The Puzzle of a Person

I remember in my Junior year of High School that my AP Psychology teacher would talk about how she watched the TV show Lost. I didn't really know much about it, but from what she said it sounded like a show that I would enjoy. It sounded like it had lots of good psychology elements to it. But I never ended up watching it and I kind of forgot about it. However, recently I found the full episodes of all 5 seasons online. So I decided to give the show a try and see if there really were all those interesting psychological aspects to it, or if it was just a thriller about being deserted on an island and fighting all of those things that go bump in the night. While the latter is a fairly large part of the show, it is not the focus and adds some excitement to the story without being overbearing. The thing that I love most about the show is the people and their stories and interactions with the other characters. In the very first episode you see the 48 survivors of the plane crash all over the beach and their reactions to what just happened. You have no idea what happened in the crash or who all of the people are. Through flashbacks from the different perspectives of the characters you begin to put pieces together and better understand the characters. Through the first season, most of the episodes would be focused on one individual character and their past, and how they came to be on the flight that crashed. The episode would begin with a close-up on the eye of the character that is being explored in that episode. I love that concept because the eyes are the window to the soul and each person has their own unique eyes and their own unique story. I love that the show was set up like this because it is representative of life and relationships. When you are getting to know someone, they do not start at the beginning of their life and chronologically go through all the events and experiences that made them who they are today. Instead, you see little pieces at a time. Through a story from their past, a secret they share, a hobby or interest you discover, a quirk or personality trait they manifest, you begin to put together the pieces of the puzzle of who that person is. You will complete much more of some people's puzzles than others... like those in your family, the person you marry, your closest friends....but you never complete the puzzle. There will always be more pieces you can add. That is the beautiful thing about getting to know people, it never ends. This concept has always been of great interest to me, which is why I cherish those moments when someone confides in me or shares a story or piece of them with me...it is one more piece I can add to a beautiful puzzle.

Of course, there are several aspects to Lost that I enjoy, but that is definitely the greatest of them all. During free time on the weekends, or times during the week that I need a break from homework, I can be found with my headphones plugged in to my laptop and my gaze affixed to the screen...with my occasional sound effects of various different emotions which often result in frightening Kylie or causing Rachel to say, "Let me guess...Lost?" I am currently in the first part of the 2nd season, and pretty excited to see what else is coming. Last week they had the season premiere of the 6th and final season. So I have been known to change the channel on TV, or close an advertisement online, in a frenzied rush in order to avoid giving anything away. I am determined to make it through the last season without anything significant being revealed, we'll see if I make it...