Eastern and Western conceptions of time and desire are the two sides in Lost by Dan

I posted a similar theory after The Incident, but with new information in season 6 comes refinement. If we go back to Jacob and the MiB's debate on the beach as the Black Rock arrives on the Island Jacob insists that the MiB is wrong to think things always end the same way. Jacob sees history as being open to progress and change and is optimistic enough to believe that change will occur and a finale will lead to all the failures of the past being seen as progress in light of his final argument against the MiB's insistence on repetition of outcomes.

A brief interlude. Western religions starting with Judaism or Zoroastrianism see history as going somewhere. Zoroastrianism saw two equal deities battling and the decisions humanity made between good and evil decided the ultimate winner. This may be one way to look at Lost and Jacob/MiB. Other western faiths are more optimistic that the kingdom of God wins out in the end. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all have some version of the pattern of God reveals a plan, people wait and endure ups and downs, but in the fullness of time God and goodness win. Jacob in the Incident is reading All that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor who writes dark visceral fiction about people in a very fallen world, but her fiction is quite Christocentric and ultimately optimistic as well. The title of the book comes from Jesuit Paleontologist and Theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who sees all human effort, all biological evolution and all cosmic events as pushing toward an end poi! nt - Point Omega. Teilhard also takes suffering seriously viewing all growth and achievement in the universe as the body of Christ and all suffering and diminishment in the universe (human, animal, plant etc.) as the blood of Christ. Teilhard saw God as consecrating the entire universe in a creative act that is extended throughout time and only complete at the end. (It only ends once everything else is progress ...)

Eastern faiths tend to see time as cyclical. It is cold this December, it was cold 20 Decembers ago and will be cold 20 Decembers from now. Time is a cycle. In Hinduism birth and death and rebirth are a cycle. One might after a very long time be able to escape the cycle of birth and death. In Hinduism this release from the cycle is known as Moksha. It is achieved by seeing through the illusions (maya) and understanding that all is one and division/particularity/identity are illusions. In Buddhism, one can achieve Nirvana and become free of this cycle of suffering by losing desires and attachments. ("a life without attachments" was a line from Happily Ever After uttered by Charles Widmore to Desmond in the Sideways world.)

Man in Black and Widmore in the sideways universe seem to take a Eastern view. Man in Black is tired of Jacob bringing people to the Island. It always ends the same way. The best way to deal with this is to escape the cycle and leave the Island. Sideways Widmore praises Desmond's life without attachments - something in Buddhism that would indeed be a great state of life. Rose and Bernard may have successfully been released from the cycle. No more backgammon, no more mousetrap, just a life of detachment.

Jacob and now Charlie and Daniel seem quite keen on people pursuing an end goal whether it be a victory in the argument with the man in black or simply finding true love. Charlie and Daniel put Desmond onto the path of attachments in the sideways universe. Eloise wants to be unburdened of the guilt of killing her son so she protects the sideways universe, but she does so due to attachments to Daniel. So she is not in a the same spot as Rose and Bernard. She has not opted out of the cycle. MiB seems to want to opt out of the cycle, but his issues have not allowed for him to shed all of his desires.

I think the 815ers will have to choose - a life with or without attachments.

If the starting point is the belief in an endless cycle of life and death on the island - escape may be the best and most moral step. If the starting point is belief that despite all of the loss that human efforts can lead to worthwhile culmination, then pursuit of that culmination is the best and moral choice. MiB is evil - depends on your starting point. Jacob is good - depends on your starting point.