Being 'Special' - Connections by Suttree

So after Across the Sea, I have started to put a few odds and ends together, some fit and some don't but I think it's good to get a few of these out there.

Firstly, we now know a bit more about the people who are 'special'.
Which characters have we been told are special?

-Walt
-Locke
-Hurley
-Desmond
-The Man in Black

Walt

I can't really go in depth about Walt because he's been out of the picture for quite some time now but we know there is some mystery surrounding him. For example how he appeared to Locke on the island. Was this the Man in Black? How could he appear as Walt if Walt isn't dead? Maybe it wasn't the Man in Black, and if it was, maybe Walt being 'special' is part of the reason why he could appear as him. Who knows.

Locke

After Across the Sea we seem to have the answer to why Locke saw a "beautiful light" when he saw the monster in Season One. Because it came from The Source, which the Man in Black himself called 'beautiful' when he saw it. Might be a coincidence but I think this is definitely Darlton's way of giving us the info we need to join the dots.
In terms of Locke being special, this is questionable because all that mumbo jumbo about him being special from Season One to Five can now be seen as part of the Man in Black's long con, on the other hand Locke HAS become important because he is now the Man in Black's default form and Locke's personality seems to be seeping through a little too much for MiB's liking. (Remember him shouting "Don't tell me what I can't do!" in The Substitute) Maybe taking Locke's form will turn out to be the MiB's downfall? Then in a sense Locke was special after all, at the very least important. We'll see.

Hurley, Desmond and The Man in Black

This is where it gets interesting, although I don't have a lot to go on. These three characters have become of major importance this season. The Man in Black has emerged as the shows true protagonist, Hurley has been guided by Jacob to help the candidates and Desmond now seems to be the secret weapon to destroy the Man in Black for good.

After Across the Sea we found out that the Man in Black, like Hurley, could see dead people. Jacob couldn't. Maybe this gift had some role to play in how he actually became the smoke monster which relies so much on the dead. We also know, from The Last Recruit that Desmond too can see dead people. (He saw the boy in the jungle, which Sawyer and many other characters didn't). Why? Because he is special too.

Ofcourse we know Miles can talk to the dead, but he can't see ghosts (that we know of) His talent is much different and more "scientific" as opposed to the "faith" based talents of these characters. Although Desmond definitely seems to be a bit of both.

Now I don't have a big shocking conclusion, but I think we now have enough information to link these characters together and I think they will all play a major role in the end game of Lost. After seasons of knowing certain characters are special, but being frustrated as to why, at least now we can see they all have common traits.

What exactly defines being special on Lost may never be explicitly stated but I think we can gather that they are not bound by the same laws of physics and reality that ground the rest of the characters.