Appreciating Mystery

TV's Lost is coming to an end this Sunday. Until Lost came around, I had largely avoided much of what the big networks had to offer. Our TV watching prior to this show was largely limited to TVLand, Nick@Nite, and USA. But after getting badgered into watching the first two seasons of Lost on DVD, I acquiesced into making that show a part of my weekly schedule. I have been fascinated at the way this show weaves heady themes of dark and light, faith and science, destiny and coincidence - all very familiar, existential themes cloaked in a new version of old mythologies. While not overtly spiritual in any particular sense, there are spiritual themes throughout that give rise to the subtle undertones of truth, or at least, of the mystery that so often surrounds the truth of our being.

Mind you, I'm using truth here with a lowercase "t," because I am not suggesting that the storytellers of Lost are attempting to convey biblical truth as the foundational philosophy of the show. But neither do they overtly reject it. Remarkably though, they have captured the basic ethos of the spiritual struggles of our era in the context of an entertaining and suspenseful plot. But I'm not here today to pull back the curtain and examine how God might speak through the creative gifts of ordinary people. Nor am I going to theorize as to what it all means, or spend time exploring all the deliberate placements of literature, namesake characters, and mythologies the way the estimable Doc Jensen does on ew.com. Rather, I simply want to call attention to something I read while reading the various essay and blog posts of fans giving tribute to the conclusion of a wonderfully mysterious show.

In his post on the upcoming finale, "Frank" at popinitiative.com captured the following quote from J.J. Abrams (emphasis mine):

“Mystery, now more than ever, has special meaning. Because it’s the anomaly, the glaring affirmation that the Age of Immediacy has a meaningful downside. Mystery demands that you stop and consider — or, at the very least, slow down and discover. It’s a challenge to get there yourself, on its terms, not yours…The experience of the doing really is everything. The ending should be the end of that experience, not the experience itself.”
- J.J. Abrams

J.J. Abrams is big on the idea of maintaining and treasuring "the mystery." (For more on his thoughts about this, check out his presentation on TED.com) or on YouTube).

With regard to the show, I too originally wanted answers to the mystery. We're wired that way. We want answers to questions, be it our math homework or the meaning of life. Yet the best stories I have ever read always leave enough mystery to get me thinking, to keep me wondering, and to free me to imagine. This Age of Immediacy, if nothing else creates an inner tension that leads to a strange dichotomy: the faster I feel the need to go to get to my destination, the more I ache to slow down and simply be. That's why pictures like this take my breath away.

In both my spiritual walk and in my everyday life, the mystery of the moment is something to be discovered, pondered and treasured. The mystery of creation, with all we know and don't know, gives rise to even more of the same. Strange as it may seem, if we allow ourselves to appreciate it, there is energy, there is discovery, there is enlightenment, and yes - even contentment - in not knowing the answers to everything. I am not suggesting a path of willful ignorance - far from it. But I am suggesting that contentment, and even pleasure, can be found in the experience of the mystery. And in that mystery lays the opportunity for revelation - of Truth - that connects and engages more than just the mind, but the soul as well.

This Age of Immediacy definitely has a downside. Not every question can be answered with a search on Google. Figuratively, we need a taste of that island adventure, to sit outside the lighthouse and stare at the ocean for hours on end, if only to recover our perspective. Accepting that mystery is a vital part of this temporary existence frees us to embrace and appreciate it all the more.

How amazing would it be for our story to end with a new beginning, a new mystery completely free from the destructive and repetitive cycles of the past. At the risk of seriously cluttering up the conclusion of this concept, I'm reminded of the closing words in the series finale of Quantum Leap, in which it was said of the main character: "Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home." The continuation of purpose interwoven in the mystery and wonder of eternity ...

Now wouldn't that be something?

Update (8:30pm): Similar thoughts at the Wall Street Journal.