how 'lost' has ruined me

i, like millions of americans, can't get through a week without watching 'lost.' i'm so deeply addicted, i never really stop theorizing, and i can tie almost any conversation somehow back to the show. everyone i know who starts watching it has sort of the same reaction i did in the beginning: torn between exhilaration because it's such a great show and the realization that from now on, nothing else will really compare.

us 'lost' fans could actually more aptly be described as lunatics. we know all about the ridiculous mythology behind the show and can offer multiple theories as to what the hell is going on. during the show's hiatus, we watch our way through the whole series, again. in the five or so minutes immediately after a new episode has aired, all that occupies our minds is how we're going to make it from 9 p.m. on wednesday all the way to 8 p.m. the following wednesday. like i said, lunatics.

what is it about this show? it probably has something to do with all those unknown questions and answers. each episode, they answer just enough questions to keep us all from spontaneously exploding due to thinking too hard, while at the same time posing a slew of new questions sure to keep us all puzzling for however long they want to keep us hanging. it could be that the writers seem to be unaware that cliffhangers are not, in fact, the only conceivable manner in which to end an episode.

my theory is that 'lost' is so complex and confusing and thoroughly compelling, it actually teaches us lessons and almost imperceptibly changes our outlooks. while we all agonize over the things we don't know, we don't really realize all that we do know because of the show. here, then, are a few things, deep or shallow, constructive or otherwise, that i have learned from watching 'lost.'

- there will always exist a dichotomy between science and faith. if the exploits of jack shepard and john locke have taught us anything, people will always argue about this issue, and nobody will ever find the definitive correct answer.

- never trust anyone. this might be more detrimental than constructive. i say this because after trusting and then getting burned by henry gale/benjamin linus, charles widmore and various bit characters like that guy who turned kate in to pay his mortgage, i became pretty paranoid about trusting just about everyone, especially those who are all mysterious, like richard and juliet. i'm needlessly suspicious, to the point where i'm glad my life is nowhere near as complicated as this show, because if i had to work this hard deciding who to trust in my own life, i'd probably be an agoraphobic hermit living under a rock somewhere.

- if you're a fugitive on the lam, always pay in cash and use aliases. all the cop-dodging tips i've picked up from kate's story line wouldn't ever help in my actual life, because i don't plan on killing my father and setting my house on fire, but it is kind of entertaining to know some of these things. i know how long it takes for a phone trace to work, i know how to forge a passport (theoretically), and i know that i would never commit a crime, mainly because i would be a terrible fugitive.

- there is always another way to look at the situation. i learned this mostly after a large majority of my 'oh my god how could it be any other way' theories didn't even come close to panning out. the creative thinking i've had to apply to all my 'lost' theories has actually come in handy in real-life scenarios, though. if i'm stuck on a problem, i can do a better job of stepping outside the situation and dreaming up a different way to approach it. as a result, i honestly think i've become more creative. also, my 'lost' theories have been getting steadily more far-fetched as i learn that the writers always come up with the one scenario i never imagined.

so there it is, good people. even though 'lost' has indubitably ruined me for other shows, especially dramas, i love being ruined. i love the convoluted plot lines, i know the intricacies of the characters and the mythology, and i can't get enough of any of it. while i will admit that it is fairly indecipherable for newer viewers, those like me love it not only because of what we haven't figured out yet, but also because of what we've learned from it.