OK, one of the biggest questions in Lost is why that specific group of people have been drawn together. What do they have in common? Why have they been brought to the island? I think I've got an interesting idea - please tell me what you think.

They are all better off on the island than off it - those who are killed on the island are killed for the long-term benefit of the survivors. Kate and Sawyer are in major trouble with the police - they have both murdered. On the island, they are free from capture. Off the island, Rose would die, so Rose and Bernard are better off. Jack is happy because he has something to fix - ironically, the thing which satisfies him on the island - getting rescued - is what will make him unhappy eventually, as the flash forward shows. Locke is now capable of walking. Claire has a place to raise her baby away from other influences - as the psychic said. Charlie meets Claire. Desmond overcomes his cowardice. Sun and Jin fall back in love. Juliet's sister is healed of cancer. Ben frees himself of his father. Hurley loses his curse. Without the island, Michael and Walt would never have loved eachother.

Charlie dies, which allows Claire to raise Aaron on her own - something which the "psychic" said had to happen. Boone dies, which makes Locke bang on the glass of the hatch, which in turn inspires Desmond to keep trying and makes him happier. Shannon dies, freeing Sayid to do something heroic (which we are yet to see happen). If Libby had not died, Hurley might not have discovered the van and freed himself of the numbers' curse. Eko's death guided Locke when he saw the message on the stick. And Ana-Lucia, Nikki and Paulo... well, they just died to make everyone happy.