With so many questions up in the air, will the show be able to answer them all in the end? I am sure millions of fans worldwide are dying to know. But that is not as important as whether the characters can find resolution in their story arcs, for that is where we viewers have most of our emotional investment. Who cares what that smoke monster is, really? What we care about is whether Jin and Sun can reunite, who Kate loves the most, if John has really died in vain, or if Hurley can really break the curse in his life.

I think LOST is proof that Lyotard‘s definition of “postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives” is not entirely correct. Yes, we are incredulous about modernistic, overly-optimistic, manipulative, and oppressive metanarratives, but we still crave for metanarratives that can explain the lingering mysteries and tie all the loose ends together. Deep in our human psychic has this craving for resolution. It’s in our DNA. We’d go crazy if LOST just ended with season 5.

LOST perfectly demonstrates that small, local narratives can co-exist with a larger metanarrative that gives meaning, or at least enrich the meaning of our human existence. If we only have local narratives that are radically different and mutually exclusive, I believe we will end up with tribalism and even more antagonism in our humanity. If we only had a single metanarrative that seeks to explain everything but ignores the intricate differences and diversity of our human experience, it will also lead to an ahistorical and inhumanistic structuralist view of life that fails to touch the human soul. Rather than opting for either-or, why can’t we have both?

I believe LOST gained such popularity worldwide because it is able to make each of us resonate with the characters and the experiences that they struggle through, while hinting that there is something larger going on out there that ties all our experiences together, and that there IS a meaning behind all those seemingly improbable coincidences. LOST is only fictional, yet it has already tapped into the deepest needs of our human soul. What if there is a real metanarrative to our common existence? What would that mean to us?

That, is why I have been called to be a story teller…. telling this metanarrative that ties all the threads of our lives together.

Last night was the last Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, only after a mere 7 months of him inheriting this honorable seat in the world of late night programming. It all started when NBC decided to bump O’Brien out of the time slot he deserved and restore Jay Leno into the slot he promised to give to Conan five years ago.

It is a shame that NBC bullied O’Brien into this unfortunate position that forced him to leave, but O’Brien did not leave the show with anger and cynicism, but with much joy and thanksgiving.

There’s really a lot we as Christians can learn from Conan O’Brien about humility, grace, and truth.

Yes, Conan, you are right. Cynicism does not lead us anywhere. It never does. It is true that only hard work, gratitude, and kindness can lead us to amazing things in life.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:21)

Related posts:

1. True Humility Is Knowing When To Retreat
2. Sanctification By Grace Through Faith Alone
3. Grace and Service

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnNjRaBj3zs

Just by looking at the trailer, I can anticipate this being a bombshell in the sci-fi arena. In fact, according to wikipedia, E! Online rated the pilot 11 on the scale of 1 to 10. This show presents some very interesting sociological issues (power of the media), economical issues (is it worth trading our natural resources for more advanced technology?), and religious phenomena (worship and devotion). Oh, I can’t wait for this show’s premiere on Nov 3rd.

Here are some great lines:

“We’re all so quick to jump on the bandwagon, but before we get on, let us at least examine…”

“Now that’s the danger…. gratitude can morph into worship.”

“They are arming themselves with the most powerful weapon out there…… (and what’s that?)…… Devotion.”

Another piece of trivia I dug up is that the original creator of the show, Kenneth Johnson, is actually an alumnus of Carnegie Institute of Technology, the engineering department of my alma mater. I guess my school does breed geeks who are fascinated in similar geeky topics =)