Lost in Thought: "The End"

Today I picked up "LOST: The Complete Collection" which included all six seasons in one package along with many other nifty extras. Normally, I wouldn't just pick up the entire collection when I already have 5 out of the 6 seasons already, but this was different. LOST really is an entire collection and now that I have seen the show, I can appreciate the entirety of the show. It was truly worth the investment of time and money into one of the most thought-provoking hours of television.

This is as good as any time to do a review of the show as any. I was away from my home computer and was not able to type out a review before, but I have just finished watching the special features of the final season (along with the last twenty minutes of the last episode) and now LOST is once again racing through my mind.

As silly as it is to admit, I have to say that the LOST finale was one of the things that actually impacted me this summer (along with many more important events) and as I watched the cast and crew review the creation of the last season, I was brought to tears and contemplated matters of my own life once more. I think the main reason that this show has hit me as hard as it has is the fact that this show focuses on the nature of humanity. Mind you, many movies, TV shows and books do that, but it may be one of the few that deals with the state of spirituality in the modern era.

When I was talking with Pastor Arden from Nelson (where I will be heading in just over a month), he pointed out that LOST highlights the need of spirituality that modern North American culture yearns for but has been disenfranchised with due to bad experiences with religion or unfamiliar with due to a lack of experience with religion. LOST is a summary of North American spirituality. Even though Lost is not a Christian show, it clearly tackles the same issue that Christianity (along with other world religions) addresses.

I know that many people were disappointed with the apparent lack of answers to many questions, I still feel that at the end of the show, all the major questions I had were addressed. Sure, there are many that were left hanging, but to go out of the way to answer it would have been answering it for the sake of answering it and thus taking away from the major narrative of the story. Although, a few of those questions were addressed in a special 10 minute segment made for the DVD. However, it would have been strangely out of place had they put those into the finale itself or really into the final season at all. For the sake of those who care to check it out, they talk about questions like "What was the deal with the palette drops in season 2?" or "What was so special about Walt?" It was interesting, but not necessary. Especially after watching the other special features and being again reminded of what that show was.

Lost had two major themes that came through out the show and that was the idea of community and redemption.

In season one the castaways were faced with a dire situation and they were deciding how to deal with things and it was pretty chaotic. It was at this point that Jack stepped forward and talked about how people needed to band together if they were to survive.

"Last week most of us were strangers. But we're all here now. And God knows how long we're going to be here. But if we can't live together—we're gonna die alone"

With that line, one of the foundations of the show was laid. Live together or die alone. There was multiple times in making the movie trailers throughout the summer that I referenced that idea and I even named one of my speeches at the Kootenay camp "Live Together or Die Alone". The flash sideways was used to underscore that main tenet of the show. Whatever happens in the after life, we are going to be facing it together. One of the thoughts I have had about death is that when we go to face our judgment, it is not going to be me facing God, but rather us as a humanity and it will be our ability to live as a people who took care of each like God commanded us that will be judged. God knows that we are not doing that now and it will have to be on the mercy of Jesus Christ that we are forgiven for failing as a humanity.

I think that we should not be simply concerned with our own personal redemption, but rather the redemption of humanity. It puts a different spin on why we do good works. It means that we do good works, not for the sake of salvation, but rather as an avenue to aid our fellow humanity who we are ultimately going to be linked with in the afterlife.

The other major theme is redemption which I have already touched on, but it specifically about how no matter our situation and background, we are capable of being redeemed. No one is beyond redemption and it is up to us to embrace that change in character. In the show, we have a group of people who are flawed, but in the situation they find themselves in on the island, they are brought to a place where they can find redemption and become the hero archtype that should be outside of their grasp.

In the same way, humanity are faced with situations and people who stand in their way and it is possible for a person to rise above and become the enlightened hero. We may not have to face a foe as powerful as Darth Vader, but like the characters in Lost, we may face people like a boss that bullies us or an impossible standard put before us by our father and our redemption and evolution into a person of a heroic archtype is found in the trials of our character along with the support of the community.

In the end, what I walk away with at the end of Lost is that people can be redeemed and that it is found through the power of the good community. Of course, I would submit that it also requires the pursuit of goodness that is found at the core of teachings of Jesus, but for a network television series to actually address anything of spiritual significance and in a profound way is amazing.

One of the reasons the ending of the show has impacted me as much as it did this summer was the imagery it used in the flash sideways. The idea that people would find each other in the afterlife before they move onto their final destination was fascinating. I was thinking about what would my flash sideways look like and I have a feeling that it would look like camp. A camp where the people significant would gather and it would be around the camp fire where we'd realize the significance of each other in each others lives. I can imagine some people would be around that fire and it is such an interesting exercise.

So my question to you is: Who would be in your flash sideways and what would it look like for you?

For me, Lost was a fantastic show that dealt with issues rarely touched by television and actually got me thinking inwardly as to where am I in the whole scheme of things and that is something I can't say for a lot of things. Kudos to the cast and crew to making one of the best shows on television.

(It kills me to quote a Creed song, but alas, the song fits perfect)

"Why hold down one to raise another?
Discrimination now on both sides
Seeds of hate blossom further
The world is heading for mutiny
When all we want is unity
We may rise and fall, but in the end
We meet our fate together"
- Creed's "One" from their album "My Own Prison"

Spoiler Alert: We All Die in the End

In a few days, it will be the twelfth anniversary of my dad's death. I have experienced my share of death in my day between my aunts and uncles, friends and acquaintances. Death is one of those subjects that is fascinating to me as I observe it in the North American context. I mean, I guess some of these observations may apply to the rest of the world, but I have not been to the rest of the world, so I feel I should qualify it.

The first is the curious reaction of Christians to death. In particular, reaction to other Christian's deaths. It seems as though when people mourn, it is expressed in such a way that seems like it is a permanent separation. That once a person dies, you will never find that person again, because I suppose they believe heaven's probably going to be some sort of ginormous city with one of the worst transit systems in the metaphysical realm. It is such a solemn time. I get that you want to respect some one who has died (I really try avoid those gussied up terms like "passing on" or "crossed over" or what have you. Unless I'm talking to someone in mourning, then I use them so I won't be a dink). But it seems like it should be a time to reflect on who that person was and what they brought to the experience of the community. What could you learn from their life? And not just the positive things. The negative things, too. This was a person and you can learn from their story just like we can learn from anyone's story. I like the idea of an Irish wake. One where you sit around and tell stories about the person. It's not so focused on what is missing, but instead what was had.

Death is something that people tend to forget as a part of our journey. That it is an inevitability that all must experience. Noticed how I avoided terms like "face" or "endure" or "conquer". Death is not our enemy. Death is not even an entity. It is the conclusion to a story and that is all. It is like the last piece of the puzzle that gets put into place.

The other weird thing about death in North America is how it highlights how vapid and self-centered people are and how much people actually do not respect life and other living beings. I am specifically thinking of what happened in the wake of Michael Jackson's death. Before his death, he was the favourite target of most comedians, late night show hosts, and even jokes amongst the buddies. People laughed at his choices, his struggles, his pain and his identity. They harassed him and disrespected him to be beneath themselves. The strange thing is, he dies and suddenly he was everyone's inspiration and a cultural hero. Where was that when he was alive?

Suddenly, it was fashionable to buy his old music and to say how you loved his music. But while he was alive it was perfectly fine to make fun of his struggles and problems and pain. That's fair game.

If you are always teasing or making fun of the one you claim to respect, but never say anything encouraging, did you ever really respect them? I see it all the time when couples or friends tease each other, but they never seem to balance it off with something positive. If all you hear is negativity (even in jest because you actually do like them) then it is bound to rub off on you.

Death is treated with such misunderstanding in our culture that it actually hinders some peoples' lives. They avoid adventure and risk or they only see a ticking clock and thus they need to push as much happiness and pleasure in as possible. They don't have time to grow, they're running out of time! I need money and success now! What is a life without everything I want? 'Cause death is a comin' and I'm looting this place as much as I can before I get out of here and I don't care how many old people and children I have to trample to get out. They will take away the lives of others to preserve their own. It's such a strange road we walk and such strange people we walk with.

I try to approach each death that comes across in my life and try to use it as an opportunity to learn about life. When dad died, I learned how much I had structured my life and goals around him and how I needed to be careful in my own decisions, because time can slip away on you. I learned from the deaths of past acquaintances, how important it is to be living your life and not wasting it. Death is not the tragedy, but living a long, hollow life is.

I don't want to say that we should live recklessly because death doesn't mean anything, but rather coming to the understanding that is a necessity. What is worse? A story that comes to a conclusion or a story that never ends? Some people fear death because they do not want to face punishment and pain. I am afraid of death because I may go living forever.

I know so many Christians who cannot stand the tough times in life and so they are so heaven-focused that they lose their footing on earth. They cannot wait to get to heaven and live in peace and unending joy. They forgot that Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven". We're supposed to be living in peace and unending joy here. And you can do that. It's an attitude, not an environment.

I, on the other hand, am afraid of forever. From my limited human perspective, I cannot conceive of anything that would be good forever. I mean, yes God is good and He has been and will be good forever, but I see no point in existing forever as a human. Even if God was to open my mind and allow me to become infinitely wise and intelligent, then He is tinkering with what He made in a way similar to how George Lucas tinkered with the Star Wars movies and turned them into something they weren't by trying to make it better. However, I will submit that He may very well have something that I cannot possible imagine and I will be eating crow when I get to heaven. Crow I will very happily eat I'm sure. But if it turns out that the best ending is that I come to the end of my life and get to lie in my grave until I turn into dust, I will be content because I have already lived the best I could.

"Oh, and if I die

Before my time

Oh, sweet sister of mine

Please don't regret me if I die

Bartender, please

Fill my glass for me

With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free

After three days in the ground."

- "Bartender" by the Dave Matthews Band from their album Busted Stuff