term itself “castaways” is telling, for it suggests being “cast off” by others. Perhaps we are all “destined” (another favorite LOST theme) to crash on our own islands. Maybe we are to meet other castaways who at first seem irrelevant to our lives, only to realize how much our destinies collide into a grander scheme. Maybe it’s up to us to make that a reality? 

No Man Is An Island

It is said, no man is an island. The human condition requires love and affection and a feeling of belonging. Of course, there are people who may be the exception to the rule & I lack the experience to understand why that may be so. Keeping this in mind, I am reminded of watching a program “Life After Humans”. It described what would happen to the world after people become extinct. Nature prevails while all of mankind’s achievements simply becomes obliterated! Then I imagined being the only person left on earth under these circumstances. The animals are left to adapt to the environment, evolving in new ways. How could I relate to the world now? Cut off from the life I once knew, surely I’d assume the fetal position waiting to wither and die.

Without someone to love or love me back in return. Without someone to laugh with or sometimes make fun of in a friendly way. Without someone to have debates about why this is so and this is not. Without someone to teach me new things and vice versa. Without someone to relate my problems & comfort me and I in turn doing the same…These things are what makes us human. Surely, I’ve neglected the darker aspects of humanity: envy, lust, anger, sloth, gluttony, greed, pride. Under these set of vices, two human beings would surely not last as long, leaving the world barren of any trace of beginnings of civilization.

How do somewhat similar conditions affect our LOST characters, who are not saints nor completely evil? They managed to relate to each other, seeking leadership & some form of organization. Jack said it best: “Live together! Or die alone!” Often through others, we may find the best in ourselves we would not have discovered if we were alone.

There is hope for redemption for each castaway, some more easily granted than others. This is why I have come to appreciate LOST in its general message: We are destined for great things. In LOST, Jacob might be a representation of God who places his hand on each character knowing how they fit into a larger plan. In contrast, Esau (Man in Black), has his own selfish motivation: to get off the island. He seems to be a representation of God’s adversary. On the island, Esau can manipulate the destinies  of the castaways so that in the end he might be able to cause greater damage on a larger scale, if he can somehow deceive others enough so that he gets to leave the island. This is similar to the fallen angel Lucifer who wanted to elevate himself as close to God. His hubris cost him his heavenly status & it is on earth, as Christian teaching suggests, he reigns…And here is where the allegory gets more interesting.

LOST, to me anyway, is a representation of spiritual warfare our veiled eyes cannot see. Just through personal experience, however, I can attest that this does exist. You do not have to believe me, but I have encountered random things. I’ve heard, read, seen, or experienced things you might not relate to unless you’ve read the things I have. (Of course, you don’t have to believe everything you read. My litmus test?- If I haven’t experienced it, I can’t say it’s true. If I have come to the same conclusion BEFORE I have read what I read, then it shows me a confirmation that what I feel is true).

Recently I started reading several books. Among them are:

1.Flight to Heaven =by Capt. Dale Black

2.How to Interpret Dreams & Visions = by Perry Stone

3. Way of the Pilgrim = Russian Spirituality Text

4. The Church of Facebook =by Jesse Rice

You ask yourself now, “How do these books relate to one another? How do they relate to Lost?” I’ll get to that.

Of course, the obvious. The first book, which I’ve just only started, is by a pilot who was the lone survivor of a plane crash. I look forward to reading more about his recovery & what kind of redemption he might have experienced. The crash alone and the struggle to survive is one related theme to LOST.

Interpretation of dreams & visions are often things I have come across in my own dreaming experience. Having had a correspondence with one person into biblical interpretations, I can say that these dreams are quite meaningful and make more sense under spiritual context I have come to research. Other things I have seen are just things I cannot explain but are meaningful to me, as though God opened a window through which he speaks. He may be giving us warnings. He may be giving us reassurances. Overall, it’s good to know that He seeks to keep contact with us, if we only allow him into our lives. Relating this to LOST, Desmond’s visions are almost prophetic in a sense in terms of Charlie’s destiny…and ultimate sacrifice. (NOTE: Charlie’s death in season 3 was a great farewell and testament to how much his life came full circle. He is by far my favorite character). Of course, I cannot recall specific episodes from other seasons at the moment, but as I continue this blog, I am sure to write them here.

Eko was a character I got excited about, because it explored the spiritual theme in greater detail. I was disappointed on how his character left the show. I’m not quite sure he was redeemed either,as he was absent in the final scene where most castaways waited for Jack. Nonetheless, I am pleased the writers did introduced this spiritual element to the show to some degree. In this, it parallels the struggle of the pilgrim to understand the grander scheme of life. One hopes that Eko imparted a bit of spiritual knowledge to Charlie which influenced his ultimate sacrifice. We can live a life of dictated by the world but soon we grow dissatisfied and come to the crossroads that there is more to this life. We seek answers, like the pilgrim. In the end, as we turn away from the way we are use to living in the world, we threaten the order of things. It is just like Locke’s blind trust in the island. How often are we trusting of the ways of this world? Without questioning things, we can succumb ourselves to our demise. This is the case of Locke’s character. Soon, we see the characters shifting their beliefs of how the island works. The mystery of the island (i.e., world) slowly is revealed and soon our characters are faced with decisions on how this affects their future – with each other, within themselves.

Lastly, in the age of social media, something that will surely die once we do, the book Church of Facebook outlines our need for connection with others.  You only have to watch the show to see how one person affects another. We are like that. Without boring you, I can reflect back & see the reasons now why I met the people I did. Why I still connect on some level with them. Why some are still in my life, while some of us just may need a break to figure out our own destinies in order to reconnect with others. There is the need for feeling loved and being important in another’s life. Without it, it seems, we become darker versions of ourselves. Esau was not a very sociable character, if you recall. Selfish motives is only the route to a lonely life…Again, I lack the experience to explain why some people might go this route…I’ve always been a Darth Vader fan…once he becomes human again

Conclusion

This is a long blog. I apologize. I also apologize for what seems implausible to most who haven’t experience an awakening like I have. It takes a personal emotional plane crash to make you rethink the way your life is heading. I can probably name a few plane crashes…I’ve survived them all so far. We might experience them all as lone survivors. In the end, we seek answers and in the process, hopefully, we find others just like us doing the same

I hope to continue this journey with you here. And know that we are not “casted” away, but in this life – this so called island called Earth- together!

It’s been a while since I blogged about LOST. There have been various reasons for this. Much like the theme of Lost’s characters, I’ve had my boughts of faith and faith that has been lost-both personally & in the direction of this show. The first season was mysterious & I was uncertain about the future of each character. I now know many of the fates of past characters, while others I wonder what was their true purpose for being on the show.

As I write this now, I’m listening to Michael Giacchino’s spell bounding score Final Boarding from Season One’s soundtrack. It sets the tone of feeling emotionally lost & confused in a world full of chaos. It urges one to face uncertainty, balancing bravery & fear. This balancing act is seen in many of LOST’s characters. For example, in the first season, Jack would bring a sense of noble heroism as his persona to prove himself more than adequate or “good enough” in the eyes of others. Another character balancing strength and weakness is Locke. Having similar feelings of being told what I can’t do because of certain limitations, I felt the need to yell his famous lines “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” Locke, who felt lost and betrayed in what he had faith in, suddenly feels one with the island as if it were his savior. However, the island turned itself against him, revealing Locke as just a fragile man full of too much expectations and blind faith that led him to where he is now (no spoiler alert here). His lesson for us is not to become blinded by what seems like Light but is actually the Darkness that has deceived us.

These ideas are mainly inspired from the first season, a season that sparked great interest in epic stories and mythology. I found it intellectually stimulating and it sometimes helped me get through rough patches during my crises of faith. There have been times where an episode would end with the words flashing LOST across my screen with the familiar dramatic drum sound, teasing me to want to know more. These episodes would lead me to yell at my tv “I need to know more” “Oh my G*D!!! What?”…or the all too familiar phrase “I want some answers!”….And some answers we did receive, not in such a linear fashion as we may have liked.

Other episodes made me sympathize other characters you would naturally hate in real life. My favorite so far has been Ben’s “flashsideways story”, beating any flashback or flashforward I can remember. This episode left me crying four times, quoting a scene which made me become a secret Ben supporter. It reminds me of how some characters on this island are wounded and broken and that how in these states, they can do terrible things…only to realize too late what they have done…The question is, will they be forgiven?…This leads me to this week’s most recent episode.

(Possible spolier). Richard Alpert, or shall I call him Ricardo as he was introduced in this episode, is to me a legendary character full of mystery. I often wonder if we should have left his back story up to us to decide. His legend built up in my mind only led to my surprised disappointment in the direction that his back story forces the series now to answer. Is this just another story of supernatural forces of Good vs. Evil? What about all the time travel nonsense? My only consolation, although I myself being spiritual minded, is that the whole concept of what is insinuated is utterly based on Richard and Isabella’s religious background. Their own experiences are influencing the reality on the island. Trying to think of another example to back this up, however, seems difficult to me.

Returning back to my favorite episode of this season, recall the scene in the Black Rock between Jack & Richard (TNT never made me so nervous)…Richard’s words to Jack echoed once again of a broken man whose faith has been shattered. How many times in our own lives have we felt we knew everything and that everything we lived for suddenly becomes a lie? What great disappointment we must have in those people or our beliefs. Trying to parallel these things together with other characters still remains difficult to puzzle together. So far, Locke, Ben, and now Richard (once the main compass of directing everyone) suddenly become a triad representing crises of faith.

Yet there is also the themes of love and redemption, also echoed in this week’s episode (possible spoiler alert). The constant in Richard’s life is Isabella and when that bond is suddenly threatened, Richard’s life is changed. His so called deal with “The Man in Black” parallel’s the deal with that between Flocke (fake Locke) and Sayid, who also has had his love, his constant taken from him. The question remains: To what lengths will we go to obtain our truest desires? And as for redemption, what can we do with our conscience if even the man himself who can grant immortality to Richard cannot even absolve him of his sin? Is there a way to earn forgiveness?

Love and redemption are most prominent themes I have seen in many characters between Kate, Jack, and Sawyer. The dynamic between Sawyer and Juliet, however, made me believe both in love & redemption born together simultaneously. It was the love of Juliet that finally allowed Sawyer a sense of peace…and once again we see that now that his constant has been threatened (spoiler), he is back to being his old self far worse than when we saw him first upon crashing on the island. And with both men without their constant to balance them, they decide to join forces with (F)Locke.

I could go on with the relationship between father/son and father/daughter conflicts. To summarize, however, Kate never got along with her father; Jack always felt inadequate or “not good enough” in the eyes of his father; Locke, estranged from his real father; Sawyer, lost his parents at a young age; Claire barely knew her father until too late; Ben constantly blamed for his mother’s death by his father; Ben’s own fractured relationship with daughter…etc etc etc. With this season, one character, Ilana, (spoiler alert) states her anger and her loss to Ben for his killing Jacob:”He was like a father to me”…And at what length did she take to deal with this loss?…You only have to watch the episode…but in the one instant we learn of TRUE FORGIVENESS…

(MAJOR SPOILER):

Scene: Ben runs through the thick jungle, in search of rifle “Locke” had told him would be hiding. Rushing behind with rifle in hand, Ilana keeps pace with Ben only to stop short seeing that he is armed…

(after a few words spoken by Ben describing his sorrow for what he did to his daughter)…

Ilana: So, where will you go ?

Ben: Locke

Ilana:…(great pause)…Why? (we see a sense of weakening)

Ben: Because he’s the only one who’ll have me!

Ilana:…..(short silence)……I’ll have you! (she turns away, her rifle now lowered)

Ben stands, wide eyed with great disbelief. We sensed earlier his urgency to run towards “Locke”. Soon, Ben makes the decision we all hoped for….

———————————– I apologize for not doing this scene any justice. I’m not a scriptwriter after all. I also did——————————-
not intend for spoilers, but it is the only way to convey how the journey of LOST has taken
me thus far….I am hoping that my love for LOST will be redeemed with an episode to
make up for the overly hyped (imao) Richard-centric episode. As much as I believe that
LOST is a moral tale between Good and Evil, it must tell this on a scale far more than what
is predicatable…but perhaps I’m expecting too much. My only faith is that the final 5 scenes
I’ve read the writers have had all along will truly bring a satisfying closure to what could be
the most epic tv show of all time

Sidenote: Richard’s story is like the show Lost. His character is built up and greatly admired throughout the seasons only to fizzle unexpectedly when
is most needed to bring the stakes higher…Seven episodes left! Can LOST make a comeback in such a short time? If so, I better stock
up on Kleenex, exercise my tweeting thumbs, and think of a kick ass Facebook update status when it ends!

Lately, that is all that I have time for—”flashes of time”. Not enough hours available for me to devote to writing, much less reviews about movies and much loved tv shows, like LOST!

For me, the first season of Lost was like the Avatar to television drama. I felt it broke new ground in the way we view story telling. Season 6 brings us back to the pathos of season one, and I’m glad that LOST is returning back to its roots, particularly illuminating meaning behind the numbers and Smokey the Monster…

Will this series end with a climatic revelation?…

If it will, it will include the answer to Charlie’s definitive question:

“Guys, where ARE we?”

I don’t remember much of LOST. Out of sight out of mind as they say. I do remember the initial impact it had on me after watching the first season on DVD. If the final season is gonna be anything like the first x10, I will not be disappointed!!!

Alas, once something ends and there’s nothing left new to look forward to, what will become of this site? Depending on the conclusions and resolutions of LOST at its final episode, if it creates anything mind numbing as the first season did for me, I shall write here indefinitely

Dude, talk about thinking outside the box. Is that Locke dead AND alive? Can both states exist?

Whoops…Talk about spoilers…

Okay, my head is doing Faraday equations to figure this episode out. I’m as happy as a little school girl who’s just found out Zach Efron is coming to her school! Yeah, THAT ridiculous and deliriously excited, I am.

I was wary about how this season was going to end. The middle of the season was a bit dry and too science fiction I know for perhaps the majority of original fans that are no longer watching. I myself have always been intrigued about time travel, since Back to the Future, so I can appreciate this on a whole other level! Plus, the Lost factor I felt in season one has resurrected. Remember the emotion you felt when Claire gave birth to Aaron? Well, multiply that with the Constant episode when Desmond finds Penelope as his constant to stay alive and multiply that to the power of James and Juliet *(stifles a painful cry that is difficult to swallow) declaring their love for each other in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. Sheer beautiful pain that I can relate to. How bout that line she gives James, “Just because someone loves another, doesn’t mean they should be together.” AH the complexity of LOST’s love affairs

Speaking of true and everlasting love regardless of what happens around them, how about our missing love birds until now Rose and Bernard. Love the dialogue:

Bernard, they found us!

(sigh from Bernard) Son of a bitch!

Their small exchange is minor comedy relief, as they relate the whole show to us as if from the audience perspective. “Still trying to find ways to shoot each other?”…..Now we know why we hardly see them. I would love to have raised my own shack and live peacefully on the island….Perhaps this is the lesson: NEVER TO FIGHT AGAINST WHAT OUR ODDS ARE, BUT SIMPLY TO DO THE BEST WITH WHAT WE HAVE AND LIVE PEACEFULLY….PERHAPS “LOST” is the Garden of Eden that we have lost favor in the eyes of God, and therefore have had many ways to salvation to bring back this “garden” to life. This Oceanic Flight 815 may be the last chance?…..Is Jacob really a Savior for all, at least for the main heroes we have come to know? Is “Locke” we’ve seen this season an “evil” spirit of the island that wants to thwart Jacob’s good intentions?

I have never felt so excited about a last season! Soon, the answer will come, and I’m wondering…if we all have been touched by Jacob in some respect?
If so, is that a good or bad thing?

With Widmore vs Linus on the shoulders of Locke right before his death and sudden “resurrection” back on the island, one wonders who is on the right side often alluded in Lost.  If the Oceanic 6 including Locke did not arrive on the island, how does that imply a tentative war? How does that make the wrong side win in a vague battle between what we know of good and evil established so far on the show?

I cannot wax philosophy on this show in its entirety. Season 4 has proven to be a challenge in summing just one episode (example: The Locke centric epi focusing on his being “special”…How special and in what way?…”

Anyway, I’m really curious to know how our characters develop.  Let’s hope it does not unravel like the mess called Heroes.

This season is difficult. I cannot sum up one episode in one entry. Each season is worth a season to explain the intricacies of this show…and just when you have answers more questions follow.

It’s cool to have seen the island’s “alarm system” again. (Places BEWARE OF SMOKE MONSTER sign along the shore). And we discover that Rousseau’s baby is in fact NOT Ben’s…so when did he claim paternity?

As for poor Charlotte, well, sorry honey. Time travel’s a bitch, huh?

What a relief to have Jin get more screen time too. And an emotional plea to John NOT to bring her back, courtesy of Charlotte’s near last words: “Don’t bring her back…This place is DEATH!”

So, is the island good or bad? It’s just like Ben’s character. You first get the impression he’s telling the truth when you first meet him, then once you know him you can’t believe anything he says….

CAse in point, when Christopher Shepard finally meets with Locke right before he’s to embark on the Return to the Island Tour, Mr. Shepard, Sr. says, “And when did listening to Ben do you any hell of good?”….My thoughts exactly.

The duality of Ben epitomizes the duality of the island and of the nature of this show. Appearances are not what they ought to be….And that Ms. Eloise is a bit strange and mysterious, with I bet insidious motives far darker than Ben’s…..Can it be true that she’s Faraday’s mother?….

All I can say is LOST is interfering with the chemicals between my synapses. The more times I see those flashes I wonder if each episode should be precluded by a disclaimer: Warning: Some scenes may induce seizures.!!!!

Okay, so we have Desmond who has had the ability to forsee the future events of potential deaths of Charlie, which led to Charlie’s ultimate sacrifice. Desmond has another rude “awakening” as he wakes in different states of consciousness from present to past, being told about events that could effect LOST members/cast later in this season in interesting ways. Desmond is a “Time Musketeer.”

Locke, though not entirely effected with time, is indirectly in touch with how time is manipulated as in his encounters with Richard Alpert. Still as mysterious as before, Richard maintains that quality of character uncertainty once held by Ben. Ben still has that air of uncertainty, but judging by past behavior one cannot be sure he is “one of the good guys” to borrow a phrase from him. Back to Locke, the compass that Richard gives him makes me wonder if it is one of those objects Richard used to test him as “the Island’s Chosen One”. Alas, he picked the wrong object…but perhaps all things happened that way for a reason?…If Locke had met Richard before (this is where time travel theory gets confusing, stating that past present and future can occur simultaneously?….is that a time paradox?). Anyway, as I was saying…if Locke met Richard in the past over 50 years ago and invited him to visit him after he was born, could it be that that previous episode where Locke as a child sits face to face with Richard was an effect of that encounter? Even more wild was seeing Widmore as a young man, Locke looking at him with a bemused expression (Nice to meet you, Locke says with a smirk).

Then there’s Faraday. What are his intentions and interest with the island. Granted, he has the smarts to understand all this time travel mumbo jumbo, and its been exposed he has a romantic bone in his body (r.i.p. Charlotte). And yet, we too must wonder about his character and his connection with Widmore funding his research…Even more interesting is Widmore looking out for Desmond and Penny’s interest to stay away from something far dangerous than Desmond realizes….Or is he just trying to put them off the scent of something far incriminating and/or revealing about the island and its meaning?

Every scene in this episode was like watching miniepisodes. Before cutting to advertisements, you just feel compelled to tune it…Of course, they close with a death scene…So fans can only figure out what happens next. If only we could figure out this time travel concept, we would know how LOST ends as a whole!

(To me, the bird symbols hope waiting….and of course the pic features Charlie, one of my most missed characters -smile)

So grateful am I to LOST and how it opened a doorway to reconsider my faith in God and individual purpose in a new light. In spite of some poor reviews of the latest premiere for this season (5), one of my books on LOST has inspired insights into biblical scriptures as provided in the book WHAT CAN BE FOUND IN LOST: Insights on God and the Meaning of Life from the Popular TV Series. The following verses comes from one chapter regarding the afterlife, when referencing the oft used saying in the show, “See you in another life, brother” used by Desmond.

The one verse mentioned includes John 12:25

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for ETERNAL LIFE.”

Long have I’ve been disappointed and discouraged and dissatisfied with the exceptions of the blessings God has given me-family and friends and experiences I’ve had through the years. But my constant hunger for something more seems to be from a minor suffering that is private and only fulfilled in Christ. Often, I feel isolated in this secular world yet knowing this mysterious feeling within me psyches me up for a better life and discovering it and wanting to share it and teach others about it is enough promise to keep on trudging through an often difficult life.

Reading this LOSt book, I gain the following way of life using their acronym L.O.S.T:

L: ook to Jesus (John 14:6)
O: pen Your Past to Him (1 John 1:9)
S: tart with prayer of committment
T: ake steps to grow in Christ

This may alienate some readers and I understand. I was just moved by how the show has evolved, and I had to pick up this book again which I had put aside for awhile and have yet to finish.

God bless to you all…May my views not offend you but just make you think

My “typing memory” shows in the title that I had already wrote about time and how it relates to LOSt. Yes, it’s official now. LOST is an epic version of Back to the Future only this season should be called Back to the Island.

I’m also envisioning a great RPG/Puzzle game for this season’s premiere episode. I just bought my nintendo DS lite and thought how sweet it would be to solve LOST related puzzles on it. Gather the Oceanic Six before time runs out as either Jack or Ben. Prevent Hugo from turning himself in. Help Sayid regain consciousness Trauma Center style. Play racing games as Kate or Hugo, run from the law. The list could go on but there’s still more of the season I don’t know about…Oh, let’s not forget those left behind. Run through the island as Sawyer and Juliet. Figure out time travel capabilites of the island and consequences as Farraday. Help Locke find the rest of those left behind. Run from the flaming arrows. TRY TO GET NEIL (aka, Froggart) KILLED (lol).

I know I’m forgetting things…oh yeah, discover Sun’s sinister plan for revenge hehehhee

I’m definitely hoooked!!!!! I’m so back on the island mentally!!!! What consequences await if all six are not found!!???

GOD HELP US ALL!