Ten years after the Lost castaways “moved on together” in the emotional series finale, the ABC drama may be pulling a John Locke and getting a second life.
According to We Got This Covered sources, discussions about a Lost reboot are afoot. Nothing is final, the site cautions, but the prospective reboot would be “more mature” and would likely crash-land on a streaming service.
But some don't want a reboot and the reason is actually very true and beautiful...
I don’t know if you could do it again. It’s lightning in a bottle … Leave it alone. Let it be what it was. It was fabulous, it was wonderful. It was, I think, life-changing for a number of people.
That's from Jean Higgins, executive producer of Lost and Evangeline Lilly who played Kate Austen doesn't want a reboot too...
I feel like it’s just tainting something that’s precious. I’ve said I don’t want to do things in the past and I’ve done them—you know, never say never—but sitting where I am today, my assumption is no.
Reboot or not, Lost was indeed life-changing for a number of people including thyself. It is special and very close to my heart - there are so many lessons one can learn from characters and their personal stories.
Lost has regularly been ranked by critics as one of the greatest television series of all time.
I don't read too much fiction these days so a good movie or a tv series helps me with good and a much-needed dose of "art" in my life. Lost is one of those greatest doses I ever had.
Now rewatching Lost after 16 years bring so much of memories. Does it still feel like the best tv show ever? Yes, absolutely. This blog even has a "Lost" label.
Shira Gabriel, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo. A lot of her published work has explored a concept she and her colleagues have termed the “social surrogacy hypothesis.” It’s the idea that spending time with fictional characters can in some ways mimic the benefits of spending time with real-world friends or loved ones.
That is so true. Spending time with Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Syed, Desmond and other characters felt like being with long lost friends.
There is a wonderful book on Lost titled Lost and Philosophy: The Island Has Its Reasons; I love these lines from the book on how ideology can ruin one's life. Locke's character is a prime example:
An ideology is a belief system, but in order for it to be effective, it must be perceived as truth, rather than seen as one of the many possible belief systems. Ideology is like a pair of glasses you don't know you're wearing. You look through those lenses in the world as if that is the only way of seeing the world. Not only do you not know you're wearing glasses, but you also don't even realize that you might see the world differently through a different pair of glasses. Ideology ceases to function when it is seen as an ideology; to function properly, it must be subtly presented as "the truth" and taken for granted. An ideology you're aware of loses its power to construct your worldview. Like a pair of glasses, such ideology can be removed.
- Karen Gaffney
Sixteen years ago, I felt there was so much of Jack inside me. Even now, I do feel I still have some reminiscence of Jack. Max had helped me overcome so much of the pain but also probably he helped preserve some good side of Jack.
"Jack: What happened, happened and you can let it go. Locke: What makes you think, letting it go is so easy? Jack: It's not, in fact, I don't know how to do it myself and that's why I was hoping that maybe you can go first."
This is a show which uses philosophers and scientists as the names of their major characters. A storyline that includes Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, genetics, quantum physics, neuroscience plus so many other well-researched and splendid pieces of writing which spans for 6 seasons. That is what made Lost so unique and special.
Sawyer is the heart of the show with his timely and wise-ass comments which steals hearts even though he acts like an asshole most of the time. I love Desmond Hume since he represents one of my favorite humans ever - David Hume.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about other factors that might have influenced me to bring Max home on 21st, May 2006. Lost was definitely one of those factors.
Very similar to Indian epic Mahabharata, Lost starts and ends with a dog - labrador retriever, no less. Early this month, after 16 years Damon Lindelof, one of the creators of Lost explained how they came up with the idea of the final scene with Jack and Vicent, the labrador retriever.
Lindelof says they drew specific inspiration for Lost Season 6 from an idea from the Tibetan Book of the Dead
I cannot think of a better final scene than Jack dying next to Vincent, the yellow Labrador who survives. Erie, as it sounds, Max passed away exactly the same way while I was lying next to him... only here I survived and Max didn't.
I will rewatch Lost again in a few years and a few more times before I kick the bucket.
"The Mahabharata still speaks to rural peasants and is still being transmitted by wandering, illiterate bards in remote Indian villages. Yet its deeply sophisticated philosophical interludes also represent some of the most profound thinking on morals, ethics and duty ever written, and are among the deepest expressions of Hindu thought. Indeed it is the contention of Gurcharan Das, the celebrated Indian writer on economics and enthusiastic amateur Sanskritist, that its teachings represent just as valuable a guide on how to live a moral and ethical life in the world today as it did in the early centuries BC when it was first written, tackling the eternal questions of Everyman: “Who am I?” “What should I do?” “What is right?” After taking early retirement from a career as the chief executive of Proctor & Gamble India, Gurcharan Das went to Chicago to study Sanskrit under the two great American scholars of the “language of the gods”, Sheldon Pollock and Wendy Doniger, and The Difficulty of Being Good represents an attempt by Das to bring together the two sides of his life, the literary and the practical. The result is a highly personal and idiosyncratic, yet richly insightful meditation on the application of ancient philosophy to issues of modern moral conduct and right and wrong. Das is especially focused on his native India, which today is mired in corruption, with one out of every five members of parliament having had criminal charges levelled against him: “Moral failure pervades our public life and hangs over it like Delhi’s smog.” At the centre of the book is Das’s quest to understand the elusive term dharma, a word which means at once duty and religion, justice and righteousness, law and goodness. Dharma lies at the heart of the ethical questions explored in The Mahabharata, and as Das puts it: “The conceptual difficulty is part of the point. Indeed The Mahabharata is in many ways an extended attempt to clarify what dharma is – that is, what exactly should we do, when we are trying to be good in the world.” Both the strength and weakness of The Difficulty of Being Good lies in the sheer complexity of looking for clear moral teachings in the profoundly ambiguous teachings of an epic that is “about our incomplete lives, about good people acting badly, about how difficult it is to be good in this world”. It is true that the Pandavas’ gentle leader, King Yudhishthira, is admired for his unbreakable commitment to satya (truth), ahimsa (non-violence) and anrishamsya (compassion)."
I have been thinking a lot about this book, the reason being Max. Not many Indians nor "Hindus' know that the epic Mahabharath starts and ends with a dog.
Story of King Yudistra and his stray dog, Svana sums up the definition Dharma:
Long ago in India, there were five princes who left their kingdom to search for the kingdom of heaven. They took food and drink for their journey, and Prince Yudistira brought his dog, Svana. Yudistira was the eldest. His brothers were Sahadeva, the all-wise, who was learned beyond all men; Nakula, the all-handsome, famed for his grace and beauty; Arjuna, the all-powerful, who had never been defeated in any contest of arms; and Bhima, the all-joyful, known for his good humor and love of pleasure. After many days' journey, the brothers came to a fair where music was playing and people were feasting and dancing. Bhima, the all-joyful said to his brothers, "I will rest here today and be happy and seek the kingdom of heaven tomorrow." Yudistira, his brothers, and the dog Svana went on without him. Several days later, the travelers arrived at a large plain where a great army was drawn up in ranks facing the enemy. When Arjuna, the all-powerful, saw this, he said to his brothers, "I will fight for my country today and seek the kingdom of heaven tomorrow." Yudistira, his brothers, and the dog Svana continued without him. Many days and nights passed. The travelers came to a magnificent palace surrounded by a garden full of flowers and fountains. In this garden, a beautiful princess was walking with her attendants. When she saw Nakula, the all-handsome, she was seized with love and longing. Nakula, too, was struck with love. He said to his brothers, "I will stay with the princess today and seek the kingdom of heaven tomorrow." Nakula went into the garden and Yudistira, his brother Sahadeva, and the dog Svana continued without him. Many weary days and nights later, the travelers came to a great temple where the holy men lived. Sahadeva, the all-wise desired to join them in prayer and study. He told his brother Yudistira, " I will stay here today and seek the kingdom of heaven tomorrow." Sahadeva went into the temple, and Yudistira and Svana continued without him. At last, Yudistira reached Mount Meru, the doorway to heaven. Indra, the Lord of Past and Present, appeared before him and invited him to ascend. Yudistira bowed low and replied, "Very willingly I will do so if I may bring my dog, Svana. "That may not be," said Indra. "There is no place in heaven for dogs. Leave him and enter into eternal happiness.""I cannot do that," said Yudistira. "I do not wish for any happiness for which I must leave so dear a companion." "You traveled on without your four brothers," said Indra. "Why will you not ascend to heaven without your dog?" "My lord," replied Yudistira, "my brothers left me to follow the desires of their hearts. Svana has given his heart to me. Rather than renounce him, I must renounce heaven." "You have spoken well," said Indra. "Come in, and bring your dog with you." So Yudistira and Svana ascended into paradise. In recognition of their devotion to one another, Indra set in the sky the constellation of the Great Dog whose star Sirius is the brightest of them all
And the gates of heavens open with these words for King Yudistira:
"Great king, you weep with all creatures".
It's so sad that all of the monolithic religions look down on non-human animals since those texts don't contain any lessons like the one above where the symbiosis between humans and non-animals is not an accident but a necessity to live a good life and to even live on this planet.
This brings us to the factors which might have influenced me to bring Max home on 21st, May 2006,
More Lost tonight... When Juliet played the Downtown song it felt like Petula Clark sang this song for Lost.
"When you're alone
And life is making you lonely,
You can always go downtown
When you've got worries,
All the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know, downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?
And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to
Guide them along
So, maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares and go
Downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, don't wait a minute more,
Downtown, everything's waiting for you"
Lost and Philosophy: The Island has its Reasons edited by Sharon M. Kaye. Reading this book was grim remainder of how many little facts I missed and to make matters worse, this book was written in 2008 before the final two seasons. It has so much information packed, I had to take notes and need to catch-up on the writings of some philosophers.
Story of Lost connects with the viewers because it emulates our life, our questions, our longings and our search to find meaning. This book is not about answers but its about asking the right questions. Now that I have read this book, I have to watch Lost again sometime this winter. This time I will watching it as a student.
"Wonder... is characteristic of philosophy... this is where philosophy begins, and nowhere else." -Plato
"An ideology is a belief system, but in order for it to be effective, it must be perceived as truth, rather than seen as one of the many possible belief systems. An ideology is like a pair of glasses you don't know you're wearing. You look through those lenses at the world as if that is the only way of seeing the world. Not only do you not know you're wearing glasses, but you also don't even realize that you might see the world differently through a different pair of glasses. Ideology ceases to function when it seen as an ideology; to function properly, it must be subtly presented as "the truth" and taken for granted. An ideology you're aware of loses it power to construct your worldview. Like a pair of glasses such ideology can be removed."
Karen Gaffney
This reminds of Diane Benscoter's 2009 TED talk on how cults rewire the brain.
There will be a big vacuum after Lost ends tomorrow. Life goes on well... there are few Lost books out there to feed the nostalgia and may be use some of the lessons learnt in real life.
Letting go the past is the hardest thing - From this week's Lost:
"Jack: What happened happened and you can let it go.
Locke: What makes you think letting it go is so easy?
Jack : It's not , in-fact I don't know how to do it myself and that's why I was hoping that may be you can go first."
We carry that burden of that pain from the past which devours us slowly, no matter how hard we try to masquerade it everyday with a smile.
Neuroscience has an elegant explanation for this. Nevertheless, the visceral emotions does hurt. Letting the past go is not easy and it's not easy to go on without letting it go. Swimming out these emotional quagmire is what makes us stronger and better person. I don't know if it's gift or curse of being a conscious creature.
The cruel joke of nature is that the same consciousness helps us get out this quagmire. Our Mind can be the savior and destroyer. The irony is mind creates the options and chooses it too.
CNN iReport is asking this question. Check it out for some fascinating theories from the fellow losties.
"There have been many, many, many theories about “Lost” over the years, and every fan has an idea of how the show should end… so we want to hear yours! CNN iReport and the SciTechBlog's Geek Out! are partnering for this special challenge. We also want you to keep it under 30 seconds or less (a very big challenge indeed for any fan of the show). The more creative and clever, the better!
Go on video and tell us what you want to see on the series finale of “Lost” and your theory could end up on CNN. Remember: keep it short!
Deadline: May 17 at 12:01 a.m. ET"
I would love to see the show ending with Desmond David Hume making them and us realize that it's all about love!!
Sometimes we have to live in a self-imposed hatch to realize this and we all have that totally "lost" Jack in us too. May be it takes philosophy, quantum physics, dharma et al to realize this simple truth but what matters is we should all eventually realize that. Nothing else matters.
The metacognition loop from Antonio Damasio's book, Descrates Error ain't easy. "In order to decide, judge; in order to judge, reason; in order to reason, decide (what to reason about)."
Lost is the only show I watch on TV and the way the final season is unwinding, it has clearly become my all time favorite show. With so much going on - Max, work, home et al, it has become impossible to think and predict the mystery.
In psychology, Miller came up with the magical number seven plus or minus two which is rough threshold level of number of objects the human working memory can hold. The mystery behind Lost is impossible to solve by just thinking. One needs to write it down, may be develop a flow chart of some sort to even begin to connect the dots. I am sure lots of crazies would have already done that. I used to be obsessed after every episode to deduce a theory, driving myself nuts. But this final season is the first season I enjoying Lost with no pressure of thinking.
I don't care anymore:
What quantum physics has to do with philosophies of Jock Locke, Jeremy Bentham and David Hume.
How the numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42 flirts with Buddhist drama (and/or Hindu Karma?). The conjunction of Electromagnetism and Bio-tech for a parallel universe. If any hidden political message between utilitarianism and categorical imperative.
If its about good vs evil or right vs wrong.
I am just gonna sit back and enjoy the show. Thank you J.J.Abrams for driving us crazy for six long years, it was one heck of a ride.
Btw, fMRI on David Humes last night probably had no relevance to the story line and purely done for the heck of it!! Neurosciencist's dream come to true!!
This is fantastic, they have now opened Lost University for Lost fans - its a fun way to acquire knowledge. The catalog of subjects they cover is phenomenal and diverse.
"Real university professors will teach short video courses on a variety of "Lost"-related subjects -- and it's not exactly a light curriculum either, with philosophy, physics and hieroglyphics, among others.
"It's a great medium, because you don't want a TV show to become didactic," says Caltech professor Sean Carroll, who is teaching Introductory Physics of Time Travel for the online university. "It's the perfect marriage of entertainment and education."
"Lost" students are provided reading lists, handouts, final exams and homework. Courses can be completed in a matter of days (Lost University forces you to wait 48 hours between classes), but no date has been set for the start of the second semester. And yes, there's a diploma awaiting the studious."
"The first semester offers a class taught by a trio of USC professors on some of the philosophers referenced in "Lost," including empiricist John Locke and utilitarian Jeremy Bentham. There's also an introduction to ancient hieroglyphics taught by UCLA Egyptologist Kara Cooney.
"Lost" script coordinator Gregg Nations, who tracks the show's rich academic history, was heavily involved in the project, as were executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.
The company hasn't released how many have signed up for Lost University, but a look at the forums on the website reveals an active fan base from all over the world. Students from Turkey, Brazil and the Middle East have been spending their time since July going over the suggested reading list and holding forth on books such as Lynne McTaggart's "The Field," which is about quantum physics."
I am so tempted to join, the course "fee" is buying the fifth season blue-ray disc and bummer, I don't have a blue-ray player. Well, thats just an excuse but let me wait till series ends and who knows, the courses might be free online by then. Even Michael Sandel's "Justice" is free and for now, I can placate myself in that optimism.
