Solving a problem through the flashing of the mind.
Last week I read what I thought was a very original, very simple but brilliant theory regarding the Alt Universe (AU) which has inspired me to develop and write my own with similar content. Just quickly, I’ll acknowledge chrischapman1992 and his theory called ‘transport consciousness in time’ was the thread that really got me thinking.
So to begin with, we have 2 universes at the moment; the original one that is in 2007 and the alternate one that is in 2004. A few episodes ago we discovered that through either a near death experience or through a powerful sense of love in the AU, one can “remember” events from the original timeline due to what has now been described as mind flashing. The funny thing about these mind flashes is that the Losties are seeing events that have happened in the future (when you take into account where they are in time). In essence they are having a mind-flash forward and a mind-flash sideways at the same time.
The person that has instigated all this flashing is Desmond, with the help of Widmore I might add. Desmond apparently “knows what to do” with regards to this AU and this mind-flashing but we as the viewers are still in the dark as to what Desmond’s intentions are and how the AU fits into the story.
To understand what might be happening and to have what I feel is an educated guess we need to go back to when Desmond visited Faraday at university. Fararday was conducting an experiment with a mouse called Eloise whereby he was teaching her how to run through a maze. The unique thing about this experiment was Faraday’s method of teaching the mouse. Faraday sent Eloise’s mind into the future, taught her how to run the maze there and then brought her mind back to the present; the result being that the mouse could successfully run the maze. Basically her mind was flashed to the future so she could gain the knowledge of how to solve a problem in the present.
This is what I believe is happening now in Lost.
I believe that the AU is the real universe. I believe that through all the mind-flashing sideways and to the future, the Losties are gaining and will gain very important knowledge. It will be this knowledge from the future (original universe) that will help them solve a problem in their present (AU), just like Eloise the mouse. I suppose it’s equally plausible though that the knowledge they are gaining in the AU could be used to solve a problem in the original universe, but hey, that’s another theory.
I could develop this some more but I’m not going to. I’m just going to keep it short and sweet. This is basically my take on what the Alternate universe is and a possible idea as to its purpose. Feel free to mock but i think this idea is really good if i do say so myself!!!!
And just one small point to finish on; maybe solving the problem is how you gain the knowledge to complete/finish the game (being as Lost seems now to be one big game)…………….
I think its brilliant to think back to the “Mouse Trap” maze moment!! Why didnt we analyse this earlier??
The only thing I worry about, is that the mouse had a similiar problem to solve: get out the maze.
In AU, the mice (losties) are facing a different environment to the one their future selves are facing.
For example if the mouse from the past was faced with a different maze, its future consciousness would not be able to help it, as a new route would be required?
I dont know if I made sense there – but the fact the Losties are not on a plane crash on the island means something has changed in terms of the problem that needs solving no??? Or at least the way to solve whatever that problem.
i know exactly where you’re coming from nachochris and you do make sense.
probably the best way to counter this argument is this; there are so many similarities between events in the AU and the original timeline, its just the one timeline is on the Island and one is off. for example, Jack saved Charlie in a very similar many to on the island. I know there are many more incidents that are almost identical, it’s just i haven’t wanted to rewatch any of S6 again so i cant think of them off the top of my head – sorry.
the way one could view it is this: the maze/puzzle/game that the Losties are trying to complete remains the same, it’s just the playing board (on or off the island) that is different. And as the puzzles that need completing relate to morals, good, evil, faith, love etc, these things are constant no matter what universe you are in.
the game is the same, the playing field is different.
Cool!
other examples:
Kate helping deliver Aaron
Desmond and Charlie under water (car crash and underwater station)
etc etc
Sounds correct, it works.
I like this. Makes sense.
Thanks ScrollLocke, yeah it was one of the few theories i have written that i believe actually has made sense and is something that i myself believe could be true. I just loved chrischapman1992’s ideas about how simple and plausible they seemed and i had to develop them some more.
As we know, sense and logic are quite hard to come by in Lost at the moment!!
Building on your theory Nachochris. I believe we may find that Jack and Locke and possibly MIB all have Daddy issues and that the operation Jack wants to perform on Locke will have an effect on MIB. It could work out that a successful operation on Locke will cause MIB to need a new body to occupy.
I like your thinking. Are you saying you think the Alt universe is the “Real World”? If so, I definitely agree (if you have read my theories/comments before).
JacobsDoubleWide, glad you like it. Yes, primarily i believe that the Alt universe will be the real world in the end. the original timeline is where the Losties will discover how to escape the puzzle/maze they are within, in the Alt universe and the information will be passed via the mind flashes.