My LOST Moment

Kelley, 54 – Mason, Ohio (USA) :

Half-way through season 2 I was struck with a spinal stroke that left me paralyzed from the lower part of my chest on down. Like John Locke, I probably spent too much time trying to be or feel normal in a world that is not designed for wheelchairs. Despite my best efforts, and those of John Locke, reality often meets us in the most unfriendly of ways. Sometimes it’s a set of steps and others it is being denied the “Outback Walkabout” you’ve desired so long. I’ve spent five years wishing I could find an island like John Locke, where I could wiggle my toes, stand up and resume the life I once knew.
All that said however, redemption comes less in the getting up and walking and more in the acceptance of what cannot be changed and learning to live, love, thrive and give of yourself to those in need and in worse condition than you. Perhaps most importantly, one must learn to accept the dependence they now require from loved ones. I felt like John was catching that in his sideways world with Helen. His growth there moved me. When John could chuckle after landing face first in the grass to be greeted only by a water sprinkler was a gift of grace, one that I think he was learning how to share, and an inspiration for my daily life.

Omarey, 25 – Pittsgrove, New Jersey (USA) :

I have never been in love. Not for real. I love and admire the story of Desmond and Penny, it seems to me to be what real love is really like. One example of their enduring love is Penny’s letter. Penny knows her true love so well that she knows where to put a letter for him to find at the exact time he would need it. The letter also had the words that Desmond would need to hear in his time of need. This is the result of someone who truly knows their significant other. This is the perfect illustration of a kind of love that is hard to describe with words. One simple line expresses the love that she has for him and the kind of love that I will one day hopefully find. “Because all we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us. And you have her. I will wait for you. Always. I love you, Pen.”

Mikel, 22 – Gilmer, Texas (USA) :

Jacob and Richard on the beach, Jacob revealing why he brings people to the island:

“That man that sent you to kill me believes that everyone is corruptible because it’s in their very nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong. And when they get here, their past doesn’t matter.”
Richard asks, “Before you brought my ship, there were others?”
“Yes, many,” Jacob replies.
“What happened to them–”
“They’re all dead.”
“Well if you brought them here, why didn’t you help them?”
“Because I wanted them to help themselves: to know the difference between right and wrong without me having to tell them. It’s all MEANINGLESS if I have to force them to do anything. Why should I have to step in?”

For me, this exchange had major spiritual and moral significance. As a non-religious humanist, I philosophically strive to argue humanity has the capacity to good for the sake of good. At the time, Jacob was seen as an archetypal analogy for God, the benevolent force for good. For us, the people, Jacob has no roadmap or greater plan for divine intervention. If we are to become capable of making the right choices, it must be of our own accord, not because we coerced or threatened with eternal damnation by the Bible or other ancient tomes. Jacob says here that what we do is all about choice, not blind institutionalized faith.

This statement has reaffirmed my belief that if any unseen benevolent force exists out there, in the best interest of human-kind, it would be more like Jacob and less like every other man-made religious constructs.

This statement has literally changed the way I look at the world today, and for me, that makes Lost legitimate literature.

Nicole, 20 – Warwick, Rhode Island (USA) :

Hurley has always been one of my favorite Lost characters, and this episode helps prove why I love him so much.
We know that Hurley has thought for a long time that he has no luck, and he pretty much lost all hope that he would ever get rid of “the curse”. In the beginning of the episode, we see Hurley telling his dad it’s stupid to try and start up the car when it needed a new carburetor, but his dad tells him hope is never a stupid thing to have.
Back in the present, Hurley is feverishly trying to get the Dharma van to start up, and everyone keeps shooting him down.  He goes to Charlie for help, and he argues with Hurley about what the point of it is, when Hurley says this: “Look, I don’t know about you, but things have really sucked for me lately and I could really use a victory. So, let’s get one, Dude. Let’s get this car started. Let’s look death in the face and say ‘Whatever, man’. Let’s make our own luck. What do you say?”
Since the day this aired, I have tried to live my life by that quote.  Life is too short to be afraid.  Take risks and always remember that hope is never Lost (terrible pun intended).

Tristen, 22 – Greenville, South Carolina (USA) :

With Boone’s death, Lost turned a corner – and not just because his was the first death of a major character. As insignificant as many people see him and his death it was really anything but. Boone was my favorite character however not even I could have ever imagined the significance it held.
The way I see it: his death gave way to a new life – Aaron’s. It saved a life – Desmond’s (it resulted in Locke pounding on the hatch out of frustration, which kept Desmond from adding a second splatter to the hatch ceiling.) His death was also a major catalyst in the struggle between Jack and Locke that would span the next five seasons. Lastly, it gave us a glimpse into how the island works, in that it “demanded his life” as a sacrifice.
Arguably the most important aspect of Boone’s death would be some of his final words: “I know you made a promise. I’m letting you off the hook. Let me go, Jack.” Little did we know way back then just how significant those words would be; they essentially foreshadowed exactly how the next five seasons would play out and inevitably what it would all come down to – Jack “letting go.”

Alan, 32 – San Francisco, California (USA) :

I rented a hotel room just to watch the series finale of Lost. I was staying with my family and knew that I would probably –happily– be a teary mess by the time the show was over and I wanted to be sure that I was somewhere where I could blubber in peace. So I drove to Santa Cruz, CA to a room with a view of the ocean, I thought it would be a perfect place to watch the end of my favorite story ever. I sat through the clip show before the finale, munching on snacks bought at the corner liquor store and started to get anxious. “Was I a complete moron for going to all this trouble just to watch an episode of television?”
Finally 9:00 came and the show started and the very first thing I saw was Christian’s coffin coming out of an Oceanic Airlines plane and immediately I thought: “Oh, God, this whole show has been about Jack reuniting with his father. Of course. How heartbreaking. How beautiful.” (This may have something to do with my own dead dad issues.) I knew, right then, that all the time and energy I had spent on the show for that night –and over the previous years– was worth it. And, once the show was over, after bawling my eyes out (I was right, I was a mess), I went out on the balcony and stared out into the ocean and was happy that I was not a moron. Not in this case, anyway.

Marc, 39 – New York (USA) :

There have been a lot of moments on Lost that have inspired me, intrigued me, or moved me, but only one inspired me to write a book, intrigued me enough to get it published, and moved me to begin giving presentations. That moment came during the third season premiere, when Jack was locked in the cage and Juliet took out a file on him. Jack asked Juliet if his wife was okay, and she replied that she was.

It was a pretty ordinary moment, but something about it brought about an epiphany for me–a theory that became the outline for my book The Myth of Lost. I get into more details in the book, but the basic question I had at the time was how Juliet knew so much about Jack, and why did it seem that she was trying to help him get over his issues?

This one moment led to an entire theory. I guess that’s my Lost moment! It wasn’t my favorite scene, or even a particularly memorable one, but it’s the one that changed my life.

Marc Oromaner is an award-winning copywriter and author with eighteen years of television and advertising experience. His extensive knowledge of pop culture and spirituality has helped him decipher numerous myths in the media. He lives in New York City, where he is working on an update to his book, The Myth of Lost. Oromaner’s ultimate goal is to help unlock the messages hidden in movies, TV, and music that can help us uncover our own inner superhero.

Samuel, 17 – Syracuse, NY (USA) :

When I first viewed the relationship between Jack and Sawyer in the first Season, I didn’t really believe they would ever be connected in any way or ever be on the same page with one another. I always thought their relationship was going to be nothing but conflict, and competition over Kate. This scene with Jack and Sawyer really changed my view of their relationship with one another. Sawyer telling Jack how he met his father in a bar in Sydney, Australia created a big turn in their relationship.
This was my first look of Sawyer’s inner good side because he passed on this message from Christian to Jack, a message that Christian felt too pathetic to pass on to Jack from a telephone in the bar in Sydney. Christian wanted to tell Jack that “he was sorry” and that Jack is “a better doctor then he’ll ever be“. This was something that Jack needed to know because he believed his father felt betrayed by him, but really he was “proud” of him. This scene was quite emotional and very unexpected. After Sawyer said “Small world, huh?” I came to realize that everyone of these characters are possibly going to be somehow connected in different ways also, even if their backgrounds are highly different. I found this to be my Lost Moment because it’s really the first time I ever saw these two distinctive characters have a connection, a connection that both of them came to be aware of in a quite emotional way.

Ashley, 27 – Dallas, Texas (USA) :

My mother struggled with chronic health problems for the last five years of her life. In March 2010, she was in the ICU at the local hospital, and it became clear that her days with us were nearing an end. Lost had been a huge part of my life, and the one respite that I had during this particular storm.

On what would turn out to be the last week of my mother’s life, I could not wait for the Tuesday night hour of escape that I knew Lost would bring. I spent the four days leading up to Tuesday, March 16 saying goodbye to my mom, not knowing if she’d still be there the next day when I woke up.

That Tuesday the episode “Recon” aired, where one particular scene greatly stood out to me. Sawyer silently made a frozen dinner and watched television. His program of choice was Little House on the Prairie. This is a show that was my mother’s absolute favorite. Her hearing was bad, and I distinctly remember overhearing that damn theme song blasting from her room daily, from my childhood up until the days before her final admittance into the hospital.

Not only was my mom’s favorite show featured as a part of my favorite show that week, but the Little House clip that they included spoke directly to my aching soul. It told me that people aren’t really gone when they die, and that life is about the connections you make with those you love.

Less than two days later, my mom was gone.

I felt as if that moment was placed in that episode specifically for me to see and witness. It was there to comfort me, and only me. Lost is the one thing that I gave any attention to besides her hospital room that week, and while turmoil and chaos raged inside of me, the message that I so desperately needed to hear was given to me, placed in the one spot I’d be sure to see and absorb it. My mother was unable to speak to me during that week, so her favorite characters spoke for her, while one of my favorites watched and learned alongside me.

I needed that.

That was my Lost moment.