the island from the beginning - short and sweet - kinda' by mr_shawnconnor

The light that is inside the island and inside us is what we (the watchers of the show, humans) would consider to be alien (most likely extra-dimensional). It is an essence that imbues and enacts all living things with a kernal of conscious thought, perhaps for a purpose (its own survival, something sinister, something majestic), or perhaps not.

The island is what it is because its the place where either the aforementioned essence landed on this planet sometime ago, or its the reason (because of its electromagnetic gravity?) that this planet formed with the components necessary for its (unknown) purpose.

Allison Janney was just another in a line of people that felt the island needed protecting.

Jacob and MIB (Samuel) happened because Allison Janney went crazy over time, perhaps being traumatized by some of her contemporary losties, and because somehow she too became a smoke-monster.

The smoke-monster may be a parasitic aspect of the aforementioned essence, intent on leaving the island (the culmination of its purpose having been achieved), it may be the dark balance necessary for the light to exist, or it may more simply be the soul of an electromagnetically enabled and embittered child.

Everyone brought to the island, after Jacob and MIB, was brought there to correct Jacob's mistake (creating an angry smoke-monster intent on escape).

Dharma happened so that the incident could happen so that Desmond could press and not press the button (crashing 815), and then turn the failsafe key so as to become electromagnetically immune, so that he could pull the plug, making Jacob's mistake (MIB) mortal, so that Jack (of 815) could kill him fulfilling the purpose of his soul cluster and allowing it to move on.