“…because the one thing we can all relate to is character. And the harder thing to relate to are these sort of highfalutin concepts. And when we find ourselves getting away from the “who,” that’s when we start getting into trouble.”

This quote came from Daman Lindeloff, one of the co-creators of LOST. He was discussing a clip from the show that dealt with consciousness and time traveling, which in all honesty are fairly complex concepts to write and think about let alone dish up for a very generalized national TV audience. Damon explained that one of the things they tried to do in the show was to turn a “what” into a “who,” which in turn he hoped would help people better identify with the story. For instance the writers turned the abstract mathematical idea of a “constant” into a character named “Desmond,” and a scary smoke monster into a character named “John Locke.”

I think What Damon is trying to say here is that when the emphasis is placed on the character not the concept, when we begin to subjectify instead of objectify, and when that abstract concept finally becomes embodied, then we can begin to enter into a better understanding and invest our time and love into that story. Once this connection happens it’s plain to see that this story someone has created is no longer just their story, it’s also my story and your story.

Drawing: Poker-drawings II: Number seven by Torgeir Husevaag

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