Do You Always Do What You're "Supposed" to do?

[D-Roc]

I thought Hurley's chilling message to Jack was one of the best moments of this episode..no..season.

Time and time again we are being reminded of the missing piece of this story. It's been alluded to and hinted at, but never fully revealed - the idea that there are things which people are "supposed to do"..and "not supposed to do".

Some might call it freewill vs predetermination (fate)..however it goes far deeper than this in my opinion, because clearly there is still a choice which 'can' be made. Jack wasn't "supposed" to make that call (to the freighties) - yet he still made it. Jack wasn't "supposed" to raise Aaron - yet he raises him (for a time at least). So it's not simply freewill vs fate because people have made choices which have went against the grain of what they were supposed to do, and yet it has been their choice - not fates/the Universe.

So, should we be looking at this in terms of 'course correction' and the paradox of a life already lived..already experienced?

If you had only 10 chances to make the right sequences of choices..would you get it right first time round? ..how about 2nd or 3rd time? 4th..5th..6th, maybe?

What if the only way to make the right choice..to do what one is "supposed" to do, is via consequence - Widmore, Jack, Hugo, Michael..each of these men haunted with nightmares of the mistakes that they made and the choices that they got wrong..

To remove 'freewill' from these people would be folly, since as Ben once said:

"I want you to WANT to save my life". (3.04)

commitment is everything in Lost, it seems

"Commitment is what makes you TICK, Jack.." (2.11)

Time to get it right this time around..perhaps.

[James]

One thing which seems a bit strange is that if jack wasnt supposed to leave, why at the end of series 3 was he finding it so difficult to get back to the island, the best way to course correct his mistake of leaving the island would be for him to go back to the island yet with all of his maps and flights that he had taken he couldnt figure out how to get back.

[lost-lover]

If I remember rightly you need an exact bearing to reach the island, and as far as we know, I don't think Jack knows it, or at least, doesn't remember it. At best he knows it's near Figi. Also, Ben was hiding the island's location from Widmore for ages via The Looking Glass (jamming signals I think?). Aside from this, the island seems to stop people doing things even when they've left it (e.g. Michael's attempted suicide), so maybe it's somehow stopping Jack from returning?

[D-Roc]

Yeah, I think that specific bearings are needed..

But isn't it interesting how the Losties were initially brought to the island without any of them 'wanting' or 'trying' to get there..

Has the islands powers of retrival diminished since that fateful day..or has the changing of the rules also affected the abilities of the island?

It seems remarkable that Mike was able to leave the island and return..not by the guidance of the island...but by Tom (or Ben,rather).

It would appear that the island can now only operate under the the hand of man - the island cannot do it's own work - it seemingly can no longer break freewill to suit it's own..it can only bend freewill by suggestion and manipulation (hauntings etc).

Has the magic box broken?

..or is this all part of the plan? Are the chinks in the chain of events infact necessary..

Who would have thought that a miracle (sarah etc) could open Jack's eyes..who would have thought that a faith lost would infact be necessary for ones future path..

Do we dare doubt the island and it's mysterious ways?

[lost-lover]

The Losties were originally bought to the island via Desmond near-implosion of the hatch. In S2 he said to Locke: "I think I crashed your plane."
I think Mike returning was Ben acting (upon Jacob's will>) on behalf of the island, via Tom. The island stopped him killing himself and then, it seems to me, brought him back to the island (or near enough), to help in protecting it, possibly later killing him while he does this.
Back to Jack's attempts to return. To me, it seems the island is refusing to let him come back. Could this be because Jack is now a broken man, wanting to return, whereas on the island, as a respected leader, he spurned the island? Rather ironic, don't you think?