Flashback, Flashforward, Flashsmoke? by Gavin

I keep going back and forth with what I think the flashes this season are and I just thought of another idea.

First I thought the flashes were mirroring on island choices. For instance Ben is with Jacob now, redemption by saving Alex. Jack is with Jacob, redemption with the daddy issues. Hurley is with Jacob, lucky lottery winner now. Sayid is with Smokey, no redemption, still a killer. Jin is with Smokey, still presumably involved with the mob. So it would appear that the island could be a staging ground where your choices there allow you to make better choices in the real world, or give you better Karma.

But where else have we seen flashes before on the island? How about with Smokey.

Just before Eko was killed by smokey we caught a glimpse of the smoke monster and saw different images presumably of Eko's life flashed before him. Smokey seems to have an electricity to him that can flash images to people.

What if the flashes this season are lives Smokey is showing to the candidates that they could have if they leave with him? The producers have always said they'd get to what the black smoke is in the final season and I would be very suprised if they just left us with "It's Jacob's nemesis portrayed by John Locke and it's evil." Revealing that the flashes are being shown by Smokey would knock two GIANT mysteries off the list.

This could also explain why John Locke has a flash. He has described looking at the black smoke as something beautiful which would be his life with Helen and his good relationship with his father.

What do you think?