LOST Theories - DarkUFO

You Gotta have Heart by B.A. Youngerman

My theory is simple. Lost is not about faith vs. science. To me, the major conflict in Lost is between heart and ego.

Jacob represents the path of heart, MIB the path of ego. The path of ego could best be summed up in Locke's famous rant: Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do!

MIB is mad as hell. All of the time, it seems. He hates rules. He hates living within limits. There is nothing he wouldn't say, no lie he wouldn't tell to obtain his freedom from the island, which is probably the only place in the whole world where he is under certain restrictions.

Everytime Jacob appears on screen, I see compassion. His eyes are filled with soft feeling. When we see MIB, we see hatred, shifty, scheming eyes or utter rage. He is a very scary being!!

The world has long been ruled by ego and fear. The only thing keeping us safe are the rules under which most of us live. Such as the ten commandments. The laws of our governments. Our good consciences.

MIB is amoral. Completely unethical. The only thing that's important is what he wants. And, if you don't go along with his mandates (e.g., be out of the temple by sundown), he will kill you. Mercilessly.

Jacob doesn't kill when he's disappointed in you. As Miles told us, Jacob was very disappointed in Ben, when Ben stabbed him. Jacob had hoped until the last second that Ben would do the right thing, that his goodness(instead of ego and fear) would prevail. Jacob did not seek revenge on Ben. If anything, through Ilana, Ben was given another chance.

I think the writers of Lost are telling us that if we are to survive as a species, we would be better to let our good hearts rule instead of that part of ourselves called ego. There has been a war going on here on earth at least as long as recorded history. The war that's coming on Lost is nothing new.

I don't think Jacob wants anyone to believe in him. He wants the candidates to follow the path of the heart, the path of compassion, the moral path. He doesn't want to be worshiped. There are no Jacob statues on the island. No Jacob Days. No Jacob icons at all. He's a humble guy.

Jacob is a guide, not a manipulator. He is like a good father. He is like a good teacher. He nudges you along your path. He watches you to see how you're doing. He does not issue ultimatums. When have we heard an ultimatum from Jacob? Like a good father, Jacob wants his "children" to chose right for its own sake. Not because he says it's right. But because it is right.

Jacob wants people to know in their hearts what is good. He is so sad when they let ego and the thirst for power rule their souls.

On a scale, living from your heart is white. Living for power is black. As Dogen said, we have both black and white tendencies in our souls. We have to chose which path to follow. Our choices color our souls mostly white or mostly black. It is all about choice.

So, you could say Jacob is about choice. I'm not going to say free will because there is so much conflict about what free will actually means in a world in which we live with only limited choice: because of our station in life, our physical capabilities, our age (how many of us wouldn't have chosen more wisely as kids had we only known then what we know today?).

Jacob wants the candidates to make the best possible choice, given what they know at the time.

MIB only wants people to do his bidding. It's all about him, all the time. He is a sick puppy. Just like Ben was. Just as Locke had been in his wheelchair.

To recap, Lost is about turning away from ego and fear-based decisions toward the path of the heart and compassion. This is what redemption is all about.

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