It seems to me that something influential happened to several of the characters 4 years earlier. I'm sure a thread has been made about this before, but I'm pretty new and don't want to look for it.

Anyway, I was wondering people's thoughts on this.

Locke says, when he's yelling at the Aussie guy who won't let him on the tour bus, "I've been dealing with this (condition) for four years." It's entirely possible that bad hair/operation on Sarah Jack happened four years earlier as well. Has Kate been on the run for this time period, too?

I thought this out the other night before I fell asleep (and had other examples) but of cousre can't think of them now.

In any event, comments?

I actually had a similar theory that I posted in the N.U.M.B.E.R.S. section several months ago but I guess it didn't fit in with any scientific facts. My thoughts were that the numbers represent a significant turning point in each of our Lostaways previous lives which somehow brought them all together. Your Locke reference is a perfect example. I also thought of Kate's remark that she was turned in for $23,000, Sawyer's dad killed his mom and himself when he was 8, Shannon being 8 when her dad remarried, it was 16 years ago that Danielle's ship heard the transmission and wrecked, Sun was supposed to leave Jin at the airport at 11:15 and I know a ton of others that I just can't remember now either. Kinda like if this hadn't happened, then all their lives as they once knew it would be different and thus unconnected.

Also 815 in some form or another seems to be a continuing factor in joining everyone above and beyond the plane number such as Charlie screwed up his copier sales job on a model 815, which set him inadvertently to see his brother in Australia and Jack had the choice of saving one of two patients at 8:15, which lead to his marriage to Sarah.

I know the science/fact is probably the biggest associating factor overall with the show, but I can't help but be a bit mystical too :biggrin:

I kinda agree with Jack and the old Aussie woman, they're just numbers. If you looked hard enough in your own life you'd probably find them popping up in a few places.

I kinda agree with Jack and the old Aussie woman, they're just numbers. If you looked hard enough in your own life you'd probably find them popping up in a few places.

Ahhhh....a man of science here :biggrin: I could agree with you as all of the cursed numbers hit very close to home in my life...birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and somehow I have escaped landing on a mysterious island as of yet. But I know that the producers have said several times that the numbers do have a major significance in what happens, so we have to take them at their word and then drive ourselves nuts speculating from there :frusty:

I forgot that Sun was supposed to leave Jin at 11:15...and THAT was the SAME TIME on the orderly's digital watch when Mr. Rutherford died in the Jack flashback last week (although they SAID time of death, 8:15)....what's up with that number? Are there any more 11:15's????

the producers have said several times that the numbers do have a major significance in what happens, so we have to take them at their word and then drive ourselves nuts speculating from there :frusty:

This is entirely true. Lost is a fictional TV show and the producers can make it end any way they please. And the fact that the numbers show up all over the place does make it seem like they have some strange power in the Lost universe.

But the message I'm getting from the story so far is that things like numbers, signs, or omens only have the power that you give them. Look at the three examples of the people "cursed" from the Numbers in the Numbers episode. One of them drove himself crazy and ended up in an asylum, another ran away to middle of nowhere and killed himself to escape the numbers, and Hurly in trying to discover the mysteries of the numbers got himself stranded on an island. If they hadn't believed so frevently that these numbers had some unholy power over their lives maybe things might have turned out better . Or maybe not but it wasn't the numbers that brought them to these ends it was their actions that did.

I believe in an orderly universe. Bad things do happen to good people (planes crash, people get cancer, hurricanes destroy lives) but that's just life. I believe that you make your own luck, that the only fate there is the one you make. So yes I guess I am a man of science.

What say ye man of faith.:biggrin:

This is entirely true. Lost is a fictional TV show and the producers can make it end any way they please. And the fact that the numbers show up all over the place does make it seem like they have some strange power in the Lost universe.

But the message I'm getting from the story so far is that things like numbers, signs, or omens only have the power that you give them. Look at the three examples of the people "cursed" from the Numbers in the Numbers episode. One of them drove himself crazy and ended up in an asylum, another ran away to middle of nowhere and killed himself to escape the numbers, and Hurly in trying to discover the mysteries of the numbers got himself stranded on an island. If they hadn't believed so frevently that these numbers had some unholy power over their lives maybe things might have turned out better . Or maybe not but it wasn't the numbers that brought them to these ends it was their actions that did.

I believe in an orderly universe. Bad things do happen to good people (planes crash, people get cancer, hurricanes destroy lives) but that's just life. I believe that you make your own luck, that the only fate there is the one you make. So yes I guess I am a man of science.

What say ye man of faith.:biggrin:

Woman of faith here and ready to do battle :fish: for island supremecy :biggrin:

Believe it or not, I do agree that you can give to much power to anything...whether it be cursed numbers or a certain color that you feel is bad luck. Its like that Twilight Zone episode with William Shatner and he can't leave the diner with his wife until the mystic magician tells him its ok but he decides to buck the seer and go anyways and nothing happens to him on camera.

But that being said....I also believe in, for lack of better terms, a guardian angel, your inner soul or intuition, as well as a certain predetermined destiny. Otherwise, how would you explain that little voice in your head that tells you not to park in a certain parking spot with your new car, but you do it anyways and sure enough, you come out of the store and there is a huge ding in your door? Would it have happened in another parking spot as well? Thats kinda the $114,000,000 question. It may or may not have, but you will never know cause you didn't listen to your inner voice. By that same note, you do listen to this voice and somehow take a different route to work and then find out you missed a horrible accident or a super long delay that you would have been caught in. How many times have you been delayed or late for something only to find out that there was a really good reason why you weren't where you were or were not supposed to be? For example, Sun decided not to leave Jin at the airport, thus setting in motion her current state. Two choices, one decision...did she listen to her inner voice and if so, did it tell her to stay or to go? Hurley, on the other hand, was, I think, obviously delayed by outside forces to prevent him from getting to the airport, but he didn't see or heed the warnings and look where he is now.

I guess to me, Science heals, cures and prevents, but Faith comforts, protects and sustains us during times that science cannot find a logical answer to.

Ok Man of Science....the coconut has rolled to your court now :biggrin:

This is entirely true. Lost is a fictional TV show and the producers can make it end any way they please. And the fact that the numbers show up all over the place does make it seem like they have some strange power in the Lost universe.

Exactly. Some of the numbers reappearing seems too ocntrived to be just coincidence. Out of curiosity, does anyone know whether the numbers mean anything to the writers?

I know that's a bit of an off-topic question (feel free to remove if it is), but I'm interested seeing as how writers often try to sneak in birthdays of friends/relatives, etc. I know it's a long shot, that the numbers' meaning in real-life have anything to do with the plot of the show, but curiosity has got the best of me.

did you guys notice that all of the numbers added up is exactly how much hurleys titts weigh... crazy!!

I actually had a similar theory that I posted in the N.U.M.B.E.R.S. section several months ago but I guess it didn't fit in with any scientific facts. My thoughts were that the numbers represent a significant turning point in each of our Lostaways previous lives which somehow brought them all together. Your Locke reference is a perfect example. I also thought of Kate's remark that she was turned in for $23,000, Sawyer's dad killed his mom and himself when he was 8, Shannon being 8 when her dad remarried, it was 16 years ago that Danielle's ship heard the transmission and wrecked, Sun was supposed to leave Jin at the airport at 11:15 and I know a ton of others that I just can't remember now either. Kinda like if this hadn't happened, then all their lives as they once knew it would be different and thus unconnected.

Also 815 in some form or another seems to be a continuing factor in joining everyone above and beyond the plane number such as Charlie screwed up his copier sales job on a model 815, which set him inadvertently to see his brother in Australia and Jack had the choice of saving one of two patients at 8:15, which lead to his marriage to Sarah.

I know the science/fact is probably the biggest associating factor overall with the show, but I can't help but be a bit mystical too


Wow thats Awesome!! Good Job! I didnt know about the Model for charile or the Jack sara one

How many times have you been delayed or late for something only to find out that there was a really good reason why you weren't where you were or were not supposed to be?

You're right that is the $114,000,000 question,you're basically asking what's the meaning of life. Why are some made to suffer while others basically get a free ride? No one can say, and that is where faith steps in. When tradegy strikes people want to believe that there is a reason for their pain and they put their trust in their higher power that everything that is happening to them is part of the greater good. In these cases faith can be positive thing, no doubt. It can lift you up out of despair and keep you moving.

But there is a dark side to faith and it's called superstition. The belief that certain people or things are cursed and destined for a life of bad luck. The belief that unless you do a certain thing bad things will happen even though you have no reasonable proof of it. This is no way to live your life, constantly ducking situations and people cause your inner voice or a certain series of numbers tells you too can drive you looney.

Here's an example from my own life, I'm not as pure a man of science as I make myself out to be. I always play the same numbers on the Powerball. I've thought about not playing them but my inner voice tells me "Well you know if you don't play them this week they'll probably draw them" But this is crazy, whether or not I play my numbers has no effect on who wins. but I keep throwing away two dollars a week because I'm convinced that this next drawing will be the one where my numbers are drawn.

I don't totally discount the possiblility that there is a greater destiny controlling things, but there's no way to prove it and what if there isn't. You could end up like Jack's dad, drinking himself to death cause he thought it was his destiny to be hated, when he could have tried to save himself by calling Jack and getting help.

The only thing we can do is to take responsiblity for our own lives and try to make things better for ourselves and those around us as best we can and let destiny (if there is such a thing) take care of itself.

Your turn most respected woman of faith:)

(btw the whole numbers thing also made me think of that Twilight Zone episode)

It almost seemed like the numbers where trying to keep Hurley from catching that plane. If you believe that the numbers were causing him bad luck and caused the socket to short, the car to break down, etc...then they actually were trying to make him miss that flight. I guess fate trumps the numbers..or maybe all that was part of "their" (the numbers) plan all along. the numbers are sneaky!