She Chose the Cage

"A guy needs somebody-to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick."

Sawyer wants to believe that "every man for himself" works as a philosophy of life. But we all know that deep down he knows that "live together, die alone" is what he needs. There is probably a piece of Sawyer in all of us that wants to make it on our own and would like for everybody else to do the same. On paper, it sometimes sounds easier not to need or be needed. Have you ever denied others access to yourself, chosen the lonely road, and suffered for it? Have you ever allowed others in or stuck beside someone, even when it was difficult to do so, and experienced the benefits of togetherness?

Amazingly and powerfully, Kate taught Sawyer a lesson when she chose the cage over her freedom. With or without romantic love, she demonstrated to us all the life or death value of remaining in community.

The Social Contract

Why do we always end up feeling sorry for John Locke? Does his naivity make him weak? Does his faith simply allow others to take advantage of him and constantly set him back or are things more complicated than that?

His character takes his name from the famous 17th Century English philosopher whose voice was influential in defining the differences of "social contract" vs. "state of nature" ideas. To summarize, Locke seems to hold a basic assumption that all members within a given society naturally agree to the terms of some sort of social contract. Any violation of his assumed contract would signify a problematic attempt to return to the state of nature where he would be unsure of his ability to survive. No matter how strong Locke's beliefs, individuals in his life continually violate the perceived social contract.

Is it fear or wisdom that doesn't allow Locke to deny this philosophy? Although we always see Locke getting burned, isn't there something noble about his ability to subordinate his individual liberty for the general will of the community? What is happening on the island to bring clarity & redemption to the life of John Locke?

In the real world that we live in...What are the pros and cons of living under a "social contract" and living in a "state of nature"? Which best describes your philosophy on life within society?

To Trust or Not to Trust

Trust (wikipedia entry) was once defined as the willing acceptance of one's power to affect another. I thought that definition was interesting. Also, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe has been quoted as saying, "As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." The Glass Ballerina was, in my book, all about trust and that is what I'd love to see discussed in this thread.

Our sweet, gentle, nurturing Sun has turned out to be a stone cold liar. Because of this, she seems to trust herself less than Jin trusts her. Shouldn't it be the other way around? We seem to have an amazing capacity to trust others we love, even if they haven't done everything to earn that trust. Sometimes this is a noble quality...other times we just end up getting seriously burned. On the other hand, we also seem to trust ourselves less than we should? Does this mistrust of self keep us grounded or does it keep us anchored? Trust is a tricky thing don't you think? What do your experiences say?

Oh Those Daddy Issues...

Jack is supposed to be our hero and yet he is flawed. We all long to be heroes and yet each of us, like it or not, are flawed as well. In Episode 1 of Season 3 of Lost, "A Tale of Two Cities", we get deeper insights into the origins of Jack's developmental issues. Many of his weaknesses seem to be rooted in his dysfunctional, mistrusting relationship with his father. We all have fathers and some of us, like Jack, have daddy issues. Anyone have the courage to discuss? What's going on with Jack? Can you relate?