This is a relatively minor theory, but I believe it can explain quite a bit.
Desmond took injections in The Swan every 9 days; this we've established seasons ago. I believe that somehow, the injections gave Desmond some sort of resistance to being in such close proximity to The Swan's electromagnetic field for such a long period of time. I believe that these vaccinations were done in order to prevent the residents of the Swan from feeling the effects of being so close to the electromagnets on the other side of the wall within the Swan. But we never had any idea what those side effects would be, until the end of season 4.
I believe strongly that the electro-magnetism in The Swan, and the immense source of power located in The Orchid are somehow interconnected. I think that the two exist as a ying and yang to each other; providing balance within the Island.
The incident was likely when Faraday somehow attempted to unleashed the power of the Donkey Wheel chamber, which knocked the Island out of sync with itself. One source of power became too strong, and if that happened, the Island would become permanently unstuck in time. The ancient people who built the 4-toed people knew of this, and created the Donkey Wheel to somehow contain the power.
All of a sudden, once Faraday tried to use the Donkey Wheel's power and caused the incident, the Dharma Initiative went into panic mode. Faraday eventually helped the Dharma initiative somehow create a stable path to the Donkey Wheel, as evidenced by Ben's ability to get to it at the end of season 4.
After the incident, Dharma knew that they had to do something, or the Island as they knew it would cease to exist. Hence, they converted the Swan, from being merely a psychological testing area to see how humans deal with isolation, to a stop-gap to prevent the Island from losing it's cohesion. When the button failed to be pushed, the Island started losing it's cohesion again, and became visible to the world for a brief moment before the fail-safe was turned. I don't know exactly what the fail-safe did, but I would guess it somehow allows the island to discharge excess electro-magnetic energy, however in an unsafe way. Kelvin or Desmond referred to the swan as a dam. Now that the button is gone, the hole in the dam is getting larger and larger, until the entire dam breaks down. When this happens, the earth's magnetic field abruptly changes.
When Desmond turned the fail-safe, he truly became unglued from normal time--or, as normal as time could be on the Island. The long term effects of the vaccination allowed Desmond to be mostly unharmed due to the discharge. The combination of the vaccines and the electro-magnetism he was exposed to when he turned the fail safe made Desmond able to see possible incarnations of the future. However, he wasn't correct in his visions--after all, Claire never got on the helicopter.
If Desmond wasn't on the Island, then after Radzinsky killed himself, it is likely that in due time, Kelvin Joe Inman would have killed himself too, leaving no one to push the button, hence destroying the Island, and by extension, the world.
Hence, I've come to the conclusion that the Island is some sort of nexus for the entire planet. A place to keep the world in balance. In Islam, there is the belief that the rock in Jerusalem under the Dome of the Rock is the first place that God created when he created the world; almost as if that rock is the navel of the planet. The Island is similar; it is the center of balance for the entire planet. It skims across both space and time; being the protector of the entire planet.
The principal power and responsibility of the Island is to regulate the planet's Magnetic field. Science has proven that the magnetic field of the Earth has changed throughout our planet's history, realigning over various times. The island's movements have always been related. What were to happen if the Earth's magnetic field were to suddenly change?Vast, abrupt climate change. Any and all magnetic rocks in the Earth's crust would suddenly shift, causing massive earthquakes planet wide. This is why Desmond was so important. It's been strongly implied throughout the show that if Desmond never arrived on the island, everyone would be dead. This is why; the button wouldn't be pushed, and the magnetic field of the earth would change abruptly. More evidence? Faraday's law of induction involves changes in magnetic flux. (I won't claim to understand it).
I don't know much about the science involved, but I believe that there is likely a link between magnetic fields and space-time. If I were to take a stab at it, I'd say that with a strong enough electromagnetic force, space-time can be bent. Widmore wants to find the island to try to manipulate time, but he lacks an understanding of the "rules" discussed by Faraday and Mrs. Hawking. He will try to use the island--or perhaps, use Desmond due to his being "unique"--to manipulate the past for his own advantage. This is what Ben is trying to prevent. It's also likely that Walt has a similar ability; to bend space-time and manipulate the magnetic field to his own will, however on a subconscious level. Birds use the magnetic field to guide their migrations--hence, when Walt is distressed, he distorts the magnetic field and causes birds to fly into walls.
There have always been guardians of the island, to prevent these things from happening outside of their normal, regulated patterns--statue builders, hostiles, others--and now, the Survivors. However, if there are guardians, there are those whom it must be guarded against--Black Rock survivors, Dharma, and now Widmore.
Theory by Mark
Desmond took injections in The Swan every 9 days; this we've established seasons ago. I believe that somehow, the injections gave Desmond some sort of resistance to being in such close proximity to The Swan's electromagnetic field for such a long period of time. I believe that these vaccinations were done in order to prevent the residents of the Swan from feeling the effects of being so close to the electromagnets on the other side of the wall within the Swan. But we never had any idea what those side effects would be, until the end of season 4.
I believe strongly that the electro-magnetism in The Swan, and the immense source of power located in The Orchid are somehow interconnected. I think that the two exist as a ying and yang to each other; providing balance within the Island.
The incident was likely when Faraday somehow attempted to unleashed the power of the Donkey Wheel chamber, which knocked the Island out of sync with itself. One source of power became too strong, and if that happened, the Island would become permanently unstuck in time. The ancient people who built the 4-toed people knew of this, and created the Donkey Wheel to somehow contain the power.
All of a sudden, once Faraday tried to use the Donkey Wheel's power and caused the incident, the Dharma Initiative went into panic mode. Faraday eventually helped the Dharma initiative somehow create a stable path to the Donkey Wheel, as evidenced by Ben's ability to get to it at the end of season 4.
After the incident, Dharma knew that they had to do something, or the Island as they knew it would cease to exist. Hence, they converted the Swan, from being merely a psychological testing area to see how humans deal with isolation, to a stop-gap to prevent the Island from losing it's cohesion. When the button failed to be pushed, the Island started losing it's cohesion again, and became visible to the world for a brief moment before the fail-safe was turned. I don't know exactly what the fail-safe did, but I would guess it somehow allows the island to discharge excess electro-magnetic energy, however in an unsafe way. Kelvin or Desmond referred to the swan as a dam. Now that the button is gone, the hole in the dam is getting larger and larger, until the entire dam breaks down. When this happens, the earth's magnetic field abruptly changes.
When Desmond turned the fail-safe, he truly became unglued from normal time--or, as normal as time could be on the Island. The long term effects of the vaccination allowed Desmond to be mostly unharmed due to the discharge. The combination of the vaccines and the electro-magnetism he was exposed to when he turned the fail safe made Desmond able to see possible incarnations of the future. However, he wasn't correct in his visions--after all, Claire never got on the helicopter.
If Desmond wasn't on the Island, then after Radzinsky killed himself, it is likely that in due time, Kelvin Joe Inman would have killed himself too, leaving no one to push the button, hence destroying the Island, and by extension, the world.
Hence, I've come to the conclusion that the Island is some sort of nexus for the entire planet. A place to keep the world in balance. In Islam, there is the belief that the rock in Jerusalem under the Dome of the Rock is the first place that God created when he created the world; almost as if that rock is the navel of the planet. The Island is similar; it is the center of balance for the entire planet. It skims across both space and time; being the protector of the entire planet.
The principal power and responsibility of the Island is to regulate the planet's Magnetic field. Science has proven that the magnetic field of the Earth has changed throughout our planet's history, realigning over various times. The island's movements have always been related. What were to happen if the Earth's magnetic field were to suddenly change?Vast, abrupt climate change. Any and all magnetic rocks in the Earth's crust would suddenly shift, causing massive earthquakes planet wide. This is why Desmond was so important. It's been strongly implied throughout the show that if Desmond never arrived on the island, everyone would be dead. This is why; the button wouldn't be pushed, and the magnetic field of the earth would change abruptly. More evidence? Faraday's law of induction involves changes in magnetic flux. (I won't claim to understand it).
I don't know much about the science involved, but I believe that there is likely a link between magnetic fields and space-time. If I were to take a stab at it, I'd say that with a strong enough electromagnetic force, space-time can be bent. Widmore wants to find the island to try to manipulate time, but he lacks an understanding of the "rules" discussed by Faraday and Mrs. Hawking. He will try to use the island--or perhaps, use Desmond due to his being "unique"--to manipulate the past for his own advantage. This is what Ben is trying to prevent. It's also likely that Walt has a similar ability; to bend space-time and manipulate the magnetic field to his own will, however on a subconscious level. Birds use the magnetic field to guide their migrations--hence, when Walt is distressed, he distorts the magnetic field and causes birds to fly into walls.
There have always been guardians of the island, to prevent these things from happening outside of their normal, regulated patterns--statue builders, hostiles, others--and now, the Survivors. However, if there are guardians, there are those whom it must be guarded against--Black Rock survivors, Dharma, and now Widmore.
Theory by Mark
