The following premises keep the time-travel paradox in check and provide the groundwork for understanding how the flashbacks and flash-forwards work, what The Island really is and why our losties are losing it.
Premise #1: There is only ONE physical reality on LOST, and it is a linear reality because the physical mind can only move along a continuous line and can only move forward through experiences to its endpoint (physical death).
For our losties, linear reality is a multicolored zip cord. As Daniel has explained, our losties' PHYSICAL existence is like a wheel/thingy anchored to this zip cord that keeps them moving forward (and only forward) in real time.
Imagine cruising along the zip cord as it changes colors: first red, then blue, then orange, and so on. Think of each time frame the island shifts to as a different color on the zip cord.
There is no cord jumping allowed, and all of our losties are hanging together under that wheel/thingy. This is why they all stay together despite the random shifting of The Island.
Premise #2: Our losties only physically exist in the present.
The flashbacks work in the same way. Since the flashbacks are in the past, they are nothing memories for our losties. They can't be reality because they don't exist in physical reality any longer. This is why they can't be changed. As Daniel explains, the past has already happened. It's over.
The FLASH-FORWARDS, however, are a tricker business, which will be discussed in a bit, but let's focus on this material fact: In LOST, functional, physical reality can only exist in the present, the current spot on the zip cord.
Premise #3: Physical reality and linear time do not apply to the conscious mind (a.k.a. conscious self).
The conscious identity (a.k.a. consciousness, spirit, or soul) is the weirdo part of us that makes us "human." It exists within the physical body, but doesn't follow any of its rules of time, space, or singularity.
Time is a construct. It is not natural or instinctive. This means we MAKE it. We put it on, like clothing. Even when lucid and awake, we have no control over how long an experience "feels" to us. A year can feel like a month and 5 minutes can feel like 5 days (in like at the DMV, for example).
The physical laws of time/space are irrelevant as well. There are no rules limiting when or where we can go. And as our conscious identity wanders around, we live the experiences in our heads. We can be at grandma's house 30 years ago, then on a first date tomorrow night, and then watching ourselves put our keys away an hour ago (so we can find them again) -- all without consequence.
In our memories and imagination, everything we see, touch and hear SEEMS real. However, our sensations in memory and imagination are not the same kind of "real" we experience with our physical bodies. They are an excellent imitation, an in-house simulation of the real world. This is why our memories don't physically harm us. This is why we can distinguish our dreams and imaginations from reality.
Our minds jump, float and dive seemlessly between our in-house simulation and our immediate physical experience (reality). This is how we are able to work at our desk, but actually be reliving prom night, 20 years ago. (This is also how a woman is able to have sex with her husband, but also simultaneously enjoy an alternative partner that suits her mood.) Our minds prioritize reality when appropriate to protect us, when a bus is about to mow us down, or keep us blended into society around us (when the boss is coming around the corner).
Premise #4: DREAMS are the conscious self's activities when completely freed from restraint by the physical body (but still limited by memory and imagination). This is UN-directed dreaming.
When we are asleep or unconscious, our physical bodies switch off for the duration. In layman's terms, this is when our sub-conscious takes over, and we dream. Again, anything is possible, but our dreams continue to conform to what is basically familiar to us.
To keep things simple, however, let's agree to call sleeping the conscious identity's free-time with no one in the driver's seat, or UN-directed dreaming.
Directed dreaming, a form of meditation, takes place when we are able to "ride the fence" between being awake and being asleep. We keep ourselves in the driver's seat, guiding our dreams as they unfold.
Premise #5: On LOST, sleeping and death are only separated by a beating heart.
When we put down the book we are reading, the story stops cold. It does not continue without us, like our favorite show does when we switch off the television. Until we pick up that book and resume reading it, nothing happens.
When we sleep, the same phenomenon applies to our physical bodies. When we lay ourselves down and drift off (or if we are knocked out with medication), our "book" is on the table. When our physical bodies cease to function (in physical death), our book is never picked up again.
On LOST, this analogy ONLY applies to the physical body. The conscious self is like a television signal to the physical body's T.V. The conscious self does NOT disappear when the T.V. is off or absent.
When Myles speaks to the dead, he is communicating with conscious selves that once belonged to living, physical beings. He refers to Naomi's body as a "piece of meat" when her conscious identity is no longer attached to it. He can speak to her both to ask and answer her questions. When passing over the shallow graves of Rousseau and Carl, Myles can hear their memories (moment of their physical deaths).
CONCLUSION:
These simple premises allow LOST storytelling to continue without creating the "I killed my grandfather" time-travel complex. They also explain, through visual clues in the show, What (TF) is going on. Theory by aohora
Premise #1: There is only ONE physical reality on LOST, and it is a linear reality because the physical mind can only move along a continuous line and can only move forward through experiences to its endpoint (physical death).
For our losties, linear reality is a multicolored zip cord. As Daniel has explained, our losties' PHYSICAL existence is like a wheel/thingy anchored to this zip cord that keeps them moving forward (and only forward) in real time.
Imagine cruising along the zip cord as it changes colors: first red, then blue, then orange, and so on. Think of each time frame the island shifts to as a different color on the zip cord.
There is no cord jumping allowed, and all of our losties are hanging together under that wheel/thingy. This is why they all stay together despite the random shifting of The Island.
Premise #2: Our losties only physically exist in the present.
The flashbacks work in the same way. Since the flashbacks are in the past, they are nothing memories for our losties. They can't be reality because they don't exist in physical reality any longer. This is why they can't be changed. As Daniel explains, the past has already happened. It's over.
The FLASH-FORWARDS, however, are a tricker business, which will be discussed in a bit, but let's focus on this material fact: In LOST, functional, physical reality can only exist in the present, the current spot on the zip cord.
Premise #3: Physical reality and linear time do not apply to the conscious mind (a.k.a. conscious self).
The conscious identity (a.k.a. consciousness, spirit, or soul) is the weirdo part of us that makes us "human." It exists within the physical body, but doesn't follow any of its rules of time, space, or singularity.
Time is a construct. It is not natural or instinctive. This means we MAKE it. We put it on, like clothing. Even when lucid and awake, we have no control over how long an experience "feels" to us. A year can feel like a month and 5 minutes can feel like 5 days (in like at the DMV, for example).
The physical laws of time/space are irrelevant as well. There are no rules limiting when or where we can go. And as our conscious identity wanders around, we live the experiences in our heads. We can be at grandma's house 30 years ago, then on a first date tomorrow night, and then watching ourselves put our keys away an hour ago (so we can find them again) -- all without consequence.
In our memories and imagination, everything we see, touch and hear SEEMS real. However, our sensations in memory and imagination are not the same kind of "real" we experience with our physical bodies. They are an excellent imitation, an in-house simulation of the real world. This is why our memories don't physically harm us. This is why we can distinguish our dreams and imaginations from reality.
Our minds jump, float and dive seemlessly between our in-house simulation and our immediate physical experience (reality). This is how we are able to work at our desk, but actually be reliving prom night, 20 years ago. (This is also how a woman is able to have sex with her husband, but also simultaneously enjoy an alternative partner that suits her mood.) Our minds prioritize reality when appropriate to protect us, when a bus is about to mow us down, or keep us blended into society around us (when the boss is coming around the corner).
Premise #4: DREAMS are the conscious self's activities when completely freed from restraint by the physical body (but still limited by memory and imagination). This is UN-directed dreaming.
When we are asleep or unconscious, our physical bodies switch off for the duration. In layman's terms, this is when our sub-conscious takes over, and we dream. Again, anything is possible, but our dreams continue to conform to what is basically familiar to us.
To keep things simple, however, let's agree to call sleeping the conscious identity's free-time with no one in the driver's seat, or UN-directed dreaming.
Directed dreaming, a form of meditation, takes place when we are able to "ride the fence" between being awake and being asleep. We keep ourselves in the driver's seat, guiding our dreams as they unfold.
Premise #5: On LOST, sleeping and death are only separated by a beating heart.
When we put down the book we are reading, the story stops cold. It does not continue without us, like our favorite show does when we switch off the television. Until we pick up that book and resume reading it, nothing happens.
When we sleep, the same phenomenon applies to our physical bodies. When we lay ourselves down and drift off (or if we are knocked out with medication), our "book" is on the table. When our physical bodies cease to function (in physical death), our book is never picked up again.
On LOST, this analogy ONLY applies to the physical body. The conscious self is like a television signal to the physical body's T.V. The conscious self does NOT disappear when the T.V. is off or absent.
When Myles speaks to the dead, he is communicating with conscious selves that once belonged to living, physical beings. He refers to Naomi's body as a "piece of meat" when her conscious identity is no longer attached to it. He can speak to her both to ask and answer her questions. When passing over the shallow graves of Rousseau and Carl, Myles can hear their memories (moment of their physical deaths).
CONCLUSION:
These simple premises allow LOST storytelling to continue without creating the "I killed my grandfather" time-travel complex. They also explain, through visual clues in the show, What (TF) is going on. Theory by aohora
