i think the black rock is more important than they are showing so far. its possible the black rock, once it wound up on the island, probably due to one of the original inhabitants moving it and it popping up under the ship, has relevance to the people that we see on the island. its possible that richard was a crewmember of that ship. also mikhail. most likely some of the others. maybe the ship had more important cargo on it as well as the slaves. its possible the island wanted something or someone off of that ship and it made the ship come to the island. maybe richard was chosen by the island to crash there. richard may have got off of the ship once it crashed and stumbled across the ancient temple that was already there. he went inside got "infected" therefore not aging anymore. its possible whoever is "sick" doesnt age. they have not showed us what happens to people once they get infected and dont get killed ri! ght away. its also probable that inside the temple, there is a time warp or a way to travel to and from the island. thats how richard would be able to go anywhere on the mainland at pace that he showed when they picked up the man from tallahasee. it would take at least 3days to fly there/ travel with boat/ and find cooper. they were back right away. richard may be one of the only people on the island who has been inside the temple and when they were going there as a last resort to hide from keamy, they were only doing so because ben was being selfish and didnt want them to find him and he knew smokie would stop keamy from getting into the temple. its possible the only time ben has been in the temple was when he was healed by richard. the reason richard isnt the leader is because he cant lead. he has other things to do on the island that are very important that we have yet to see, therefore making it necessary for him to find a capable leader at every opportunity. he isnt th! e leader, but he is the man who knows all about the island, be! cause he has been there since the black rock crashed and hasnt aged at all since due to the fact he is infected. richard will end up being integral in saving the island because he is possesed by the island.. Theory by gearsking
