In "Follow the Leader" Richard mentioned that the infamous COMPASS was a bit rusty and decayed after fifty years. That same compass goes back in time, where Richard originally obtains it, as we know. But the compass didn't get any YOUNGER when it traveled back, just like our Losties didn't get younger when they went back to 1977. People and items age normally, continually, even if they're looping.
What if Richard is in a loop after all? Jacob HAD to make him ageless to maintain the part of the timeline Richard's loop exists in, otherwise he'd age normally and die after only a couple loops, royally mucking up the timeline. ... Sort of like what might happen if the compass continues to age and decay until it crumbles into dust or something. Suddenly the timeline has no more compass. Course correction could work for the compass problem, perhaps? But maybe Richard is too important to just be course corrected, so he simply MUST be ageless. Him gone would be to
What if Richard is in a loop after all? Jacob HAD to make him ageless to maintain the part of the timeline Richard's loop exists in, otherwise he'd age normally and die after only a couple loops, royally mucking up the timeline. ... Sort of like what might happen if the compass continues to age and decay until it crumbles into dust or something. Suddenly the timeline has no more compass. Course correction could work for the compass problem, perhaps? But maybe Richard is too important to just be course corrected, so he simply MUST be ageless. Him gone would be to
