What all men have, but want more of by Cerberus108

I've posted some theories before about how Smokey is the Past and Jacob is the protector of the Future. After Across the Sea, we were left with enough ambiguity to make this theory still plausible. I just finished writing a theory on how Lost writers purposefully leave us in the dark so that our imaginations start working to fill in the blanks, and in this sense, ANYONE'S theory on Lost is correct. Well, I still stand by that, but it doesn't stop me from making my own opinions :)

So, here it is. The Mother in the last episode said the Light in the cave was something all men had, but want more of. This is actually very similar to a riddle I've heard before, and the answer is Time. Take all of your quantum physics and alternate reality theories, time traveling and religious ideas, and think about how none of it would exist if we didn't have Time. It is the most precious thing for mankind, because above all else it allows us to exist.

When Desmond was jumping through time and alt universes, he needed a Constant to keep him from going crazy and dying. A Constant is something that roots your consciousness to that time frame, and keeps you from drifting too far. Everyone needs one, because in all their alternate lives, there is one thing that remains the same. Now, apply this idea to the Island. In any universe or time period, the Island is there. It is the Constant of the World itself.

Human consciousness, the fabric of reality, time- it all begins there. The heart of the Island is where life itself begins and ends. If it were to ever be removed from the Island, it would disrupt all life as we know it, and rip time apart. Our worlds would collide, our brains would explode, and time would wink out of existence eventually. This is what Dharma realized, and they foresaw the end of not just our world, but all worlds. The Future would cease to exist if anything were to happen to this Light.

Smokey fits into all this because he was, as far as we know, the first consciousness to be submerged in the energy. He became one with it, and this affected all of time itself. He took on attributes that were attracted towards him, negative ones. He became everything in time that people feared, hated, regretted- all the things which took place in their Past. He became the Past itself, and gained all these powers from that. He can emulate lost loved ones, animals that we recollect; he can become whatever he needs to become in order to persuade us we have no choice, no free will, no ability to influence the future. Jacob, on the other hand, reminds us constantly we can make choices, we can change the outcome of the future. As he said in Ab Aeterno, "I bring people to the Island, and when they get here... their past doesn't matter."

I think Lost has always been a war over Time itself. The Past and the Future are colliding right here, and everyone is caught up in the middle of it. Depending on the characters' choices or lack thereof, time might cease to exist. I'm certain that won't be the case, though, and I'm excited to see how this battle is resolved.

Please feel free to share any of your own theories related to this one. I tried to make this short, but there's virtually no end to the possibilities it presents.