LOST, the final episode of this iconic TV drama broadcast last night in the US and at 5am here in the UK. Having watched LOST for 6 years I wasn't about to miss the live finale!
Although many on twitter and facebook found the finale disappointing I found it pretty good; The writers were obviously not going for a huge, big-bang of a message, one that would unlock the mystery of the island in one fell swoop.
And the reason is simple - the story was always about the human condition and this condition being what it is there is no single answer that unlocks the mystery of life for everyone at the same time. Viewers who really tried to understand the concepts in LOST will have walked away with a better understanding of themselves, hopefully.
For me there were two messages; the first a simple one and the other a metaphysical one:
Simple
Life is about positive relationships. That's it. In a nutshell. Think about your own life and what really matters. What's the big picture of your life? Is it being a decent loving person who cares about loved ones and family? Or is it about that job where you can make the most positive impact on those around you? A big salary? Volunteering your time to bring education to the poorest areas of the world? Inspiring others to be bigger than themselves in some way? All of these have one single lynchpin - positive relationships. Yep, even the 'big salary' option :) Of course, the reality is that not everyone is of this mindset and even some who are aware go about it the wrong way. But for all of us on this tiny rock there is only one thing that transcends all the simplistic, petty issues we trudge through every day - building better relationships with our loved ones, be they family, friends, neighbours etc - even though we don't all know it.
So, spend some time today talking to your loved ones. Pick up the phone and speak to them just for the hell of it; no particular reason necessary. Your life, and that of others will be instantly enriched, in the only way that is at all important. It is only in relationships that we'll find true knowledge.
Metaphysical
Hang on to your hats, this may get bumpy. I believe in life after death i.e. reincarnation. Although I'm a very scientific person in my thinking I also accept that there is something way bigger than I will probably ever understand. There have been too many coincidences in my life for me not to feel there is more than this single instance of being.
So, life after death. We naturally attribute the most importance to our 'life' i.e. this life, the one currenly being lived. And as an extension we believe this to be the more important part of the journey for the spirit - however, what if death is the true journey and every 'life' is just a pit-stop to pick up some more knowledge/understanding of our true purpose?
[SPOILER ALERT] In the final scenes everyone is gathered at the church (a church that is multi-religious as declared by the window with symbols from all the major religions) to have a final meet & greet before they 'leave' i.e. they are getting ready to 'let go' and 'move on'. Going back to my simple message above, all the characters had their own issues and demons that they were dealing with when they came to the island and together, sometimes united, sometimes opposed to one another in fatal ways, they experienced 'life' together and learnt something of themselves and their true purpose, before dying. It was away from the island, living what they thought were their 'true lives' that they realised they were already dead! They had learned all they needed to in this life (on the island) and they could now move on to continue the true journey i.e. what we call 'death'. LOST no more, as it were.
How's that for a roller coaster ride :)
LOST, you will be missed.
I've had my HTC Hero Android phone for about 8 months now and it's by far the best smartphone I've used. This, of course, is all down to the apps I use, so here are my 5 top recommendations - oh, and they're all free:
June 2010 heralds the coming of WordPress 3.0, an exciting release as WordPress matures from a blogging platform to a Content Management System (
CMS