What if…
What if a person has to die and be resurrected in order to lead the others? What if Sayid shooting Ben (and Jack refusing to save Ben) actually is the reason that Ben becomes the leader of the others? I always assumed that Ben’s role in the Purge was the bargaining chip with Richard that made him the leader. But what if that’s just when Ben stepped into the role as leader? His worthiness to lead is because the island has ‘saved’ him, or because he has now sold his soul to the island for his life (which interestingly enough is not even a decision he makes but one that Kate makes for him!).
Sidenote: It’s interesting that Jack says that he’s come back on the island to do something, but what it is he doesn’t know yet. Maybe one of the things he was supposed to do was save Ben, which would have changed history. Maybe Jack’s stubbornness has messed things up royally once again!
During one of the flashes of the Losties, Locke talks to Richard. Richard tells him that he’s going to have to die, and the context seems to be in order to set things right again and save his friends’ What if Richard’s main point was ‘if you want to be our leader, you’re going to have to die, and then I’ll take care of the rest.’
We know that the hostiles/others built the landing strip; they were expecting the return of Locke. When we first see Locke alive again, he doesn’t know how he got there. He has no short-term memory, which fits in with what Richard told Sawyer and Kate about Ben’s memory if he saves him. What if Richard drags Locke’s dead body off the plane and to the temple to resurrect him? We know that Smokey likes to take lives, but what if in the temple Smokey also restores lives? The only flaw in this is that they didn’t land on the main island, where the temple and Smokey are. Kind of a big flaw, I guess.
Whatever the case may be, it seems obvious that the rules of life and death are different on the island. And something also went terribly wrong at some point, which is why women impregnated on the island cannot give birth to new lives. But I suppose that would be a whole other theory.
nice refreshing post, not only the rules of life and death, but the rules of space and time which may be intricately related.
This actually makes a lot of sense. I feel like a lot of people have speculated that Charles Widmore was a leader of the Others at some point or another until Ben tricked him into leaving the island. So if Charles had to sell his soul to the island like Ben did, this would make him immortal, correct? So in that episode when Ben visits Charles in his flat and Charles says, “Are you going to kill me Ben?” and Ben says, “We both know I can’t do that.” This would mean that Charles is immortal as well because he was once a leader of the Others.
I don’t know if that made any sense, but it made sense in my brain.
First of all I think we are meant to think that Jack not saving him/Sayid trying to kill him is what drove him into what he is today. In last week’s podcast the scenario of if you could kill Hitler as a child knowing what he will become would you? Damon Lindelof posed the theory that what if you tried to kill him and you failed. Then would you be responsible for what he became? That part made me believe that it is because of this incident that Ben becomes who he is when he’s older.
As for the Charles being immortal, I don’t think that that scene means that he’s immortal. I feel whatever is keeping Ben from killing Widmore is one of “the rules.” I also, think of how Michael couldn’t kill himself until he had fulfilled his destiny. I believe that somehow Ben and Charles both know that Charles is supposed to do something before the island lets him die. Now I have no idea how either of these men know that but…that’s what I believe
-Benhamine
bo_dough5, I certainly like your line of thinking on this theory!
I am currently working on a bit of a different angle. I don’t think that people are necessarily taken to the temple and are resurrected, so to speak. I believe it is a much more complex thing, that goes along the lines of a ritual/ceremony. Theory to follow…….
We definitely know Locke has been resurrected, and Ben would have to die, in order to be resurrected. I don’t think he is dead, anymore than I think Widmore is.
In saying that, it is not to take anything away from your theory, because I think you are on the right track!
Benhamine makes a very good point about Sayid and Jack bearing some responsibility for young Ben, and what Ben eventually becomes.
Very nice theory!
i don’t think smokey is there to bring back life, we are already told its a security system.
sayid shooting ben and jack not saving him is the reason he becomes the man he is, but that was the way it happened anyway according to what miles was telling them.
resurrection, i think, is a big part of the story and the island.i’ll post my theory on this shortly.
Locky doesnt remember how he got there or anything bc he is dead…in a coffin…so how should he remember
Thanks for all the replies! Dabs, I
I feel, as of now, that Smokey is kind of like a bouncer to the island. Smokey determines if you meet certain standards(most likely the will to sacrifice the right of innocence) and then proceeds to either kill you(access denied) or looks you in the face and sees that the island needs you(access granted). This is why John Locke had the ‘death stare’ and the island/Smokey realized he is fit and meets the standards. As for Ben, the son of a DHARMA worker, must meet with Smokey to see if he has the will. Just an idea, but could Smokey be the ‘Bouncer’ to the island and Jacob is the overall ‘boss/owner’. All at the same time having ‘temporary managers’ (leaders of the others). As for Richard Alpert, he could maybe be the island’s ‘Apprentice’ so to speak. Once again, this is just an idea as to what the different people are ‘destined’ to be on the island.
What sticks out to me Dabs about your comment is the word CEREMONIES. Where ya at.
Does anybody wanna hear a funny story?
yes
it’s the hippies verses the satanists
HBK, we know that this already happened. We’re not trying to say that Jack or Sayid could have done something different…because they didn’t. All that is being pointed out is the irony. Sayid tried to kill Ben to keep him from being what he is and Jack tried to just let him die (I know he says he believes that nothing can be changed…but I feel he doesn’t) to keep him from becoming what he is and yet their actions are what drove Ben into becoming what he is. It’s just ironic and that’s why it’s worth pointing out.
-Benhamine
Benhamine, that is called a predestination paradox. Its meaning is as follows:
A person(s), go back in time to stop or change something, and cause the very problem that they are trying to prevent.
But that cannot be correct, that is a paradox, and there are no paradox on Lost…
You’ve got a good point…I hadn’t considered that as a paradox but I see the problem. Sort of like which came first the chicken or the egg? Why would they come back to change it if it never happened to start with? So I guess they didn’t cause it, but it does seem like they are trying to lead us that way.
-Benhamine
Please read my theory just posted called “Just a Theory…” I cover this among many Lost misconceptions extensivly…
I agree. It definitely seems like they are trying to lead us in thinking that the Losties who are time-traveling have much to do with why the island is the way it is when they first land there. The H-bomb getting buried, the saving of Amy and the birth of Ethan, and now all of this with little Ben; the Losties played major roles in all these events.
Makes my head spin. It’s exactly like that movie Twelve Monkeys.