A theory on the most important part we so easily forget: the underlying MEANING of Lost by jc1funk

Lost is a rich tapestry of questions and mysteries that mirror our own struggle to understand the world, and this life that we live in. As with all good stories, the message is usually simple. This theory will try to uncover what that message is, and show how it ties together the characters, politics and mythology of the entire show.

It revolves around two main observations on Lost:

1. The line between good and bad is blurred, dependent on your point of view (another great Star Wars reference), and it's dynamic (it's always moving).

2. Those in leadership positions lead in the name of an unseen higher-power that requires a leap of faith from its followers.

First of all...
THIS IS LOST... THERE AIN'T NO POLITICS IN LOST?!

In Lost we see the manipulation of characters and communities. The concept of being a pawn in someone else's game is a well established theme. I will show how this serves as a direct allegory for a our relationships with both our political/financial and faith-based systems.


GOOD VS EVIL - JUST WHO IS ON WHICH SIDE? - AND THE ROLE OF REDEMPTION

In the first season we're pointed to the fact that Lost is about the conflict (or game) between light & dark (read:good vs evil).

From my point of view, it seems quite incongruent that this would be laid out so clearly, so EARLY in the first season, yet by the end of the second season, we have Ben (a "bad guy") stating "we're the good guys"... which leads us to now, watching the sixth and final season of Lost, where we still don't know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

Mystery makes great viewing, but I can't ever remember a show or movie that drew out this question in the narrative til so far into the final act.

So how did we get from such a clear demarkation of good vs evil to now, this big, blurred question mark over almost every character and motive? As with everything in Lost, there must be a reason, and i think that reason lies in the concept of redemption, a common theme throughout the show.

By redeeming oneself, one is able to cross from being "bad" to being "good". You could make the comparison to themes of redemption in Christianity and Islam and the ceremonies which deal with these in the community. Redemption is also important to non-religious folk. We apologize for and try to right our wrongs to this end.

We see this concept popping up in the ATL: subtle changes in characters that might indicate some sort of redemption. Eg. we see Kate go from threatening Claire with a gun to helping her to the hospital.

But why the never-ending ambiguity? Why can't good stay good, and bad stay bad? Answer: If the demarkation between good and bad is always moving, there can be no war, no conflict, just progress, because there are no clearly defined enemies. By eliminating the "option" to redeem (or see life from the other point of view), one creates a duality, the necessity for war.

You have to ask yourself: why are so many key characters so adamant in their foretelling of a coming war (Ben, Widmore, etc)? All the pieces already exist, so why are they not ALREADY at war?

The answer lies in the way our political structure constructs this divide FOR US, to justify war on our behalf. I believe we'll need to see something clear and definite happen in order for this "war" to truly begin. I believe this needs to be something that removes the balance between free-will and destiny, much as mis-information in the media takes away our choice between the two when voting for politicians that would send us to war.


SO WHY THE IRAQI DUDE? aka HE SURE AS HELL NEEDS SOME REDEEMING

Ever since I first saw Lost, I found it interesting that there would be an Iraqi character. At first the casting seemed quite benign, as a kind of "see-how-similar/human-we-all-are-despite-our-differences". Now, looking back over the last 5 years, I'm starting to see a bigger message unfold, that relates directly to America's involvement in the middle east; I believe Sayid's character may be have been the kernel for this.

A little background...

In a post-9/11 world we were faced with hard-lined political messages requiring us to pick a side. Either we were pro-democracy & western ideals, or we were not. This is a very black and white proposition which generated anti-american/western sentiment even within America, as is evidenced by the resurgence and popularity of conspiracy theories and expressions of opinion reminding us that America was not NECESSARILY "un-evil".

If you couple this political background with the notions of "a higher calling" that leads one to war, we wind up with a neat set-up for the allegory that underlies Lost: There is an incident which changes the world for ever (911/The incident) and which leads to war, a war that is waged in the name of either 1) a higher power requiring a leap of faith or 2) a political/financial system which excludes its follows from true interaction/free will (Middle Eastern Oil, GFC etc etc.)

In Lost, not only are the lines between good and evil constantly being moved, but the decisions that drive the participants from one side of the fence to the other are derived from an unseen, unheard-of party (Jacob), while the direct leaders (Ben, Widmore, Elouise, and even Richard) rely on the followers' faith to enact these so-called "orders from on high".

In this historical context, the direct parallel is to the faith-based religions that became so polarized by the events of 9/11: Islam & Christianity, and their "leaders", Bin Laden vs Bush. Each side waged war in the name of their religion, yet no one had direct proof that anyone had spoken to God or Allah and can prove their intentions. Sound familiar?

Both Islam and Christianity are good, yet both have their evils. In fact, both are so similar, it is only the human side, the leaders, their followers, and their interpretation of history that separates them.

Don't forget, Iraq was once an ally of America. In fact, just about all of America's allies were once foes or vice versa. The line marking the good guys from the bad has moved, constantly...

Hence the blurring of the line between good and evil in Lost. We are supposed to be looking in the mirror, seeing our world encapsulated in the island. Think of the island as representative of our "values". We fight for them, we fight over them; more often than not, we forsake them in the process.


PUT IT ALL TOGETHER & WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

It means Lost is a show that will resonate with people for a long time because it reminded us that there must be balance in everything. Good & bad, free will & destiny, light & dark, life & death, joy & misery...

None can exist without the other.

We only ever have our own path to follow, so we need to be able to navigate our way through these dichotomies, which is difficult when the world around us (politics, religion & media) wants us to pick and choose one side for each, mainly to serve their own agenda, which does not involve our free will.

Thanks for reading...