Taken in by a TV Show

Lost is nearing the end of its run, a fact that has the more rabid fans of the show on their toes, and for all sorts of reasons. Some want a nuanced ending with many questions left unanswered, or answered vaguely. Others want a grand finale that speaks to the soul of humanity. Some would like a dramatic confrontation of good versus evil. A few may simply want all the questions simply answered, just to figure out what the whole thing is all about.

Over at salon.com, a purported fan, one Heather Havrilesky, has written that the one thing she does not want is to have wasted six years "in a Judeo-Christian allegory". She doesn't want it all to boil down into a good against evil story. She wants something more complex.

What's more complex than the challenge to determine good versus evil? The temptations, the uncertainty, the gut feelings and simple faith and conflicting emotions of plain old humans trying to figure out exactly what's going on and what they really should do in a world where right and wrong become central issues in virtually all that happens? Who in their right mind doesn't want to have the great questions answered in order to find out whether they truly have their heads on straight? Why are there folks who don't want issues of true and false sorted out?

Because they are more afraid of what that may say about them, perhaps? They don't want absolute answers because absolute answers mean they may be wrong, and they want to go about life doing what they want and not be bothered about actually examining their own actions and motives. They want shades of gray because it blurs the air; at that point, they need not bother to worry about truth.

That's the coward's way out, and nothing more. If you really care about people and things, then you really want to know that you're right in what you do. This doesn't mean that the insecurities, the uncertainties which you face day in and day out are not of little matter. They are part of who and what we are and how we face them is critical to the kind of individuals we become. But it is to say that if that's all we have or all we want, then our lives are pointless indeed.

Lost, hopefully, will end up a good old Judeo-Christian allegory. Let's hope it is in fact a good versus evil story. That's an ending which will give it punch, will give it meaning. Anything less will make the six journey a sham of false hopes and shallow divinity.