if we can't live together...

Along with millions across the globe through the past six years, I have been captivated by ABC's hit series Lost. One of the main things about Lost that always kept me coming back for more was my desire to know the answers. What do the numbers mean? What is the hatch and how did it get there? Who are the others? Why is the island so special? Who is Jacob?

The show's six seasons of plane crashes, plot twists, and polar bears finally culminated into one action-packed series finale this past weekend. The finale answered many questions, but, in typical Lost-fashion, left plenty to ponder.

After watching the finale, the obvious questions to be asked are: Is everyone dead? Are they in heaven? Do they have two simultaneous lives taking place? These are questions that I doubt the writers of the show could even answer. I feel like the ending is purposely ambiguous, so each viewer can create his or her own "perfect ending." I won't bore you with my own explanations and theories, but I do hope to briefly explore one of the series' most intriguing and central themes: destiny vs. coincidence.

On September 22, 2004, the day Oceanic flight 815 crashes on an island in the south Pacific, two clashing characters emerge as important figures: the practical Jack Sheppard, a spinal surgeon from LA, and the ethereal John Locke, a man mysteriously healed of his paralysis after the crash. Locke, who is in no hurry to leave, instantly begins to claim that fate has brought them to the island, while Jack desperately mends wounds and searches for rescue.

The duo's disagreement is most bluntly stated in season one when Locke tells Jack, "You are a man of science. I am a man of faith." The irony is when, in the final episode, this dialectic is flipped on its head as the man in Locke's body attempts to break fate, while Jack claims that it is his destiny to save the island and admits that Locke was right about everything.

There are many opinions in the argument of fate vs. coincidence. "People break into two groups when the witness something lucky. Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a happy turn of chance" (Signs). I don't know if we each have a destiny or if we're all floating around accidental like on a breeze. I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time" (Forrest Gump).

I am not here to argue one way or the other, or even to take the middle road, I am simply suggesting that perhaps it doesn't matter.

Let me explain myself.

Despite one's beliefs--or lack thereof--and regardless of their motivations, maybe the most sincere thing that any person can do is to act selflessly and love those around them.

In spite of all the head butting between Jack and Locke, didn't both men essentially want the same thing? Think about it. They had different ways of carrying out their ideologies, but besides a few momentary lapses of selfishness, each man wanted nothing more than the physical and emotional well-being of the entire camp. It's like taking two separate roads to get to the same destination.

What I am trying to say is that when a person acts out of pure love for those around him, the only thing he will ever find is peace.

Numerous examples of this selfless love can be found in Lost and most often, they involve death. Now that I think about it, nearly everyone who ever died in the show did so in an attempt to help someone else. Boone dies when trying to radio for help. Charlie drowns after disabling the frequency jam. Locke is killed in his attempt to bring the others back to the island. Sayid sacrifices himself in the submarine. Jin and Sun die hand-in-hand. And finally, Jack dies after restoring the light to the island.

All of these characters had different views of destiny, but each had the same motive. And in their final moments, each displayed the ultimate act of kindness.

And so whether our friends at last found themselves in heaven or a parallel universe, there is no doubt that they were in a place of community, love, and peace.

"This is the place that you have all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here, nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them and they needed you."

I think it's the same way in real life. When we put the needs of others before our own, we will find ourselves in a place of peace. Either in this life or the next, peace is the product of selflessness and love.

So that's my two cents about one of the greatest series of our lifetimes. I'd love to hear your opinions on this show that we all love. Thanks for reading!