Moving On.

This post (most of it) has been sitting in my drafts folder since last October. Never got around to finishing / posting it, but I thought I’d do so today, given that the creators of LOST have been commemorating the 1 year mark since the finale of the show.

Wanting to know how realistic some of the portrayals of Korean culture were, my sister and brother-in-law insisted that I watch LOST and tell them what I thought. I’d seen a couple episodes from the middle of the first season, but they hadn’t sucked me in. So I finally caved and downloaded the first 18 episodes of LOST.

The intensity, suspense and mystery of the pilot episode sucked me in. Mythology, metaphors and science fiction kept the show interesting. Sometimes the show frustrated me, especially the high number of cliff-hangers between episodes. But something kept me watching it until the end.

The characters, the human drama. All the characters that land on that island are so broken.

You form an initial impression about each character based on how they interact with others, good or bad, and then gradually their past unfolds to reveal trauma, hurt, confusion, and even self-loathing. They all struggle immensely. Whether your impression was hero or villain, underneath they’re all just so broken and hurting.

Though the crash on the island presents its own challenges and struggles, these survivors given a second chance, in a way. Somehow they manage to find hope of redemption, healing from hurts that were beyond their control, and eventual peace from their turbulent pasts.

Ultimately it’s about letting go of those painful tragedies and forgiving themselves for their own perceived failures. It’s about moving on. Not alone, but by becoming humble enough to trust, to love, and to allow others– friends– to help them move on.

Everyone’s felt broken at some time, haven’t they? That’s why LOST is beautiful to me. “We either live together or die alone,” Jack says early in the first season. Truth.

Struggling, flawed people, somehow making it through together. Forgiveness. Healing. Peace. Friendship. Love.

*sigh* I miss LOST. Time for another round.