The Fshbwl

Most likely, if you know anyone that watches LOST, you are probably not friends with them anymore, seeing how you got sick of them trying to “convert you”. You avoid them like the plague at their first mention of “The Dharma Initiative”. You zone out while they ruse on about time travel theories and who Benjamin Linus really is. Still, you have reason to fear. We will get you too. With creeping fingers, your friends will slowly pull you into the large cult that is “Losties”. It starts first with the DVD’s that they loan you…because they own all three seasons. Then they invite you to “LOST” parties on Thursday nights in which people sit around and theorize for two hours before the show even begins. Next, you will start looking up random blogs about LOST, and become a message board junkie – reading theories that are so crazy (Jacob is…a turtle!) that they could not be right. Right? Right?? Before you know it, way too much of your normal life is dependent upon a few fictional characters stranded on moody island. Truth: It’s easy to get lost in LOST.

What is it about this show that has captured/obsessed so many people??

There are a couple of reasons for LOST’s cult-like following:

1. It’s the best show ever made. Okay, I know you are laughing now, but seriously. The cast is diverse, huge and multi-talented. It is a character driven script. The plot lines are quick and intense and deal with past, present and future, and maybe something in between.

2. It’s a beautiful show. Not that shows like CSI aren’t pretty ….okay, they’re not. LOST is filmed in Kauai and Oahu. The natural beauty that surrounds each and every shot is amazing and rich. Looking for the best way to show off your new tv? Rent LOST. The vast ocean blue, the vibrant bright green of the forest….it all explodes off the screen and is so much more fun then watching Everybody Loves Raymond.

3. The community. Once you have watched a couple of episodes of LOST, you are automatically in the club. At an awkward party and don’t know what to say? Casually drop a “Sayid is SO the unsung hero of LOST” and immediately SOMEONE in the room will attach themselves to you and you can talk about LOST for the next two hours. It is the ultimate connection. Kind of like the one crazy people have.

4. Finally, and ultimately: The mystery. The unknowing, complicated, plot-twisting, mind-bending mystery. What’s up with the numbers? Who is Jacob? What is Dharma? Where are they? WHAT are they? Are they dead? Why do they all know each other? ?

The mystery is what draws us in. And the mystery is what keeps us.

Do we all not desire some mystery in our own life? With the daily grind of work, childcare, cooking, cleaning and worrying, we can all feel that life has no more mystery for us. We are hamsters on a wheel; there are no surprises. As the comedian Eddie Izzard points out, “We all keep waiting for the real monsters to show up…and they never do!!” The monsters never come. The magic isn’t real. There is no great mystery for us to solve while mowing our lawns.

This very reason is why thrillers, mystery and fantasy movies still do well – because we, as humans, need mystery, adventure and a bit of intrigue. Waiting anxiously to see how much will be in our bank account this week is not the thrill we hoped for. Much of LOST’s success can be owed to this need. In LOST, there are many questions, but very few answers. Whether the survivors are the results of a giant, twisted experiment, a different dimension, or merely trying to survive is all up to the minds of the viewers. LOST is not a show that you can watch while munching popcorn on the couch (and if you do, you might get punched in the face). There are times when you need to watch LOST with a pad and pencil to keep track of what is going on. And while that might not sound like fun, LOST also connects you with each and every character, so that their loss or joy will find you weeping along with them. Not to mention that LOST is bursting with religious connotations, mythology, bible verses, references and visual symbolism that all ties back to the great meaning of life. The action is nonstop, the romance is big and dramatic, and the giant smoke monster comes along every now and then and eats someone.

It’s the best thing ever.

And while we love mystery on our sofas, it’s this kind of mystery that discourages people of faith. There are times when we get so frustrated and full of tangible real doubt, and we are just simply told to “wait on it.” In essence, to have “faith” that all will be answered. On good days, this might be easy. On hard days, it can be impossible. It’s easy to believe when things are right, but it is harder to trust in the unknown when you are on your knees, face in the dirt, and heart lingering on terrible and appalling things. On those days…most people simply pray not to trust in the faith, but to get through still HAVING faith.

In the novel “Saving Ruin”, the author opens with a poem that ends with the quote “If I miss the mystery of God, I’ll Die.” The mystery of God should strike us as a curious thing – intriguing and poignant, but something that can also make us feel barren. The mystery of God was not something that was unfamiliar to the writers of the bible: 1 Timothy 3:16 says, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” To embrace the mystery of God is to embrace all of it – the dazzling God who created the world, and the beaten man who hung on a cross. The glory and the shame. It is a mystery that breathes life into our every moment.

In this same way, growing in our faith and trying to examine the mysteries of God should be as exciting as unraveling the mysteries of a great movie or tv show. And while LOST has no long term effect on our life (except that we have an irrational fear of the numbers 4,8,15,16,23,42 ), seeking out the mystery of God is one that will reward us again and again, in this lifetime and the next.

Rent the seasons of LOST as soon as possible.