The Fountain of Murk by back_gammon

When Ben learned of his spinal tumor, why didn't he grab his trusty manbag and trot over to the Fountain of Murk Day Spa to cure it? Moreover, why did he go to the trouble of bringing a fertility specialist to the island when he could simply send the ailing pregnant women to the Temple for a quick dip and a papaya smoothie?

It's possible Ben didn't know about the magic hot springs, but Richard did. While adult Ben wouldn't remember being there as a gunshot child, it's reasonable to think he would know about the hot springs as leader of the Others. It would have been one of the many things Advisor Richard would have told him about when he took office. Thus, logic would indicate that when an Other was ailing, they would simply go get the cure at the Temple, if in fact they ever got sick in the first place.

But what if the waters have been failing for a while? What if they, like the FDW, had become too unreliable to use on a regular basis? What if once upon a time, everyone, not just the Other leaders, enjoyed the magic mojo of perfect health, and, in Richard's case, near immortality? Remember the well outside the temple wall, the well Locke fell down into in S5 and that was filled in with sand after the big flash, leaving Sawyer standing there holding a rope? I think the water that was once in that well had the same source as the water that still bubbles in the temple tub. At one time, everyone could drink magic water from the well even if they didn't enter the Temple.

According to Richard, the rank and file Others were all really excited when they heard about Locke's miraculous ability to walk after he arrived on the island. I'm speculating that at one point in time, the waters on the island cured everyone and miracles such as Locke's were commonplace. The rank and file Others perhaps see Locke's miracle as a signal that the island might be returning to the good old days of great health care coverage and immortality for all. and not just great health care for an elite few who can afford the high premiums. {Oops, sorry, I was watching CNN just now and a little current events slipped in.)

But something happened. The water began to grow murky. It's mojo weakened and became unpredictable. Instead of a place of everlasting life, the island became a place of death. Charlotte: "This place is death!" The statue Tawaret dedicated to protect ing pregnant women toppled. Cerberus, the guard dog of h.ell slipped off the chain.

Along comes Leader Ben, and instead of trying to restore the mojo (how the heck do you fix magic water, anyway?) Leader Ben looked to science and tried to cure fertility with a doctor. Instead of rinsing away his tumor in the murky water, he relied on the skill of a spinal surgeon who fell from the sky.

But Richard and some of the Others want to return to the old ways, the magical mystical ways of yore, in the hope that their water will once again run clean and pure. They want what many want: an end to suffering, disease, and pain.

But there are some people who think like Locke. That struggle is good. That pain and suffering effort help us become the people we are meant to become.

So that's all I got right now. Tons of questions remain. Like, what caused the water to grow murky? How do Jacob or MIB factor in the island's loss of mojo, if that is what is happening?

Thoughts?