--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I'm a fan too. I'm glad they are going to extend it, I thought this > was going to be the end of the show. From the last show it almost > looks like a typical Hollywood glorification of people who believe > things without evidence.
ARGGGGHHHHH !!! Ignore anything I may have said about this episode that didn't quite "fit" right with you having seen it. I've just heard that the episode was two hours long, and I only got the first half of it. Back to the drawing boards before I can comment further on some of the plot points you mentioned that I didn't seem to understand. ARGGGGHHHHH !!! (And not in a good Pirate way.) John Lock is a big one for making assertions > that he tries to sell by the force of his will. There was no reason > for Jack not to make the call to the boat but both John and Ben tried > to stop him giving no reasons or evidence. Now that his life is in > shambles it looks like the "believers" were right! Thanks Hollywood, > we should all just believe shit because someone enthusiastically > asserts it. I agree with your analysis of Ben as a leader gone bad. > The fact that John has heard Jacob's voice takes us out of the idea > that Ben is just mad. There is some supernatural shit happening on > this island for sure. I am digging it. Sorry to see the rocker boy > die but that may free up Claire for us. Race ya down the beach to her > lean-to! > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > [ SPOILER ALERT -- if you have not been following > > the ABC television series called "Lost," or have > > and have not seen the last episode of this season, > > or are even thinking of catching up to the series > > in the future, you might not want to read this. I > > will be revealing plot spoilers, and you probably > > don't want to know about them. Avoid the problem > > before it arises and click Next right now. :-) ] > > > > I just finished watching my pirated copy of the > > last episode of the season of "Lost." And, having > > made a few posts today on the subject of whether > > the demonization of and suppression of doubt in a > > spiritual tradition is a good thing, I couldn't > > help but notice the parallels in "Lost." > > > > Ben, the leader of the "Others," is in Deep Shit. > > For years -- possibly decades -- he has been sys- > > tematically lying to the people he leads. He's > > been telling them that he is in communication with > > the mystical "man behind the curtain" on this whole > > Island Of Oz, "Jacob." Jacob has got Reality down > > cold; he knows What's What, Spiritually, and so > > when Jacob speaks -- through Ben, of course -- > > they should not only listen, and obey, but they > > should never, ever question what Ben says. Because > > to do so would be to question Jacob, and thus > > What's What, Spiritually. > > > > In the last few episodes, it has been revealed that > > Jacob might not exist. And that Ben, who *invented* > > the dogma of never questioning what he says, and > > of doing without question and without hesitation > > everything he says, has been doing some pretty shady > > stuff to those who discover that Jacob might not > > exist, or even to those who discover that Ben is > > fallible. Whenever one of his own people discovers > > the truth about him, Ben has them killed or excom- > > municates them or kills them himself. > > > > And now, in this last episode, he's been *proven* > > fallible. EVERY ONE of his followers knows that he's > > fallible. And several of them now know that he has > > been systematically lying to them all along, telling > > them things that he knew were not true. One of them, > > who now knows this for himself, has even been ordered > > by Ben to kill two of his fellow "Others," BECAUSE > > they have found out the truth about Ben, and can't > > be allowed to live and possibly tell others what > > they have found out. > > > > And Ben is freaking right out. He's on this mad dash > > across the island, trying to salvage his own repu- > > tation and trying to do something...anything...to > > regain the control he's had over the minds of his > > followers for decades. And natch, being the season > > closer, it's a cliffhanger. We in the audience are > > left not knowing whether he'll win out and reestablsh > > control or not. > > > > I'm not bothered overmuch by this. I have a sneakin' > > suspicion how it'll all turn out for Ben, and for > > his former followers, in the end. Whether it takes > > one more television season or ten to resolve every- > > thing, Ben's goin' down. He's toast. > > > > He's toast because of a spiritual truism, one that I > > think is as close to "truth" as anything I've ever > > heard on the planet. It was perhaps best expressed > > by Gandhi: "When I despair, I remember that all > > through history the ways of truth and love have always > > won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for > > a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they > > always fall. Think of it...always." > > > > Ben's goin' down because he forsook the ways of truth > > and love. He started believing that the means are > > justified by the end, and forgot that the means ARE > > the end. How you act determines your karma, not the > > supposed intent behind it. If you lie, you create the > > karma of a liar -- EVEN IF you've convinced yourself > > that you're lying "for the right reasons." If you can > > only relate to other human beings if they believe every > > word you say, do exactly the things that you tell them > > to do, and never doubt you, even for a moment, then do > > you really love them? I'm not convinced you do. Love > > in my book involves offering the person you love the > > freedom to think for themselves. > > > > I am not convinced that the demonization of and attempted > > suppression of doubt EVER works. As Edg suggested yesterday, > > try to fight it and suppress it however you might, doubt > > wins. No spiritual tradition in history has ever been > > successful at suppressing doubt, because doubt is as > > fundamental and as natural a part of the spiritual process > > as is "the natural tendency of the mind." Seekers doubt. > > That's the force that keeps them evolving. To suppress > > doubt and the essential I-don't-know-everything-yet-ness > > of it is IMO to fight against evolution itself. > > > > But doubt only *really* "wins" if there is something there > > to justify the doubt. > > > > If a spiritual seeker doubts the wisdom or perfection of > > his spiritual seeker and looks into it and finds no foun- > > ation for the doubt, doubt has only *strengthened* the > > seeker's belief in the teacher. ONLY IF -- upon careful > > analysis of the doubt and looking at all the evidence, > > the seeker finds that the doubt is based on fact -- can > > his belief in the teacher be eroded or destroyed. > > > > Ben took the wrong path as a spiritual leader. He decided > > that he couldn't *risk* allowing his followers to have > > doubts. So he instituted dogma that tried to ensure that > > they never were able to have those doubts. This dogma had > > the convenient side effect of allowing him to stay in > > charge and run everything, but it also had the drawback > > of provoking a pretty strong negative reaction in his > > followers if they ever *did* have some doubts, and found > > that the doubts were justified. > > > > Ben's dogma is as follows, "It is not safe to doubt. Doubt > > is a poison. The 'correct' mode of behavior is to believe > > everything your spiritual leader says completely, and to > > act upon it without hesitation. Anyone who does not do > > this is a traitor to the teacher and to the group as > > a whole." > > > > Sound familiar? > > > > It's IMO the bottom line of the definition of a "proper" > > teacher-student relationship as promoted by Maharishi > > Mahesh Yogi. As a definition, and as dogma, I don't think > > it's all that "proper," and I don't think that his reasons > > for promoting it are any different than Ben's in "Lost." > > >
