• 4 8 15 16 23 42 and the Dharma Initiative

    the numbers… the damn numbers! what do they mean?

    i thought i was on to something. i added all the numbers together and found that the total is 108. 108 is the total number of minutes they are allotted before they must reset the timer. the fact that the numbers which reset the clock happen to add up to the time allotted on the clock isn’t coincidence. but what does it mean?

    then i thought, there are enough numbers here to be a telephone number! i ran to the computer and searched for a 418 area code, thinking that maybe they had to continually redial an isp. this is extremely unlikely, since the the only places with a city code of 481 are in Uganda: Masaka and Kalisizo. not likely candidates. not to mention the fact that there would be no isp when this originated, right?!?!? Then again, the computer they use wouldn’t have been invented yet, right? at its very oldest, the computer used to reset the timer is circa 1980s, and the numbers have been around longer than that, right?!?!?!

    i read someone’s comment elsewhere that the number 108 relates to the amount of time it takes a satellite to circle the earth. i don’t think 108 minutes is accurate – the satellite would have to be moving faster than anything we know of. still, i hadn’t thought of the satellite angle. if there is some correlation, it could be that satellites are watching the island and the computer is meant to recalibrate or switch from one satellite to the next for best connection and angle.

    Heather had the idea to look up dharma in the dictionary for some insight. the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia says:

    dharma (där′ mÉ™) – In Hinduism, dharma is the doctrine of the religious and moral rights and duties of each individual; it generally refers to religious duty, but may also mean social order, right conduct, or simply virtue. Sacred law is the codification of dharma, and Hinduism itself is also called Sanatana Dharma [the eternal dharma]. In Buddhism, dharma has two distinct meanings: it refers to religious truth, namely Buddhist teaching as the highest truth; it is also used as a technical term to denote a constituent element of experience, or any existing thing or phenomenon.

    dictionary.com says this: dharma (n) : basic principles of the cosmos; also: an ancient sage in Hindu mythology worshipped as a god by some lower castes; dhar·ma
    n. Hinduism & Buddhism. The principle or law that orders the universe. Individual conduct in conformity with this principle. The essential function or nature of a thing. Hinduism. Individual obligation with respect to caste, social custom, civil law, and sacred law. Buddhism. the body of teachings expounded by the Buddha. Knowledge of or duty to undertake conduct set forth by the Buddha as a way to enlightenment. One of the basic, minute elements from which all things are made.

    certain parts seemed potentially relevant to the LOST hatch. of course, the preview made it look like they were going to find another hatch or man-made structure in next week’s episode. that will inevitably complicate things.

    i think the phrase “Dharma Initiative” deserves some toying with. there are multiple definitions for Dharma and for initiative. at first glance i can imagine multiple ways to understand the phrase.

    dictionary.com says this about “initiative” = in·i·tia·tive (n) – The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination. A beginning or introductory step; an opening move: took the initiative in trying to solve the problem. The power or right to introduce a new legislative measure. The right and procedure by which citizens can propose a law by petition and ensure its submission to the electorate.

    so, based on the given definitions and uses for “initiative”, is the Dharma initiative an introductory series of steps taken to cause a desired result? is it an independent action without outside influence, control, or suggestion? or is it a procedure enabling a specified number of voters by petition to propose a law and secure its submission to the electorate or legislature for approval?

    the third may seem unlikely, but if you’re looking for the right to change the law, who knows? maybe somebody out there is willing to use human guinea pigs to show evidence why some law or understanding of law should be changed?

    food for thought.