My Stance On the Powers That Be by DaKlenke

Alright, so this specific theory is not directly related to my previous five theories, all of which try to explain how Desmond changed the intended timeline in Season 3. However, I do intend to connect this theory to that series at a later date. Look at it like my Desmond theories are my central thread, and although this theory may be a separate thread, eventually I intend for the two to entwine. So if you have not read Reconsidering the Events of Season 3, Parts 1-3, followed by Further Evidence of Desmond's Change, Parts 1 and 2, I recommend that you do so.

Furthermore, I know that since Jacob and MIB's introduction in "The Incident", many Lost fans have tried their best to explain who these guys are and what their motivations may be. This is my attempt at tackling those questions, and before I would begin, I would like to apologize if my ideas have been said before. As always, credit where credit is due.

In a nutshell, I believe that Jacob is the physical manifestation of Destiny (or for Dark Tower fans, Purpose) and that the MIB is the manifestation of Random Acts. You may realize instantly that I have not attributed free will to either of these entities, and that is because I believe that free will is a law that both entities must respect. The MIB makes a concerted effort to manipulate our characters, but in the end, they must make the choices that he wants on their own free will and accord. Jacob on the other hand does not manipulate (or at least not nearly as much) like MIB does, but rather, when someone makes a choice that goes against his intended plan, he is forced to course correct.
So when Lost is all over, I fully anticipate being able to go back and point out specific instances in which each of these entities has "interfered", the MIB in the form of random acts and Jacob in the form of course correction.

Now as to why I believe Jacob is Purpose, I have only a little evidence to provide. First and foremost is his tapestry. The idea of a powerful entity weaving a tapestry instantly makes me think of the three sisters of Fate from Greek mythology. The fact that Jacob has the very forethought to plan out a tapestry of that magnitude and then weave it to that level of perfection speaks volumes about his character. Now I am aware that Damon and Carlton are masters of misdirection, and if in the end Jacob does turn out to be the antithesis to destiny I wouldn’t be overwhelmingly surprised. However, for the sake of this theory, I am going to assume that the tapestry is not a red herring and that it is meant to indicate him being the man of destiny.

Speaking of red herrings, I would like to tackle that subject next. I imagine many of the people who will think I am wrong about Jacob will think so because of his apparent mortality when eating the red fish in the opening scene of “The Incident.” Now although the fish was not actually a red herring, I believe that for the intellectual audience that follows Lost, that’s what we were intended to take it as. The one and only piece of evidence that may indicate Jacob’s mortality is him eating a red herring. Damon and Carlton are not only masters of misdirection, but also masters of irony; the red herring is the red herring.

Next I would like to cover Jacob’s touch. His touch is the touch of Purpose and from the moment he touches our Losties, he puts them down the path to making choices he intends them to make. Now I use that last phrase intentionally because I believe that Jacob is more Purpose from Stephen King than he is your manifestation of classical destiny. What I mean to say is, Jacob isn’t the sort of destiny that acts as dictator to the way your life is lived, but rather, he puts little nudges and signs in place to point you in the right direction. I also imagine that Jacob would have enough foresight to predict how things will unfold given either bilateral choice one would make in any given situation and would then be able to plan accordingly. Basically, man has free will, but either choice man makes, Jacob has a Purpose for you.

As far as his touch is concerned, I believe that either two things (or both) happened; either a) Jacob directly instilled our Losties with a specific purpose having to do with the events on the Island, and/or b) he gave our Losties the ability to correct their pasts in the same manner that Desmond had the chance to do in Flashes Before Your Eyes. I would wager that both are accurate.

Now I cannot say what Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Jin or Sun's respective purposes are because simply, I don't believe we have seen them yet. I think that Locke's purpose should be pretty obvious. He was chosen by Purpose to be his enemies vessel. What Jacob's plan for Locke is in the future, I can only guess at and I don't intend to do that here, but I would be comfortable in saying that Jacob knew all along that his enemy would come in the form of Locke.
And for Sayid, I believe that Jacob intended for him to shoot Ben. I have a few reasons for drawing this conclusion. First, Jacob did not touch Sayid until after his return from the Island. After the crash of 316, Sayid truly accomplished two things on the Island before being shot; He shot Ben and he prepared the bomb for Jack. I don't have high hopes for Sayid next season and I fear his death may not be far off, so what he accomplished after Jacob's touch and before his imminent death are important.

Furthermore, Damon and Carlton have been confirmed as saying that Sayid shooting Ben, and Kate subsequently rescuing him by means of turning him over to Richard was a form of course correction. As I have stated earlier, I believe that course correction is Jacob's signature.
Finally, Sayid actually says that shooting Ben was his purpose. Why do we have to believe he was simply in shock at seeing a young Ben and misread the signs and assumed he was supposed to shoot him. Maybe Sayid truly knew, thanks to Jacob's touch, that this was why he ended up in 1977 and he made the CHOICE to adhere to his purpose. I want to point out the significance of Jacob not forcing Sayid to embrace his destiny, but rather, he leaves it up to free will.
As for the importance of Sayid shooting Ben, Richard said Ben would be changed forever and if this truly was an act of course correction then Sayid was meant to change something in the core of Ben's character. Maybe Jacob was teaching Ben to trust no one. Then again, maybe not. Either way, I think it is worth note that Jacob arranged for a change in the character of the man who ultimately kills him.

Now in regards to Sayid's role in the preparation of Jughead and the ensuing "Incident", I don't intend to touch on here. The importance of the events that took place at the Swan site during "The Incident" are of enough relevance to warrant their own theory and I don't wish to start on that here and now. Needless to say, I believe the explosion/implosion/flash in "The Incident" was an act of Jacob by means of his chosen disciples actions and choices.

Before continuing, I would like to warn anyone who has not read Stephen King's Insomnia who intends to, to proceed cautiously as there are spoilers. Now, moving on to my next piece of evidence, I would like to talk about Stephen King, of whom I have already alluded. Damon and Carlton have on several occasions given Stephen King credit as their inspiration for Lost. For those of you who may not have read any Stephen King, most if not all of his books are connected in some way or another to his magnum opus, the Dark Tower series. In said series, the events that transpire are heavily influenced by what the main character Roland refers to as "Ka", or destiny. In Insomnia, what Stephen King writes to be the keystone book to the Dark Tower series (although not directly a part of the series), it is explained by higher beings that there are entities even higher up the ladder that are more easily identified as Purpose and Random. These beings explain that there are two sides ! in a much larger game, one side being Purpose and one side being Random. Random was responsible for all the unintended tragedies that have ever occurred and these higher beings refer to Random's acts as a means to balance Purpose.

In Insomnia specifically, the higher being that acts as an underling to Random does something that could potentially offset the balance between Random and Purpose on a massive end-of-the-universe level.

What I propose is this idea of Random versus Purpose was adopted by the Lost writers, similar to how Flash Forward adopted ideas from Lost; respectfully and with credit given. I also believe that, just like in Stephen King's universe, everyone is either a creature of Purpose or is claimed by the Random. Furthermore, I pose that what we have seen is Random's (MIB) attempts at drawing the Losties to the Island in hopes of making a loop hole from which the death of Purpose is possible. I would like to be clear when I say that Jacob is most certainly aware of this attempt.

Need proof? Well lets look at the events surrounding what brought our Losties to the Island. Picking up with my favorite character to write about, Desmond, lets look at the day in which he crashed flight 815. The only reason Desmond was unable to push the button on time that day was because he followed Kelvin out of the Swan and to the shore, where he ends up unintentionally killing Kelvin because he was planning to use Desmond's boat for escape. Now, I would like to point out that the only reason Desmond knew it was ok to follow Kelvin out was because there was a tear in Kelvin's radiation suit. That tear was the Random act that lead to our Losties landing on Destiny's Island (I prefer Purpose but you get the idea).

I believe that the tear in Kelvin's suit was a random thing done intentionally by the entity Random, more commonly known as MIB. I would again like to point out that MIB does not directly force Desmond to leave the Swan, but rather, he manipulates things to encourage Desmond to make the CHOICE to leave. A distinct but noteworthy point.

And with that said, I believe I have written enough for now on this subject matter. If further clarification is required on my part, which I am sure there will be, than I will most definitely write more on the matter. For now, I am turning my focus onto the actual events of Season 5 and how each defining moment can be attributed to the respective entities. Please keep your comments and criticisms respectful and if you disagree, please explain why so I can take your disparities into consideration and hopefully come up with an answer.
Thanks again.