Questions and Answers
Clearly, my theory does not address every single question that is brought up in LOST. In this section, I will attempt to answer any of the big questions offered up by the show. Please submit any new Theory-Related questions to the message board. For questions not related to the theory, please post them to the message board.
Q: How does the theory explain all of the “ghosts/whispers” that people see on the island (Jack’s dad, Kate’s horse, etc, etc).
A: The ghosts and whispers are “fate’s way” of course correcting the universe and leading characters to certain actions – actions which will preserve a pre-determined timeline. Some of the ghost and whispers (Jack’s dad, Jacob, Eko’s brother, and Ben’s Mom) are actually “half dead” physical entities on the island, and they can manifest to certain characters if their presence is needed to help course correct. Other entities (Walt, Kate’s Horse) are merely “visions” that only present themselves to help characters fulfill their fate.
For example: Shannon died because she and Sayid both saw Walt. She was meant to die because of her fundamental change in character. The “old Shannon” would’ve never fallen in love with a man like Sayid, so fate choose to find a creative way to eliminate her so that she couldn’t interfere with other people’s actions, causing a potential disruption in the future timeline. Thus, her love for Sayid ultimately led her to her doom (Anna Lucia).
On the island, Hurely saw a ghost of his old imaginary friend, Dave. Dave’s role was to test Hurley. We all know that Hurley is fundamentally a little weird, but not a total whack-job. The ghost of Dave, on the island, was trying to fundamentally change Hurley into a compete whack-job. But the ghost of Dave failed, and Hurley resisted the temptation of changing the fundamentals behind his character. Thus, Dave disappeared for good.
Jack’s father was also seen alive on the island. This is because Jack’s dad’s dead body, when colliding with the past time in the island (a time when he was still alive), brought Jack’s father back to life as some type of half-dead ghost. This is likely why other characters (Hurley) saw him in Jacob’s house.
The whispers are the half-dead ghosts of DHARMA who were killed in the purge. In a past timeline from 1996-2007, these people were originally working for DHARMA on the island – until Ben went back in time and killed them. Now the whispers are helping the losties to ultimately bring down Ben.
When Hurley gets off the island, he sees the ghost of Charlie because in the original timeline, before Ben went back in time, Oceanic 815 did not crash. However, since Charlie never made it off the island in the new timeline, he can manifest himself to Hurley to help shape Hurley’s actions. Thus, fate can technically force people into certain actions via interactions with other characters, but it cannot physically make people do things.
Once we get to the sixth season in the series, we will be at some type of “showdown” between the losties and their opposing force – DHARMA, the Others and Fate. By that time, all of the remaining characters will have played a key role in surviving to that moment in time. We’ve already seen this though other elements in the show, but we still don’t have all the answers as to why certain people were kept alive, and why certain people were expendable. A few things we know are that: Hurley’s lottery numbers led him to destroy the hatch, Jack’s communication with his father led him to start helping other survivors, etc. However, it won’t be until the end until we truly know everyone’s role in the show. That is why it’s so hard to predict the significance of other characters’ visions.
Q: What is the Smoke Monster?
A: Ah, the big question! The smoke monster is not a machine, nor is it man-made. The smoke monster is fate’s “physical” means of controlling the universe and preserving the timeline. The smoke monster exists only on the island because the island is existing in a past time, where there has already been a pre-determined future – because the losties are technically from the future. Let’s take Eko, for example. He was killed by the smoke monster at the instant at which he had a fundamental change in character. In his flashbacks, he blamed himself for his actions; yet, on the island, he came to realize that he had done nothing wrong. His realization would’ve caused him to make life-altering decisions in the future. Therefore, the smoke monster had to kill him, so that he would not make such decisions. The smoke monster also killed the pilot of 815. This happened shortly after the pilot realized facts about the plane that could potentially affect several people – these facts could’ve changed the perspective of everyone on the island, and thus had a huge impact on everyone.
When the monster is “scanning” people, it is recording their future, and making sure that their current actions correlate with what they do in the future. If the monster sees a discrepancy, it takes action, and in most cases that we’ve seen – it kills someone. Luckily for Kate and Locke, the monster saw that their state on the island wasn’t contradictory to their future-counterparts – therefore, it left them alone.
Q: Why is Locke in the Casket?
A: When Locke "moved" the island, he took it, and everyone on it, back in time. Locke then left the island in the past and re-lived his life off the island under a different alias. He left the island because he wanted to come back to the real world to re-write the past.
Q: Why does Walt seem to have so many powers?
A: As we know, Walt has gotten off the island. This would mean that Walt has lived out two iterations of his life in different timelines: One off the island from 1994 – 2004, and then one on the island 1996. Since Walt’s mind existed in 1996 simultaneously, it gave Walt the power to see the future in his original timeline.
Q: How can you explain the food drop? If the island is looping every 108 minutes during the lockdown, then wouldn’t a food drop be coming once every 108 minutes, or not at all?
A: In theory, since we had never seen a food drop in the 108 minute window, there should not be a schedule food drop at that point in time. Back in the working DHARMA days, there probably should’ve been a food drop every few months (based on the amount of food in the container). But, let’s assume that the food drop was timed to be one minute AFTER the 108 minute window. Notice that when the hatch entered lockdown mode, Ben had temporary control over pushing the button. The fact that Ben pushed the button at the last second could’ve suggested that he let the timer slightly ran over 108 minutes. This is dangerous; because it exposes the island to time past the 108 minutes (which the others knew was “safe time”). But, instead, in that 109th minute, the island was scheduled for a regular DHARMA food drop.
Q: Can you explain exactly how the plane crash happened, given the island is existing in the year 1996?
A: Note the timeline illustration on my webpage. The island has been looping in the year 1996 for about 8 years. That would put the outside time around 2004. When Desmond doesn't hit the button, he temporarily exposes the island to the year 2004. In fact, he's exposing the island to the exact time when the plane is flying over the island. Thus, the plane is able to enter the island - and when Desmond resumes pressing the button, the time on the island is reset back to 1996. From that point on, all of the losties are existing on the island in 1996.
Q: Who is Jacob?
A: As we know, dead bodies on the island can exist in a half dead state – due to LOST’s definition of time travel. Hence, if your dead body comes to the island in a time when you are not dead, you are half dead. Jacob is one of these entities. He has died at some point in the past, but was alive in an alternate future - and his body (or presence) is still located on the island. Since we really know nothing about Jacob, it’s hard to tell what, exactly, he’s doing on the island – we can only infer as to “what he is.” I think that the real Jacob was working with Ben and Richard back in the day. Then, the three of them traveled back in time, and Jacob still died. However, Jacob’s spirit was still able to communicate with them, because he was considered half-dead.
Q: How does Locke’s father appear on the island via the “box?” How does that relate to Sawyer killing him, and then Locke proving to Jacob that he actually killed his father? Then, why does Ben just go and shoot Locke once he admits that he “heard” Jacob?
A: Locke’s dad shows up at the island several days after the time loop stopped. Ben brought Locke’s data to the island to see if Locke could permanently alter his future. Hence, if Locke would kill his dad in the year 1996 on the island, would Locke still ultimately become paralyzed? That is why Ben shoots Locke: to TEST whether or not Locke is invincible. Another explanation could be that Locke’s father was originally affiliated with DHARMA, and had been on the island before (Possibly around the year 1996 in the original timeline). And, Locke is actually interacting with some type of ghost of his father.
Q: If the island is in a time loop, how does Richard freely move between the island and the real world – and then BACK to the island?
A: If the island is in a time loop, that doesn’t necessarily mean that people are “trapped inside the island.” It just means that if people leave the island, then they are leaving in whichever year the island exists. Or, as suggested in Season 4, there is a “special” coordinate that allows people to travel freely between island time and the outside time. OR, possibly the use of the submarine allows people to travel UNDER the time barrier. Regardless, this is why Ben can’t let people leave the island – because if they did leave, they’d immediately know that they were entering a world in the past.
Q: How can Mikhail receive communications in 2004 of the Plane Crash, when the island is currently in a time loop?
A: Mikhail’s communication station has the satellite pointed directly through the special coordinate, which allows passage from island time to real world time. Mikhail said that that when the “sky turned purple” that the communication station stopped working. I think by “stopped working” he meant that he can no longer communicate with the outside world in the year 2004. This is because the island now exists in 1996.
Q: What is the relevance of the numbers, and them being 4, 8, 15, 16, etc? How did they play a role in Hurley winning the lottery?
A: I don't think the actual values of the numbers had much to do with anything. They were just a series of numbers that Hurley had heard in his past - and he didn't know they were originating from the island. Then, the island needed someone to believe that they were cursed to ultimately destroy the hatch (Hurley eventually played a role in that). So, fate allowed Hurley to win the lottery, which ultimately brought him to the island, which ultimately lead him to destroy the hatch with the dynamite. I think it’s an arbitrary fact that the numbers were 4, 8, 15, 16, etc – that they were simply designed to stimulate debate, and there's no true significance to the actual values of the number - other than their sum is 108, or that they are coordinates to something. Sorry if that explanation seems underwhelming, but it does appear that the theme of the numbers has been dropped after the second season.
Q: If Ben has traveled back in time from 2007 to 1996? Why does he develop cancer the second time around? If he was cancer-less in the first timeline, why come down with it when he wasn’t “meant to have it.”
A: I’d venture that the first time Ben he lived to 2007, he didn’t have cancer. The second time around, he was completely astonished to find out that he did have cancer! However, the universe ultimately course corrected to have Jack cure him of his cancer. This is just another example of how fate has a funny way of course correcting the universe. I think that although Ben had cancer the second time around, he always knew that “something” would cure him of that. And that “something” was Jack. Note that he never really seemed overly concerned about his cancer throughout the third season. The only surprise was when he found out that he had it. However, him developing cancer just helped his understanding of time travel – and that is that fate can really do anything to you, as long as it can be fixed by one thing or another.
Q: What about Libby? Where did she come from?
A: Libby and her husband were likely working for DHARMA. Their ultimate goal was to “research” anyone in the outside world who may have a connection to the island. She first encounters Hurley at the mental institution, as she was originally tracking down the man who kept repeating the magic numbers “4 8 16, etc.” Widmore and DHARMA then decide to send Libby’s husband to the island. But, before her husband gets to go to the island, he dies and Libby inherits the boat. Not knowing what it was for, she hands it over to Desmond. Unfortunately, Libby, while trying to actually do Desmond a favor, does not realize that fate will ultimately trap him at the island.
Q: How was the orientation film created, and if the Others were so bent on keeping the time loop running, why would they leave the button pushing in the hands of Desmond?
A: Back in the days of DHARMA, the SWAN was originally a test station. People in then SWAN were supposed to press a button for what they thought was some grand purpose. The button only served as a psychological experiment until the time machine was put in the SWAN – hence the pearl monitoring station. The Others snipped out the section of the already made orientation film, so that the button pressers wouldn’t even get the idea to communicate with the computer. The others never really tended to the SWAN station once they had started the time loop because they were always under the impression that Kelvin was pressing the button. Kelvin had an unexpected death at the hands of Desmond, but Ben was able to go to the Pearl and see that people were still pressing the button. Plus, from Ben’s perspective, he has a very limited team of “others:” there are children to look after, and Mr. Friendly trying to tend to Jack and Company. Once wind got out that our heroes had infiltrated Desmond’s button pressing, Ben’s only option is to eventually try to infiltrate the hatch himself – in other words, I think he was probably out of resources on the island and the others simply didn’t have the man power to guard the hatch night and day. Keep in mind that the Others are a small group of people. They don’t clearly don’t appear to have the resources to have the island on guard 24/7.
Q: How did Eko’s brother’s plane end up on the island?
A: I’d guess that Eko’s brother’s plane took off around the year 2001. The plane collided with the time bubble on the island, and all of the people on the plane got instantly taken back to the island time of 1996. My guess is that none of them had “constants,” therefore, they all died. However, Eko’s brother’s body was on the island in a past time, so he appeared half-dead to Eko.
Q: And what about the Res Sox World Series victory? Just a lucky guess by Ben & Co.? What’s with the passports and such.
A: This isn't a guess at all. From the Lostie’s perspective, Ben and Company are “from the future.” Ben, Jacob and Richard lived throughout time to 2007, and then went back in time and killed off DHARMA. Since Ben had lived in the year (or past) 2007, he was able to store historical records and take them back in time with him to 1996 – hence all of his passports and research. He happened to hold on to a tape of the World Series, along with records of people who may or may not be associated with DHARMA. Ben, in fact, is quite powerful. Because the fact that he’s traveled back in time gives him access to worlds records. So, he could potentially have unlimited funding if he so desired. That’s another reason why Miles believes that it should be no trouble for Ben to come up with the money.
Q: Why does the Swan computer log show the time of Des' bringing the plane down as 9-22-2004? If the island exists in the year 1996, wouldn’t the logs just repeat the same date over and over?
A: Like Rosseau's distress call. Anything "on" the island is in its own little time bubble, if you will. Thus, "events" still run their course on the island, while "time" per-se is frozen in a 108 minute window. It's just the world OUTSIDE the island that isn't moving (while the island is in the loop). Or, the fact that when the button wasn’t pressed, the island was temporarily EXISTING in the year 2004 – and if the island was existing in that time frame, the output on the computer would read the year 2004.
Q: If the crew of Oceanic 815 crash in the past, why did certain people live and certain people die?
A: The plane crash was fate attempting to put a stop to the Others' activities on the island – therefore, only certain characters were necessary to bring down Ben. As we’ve seen throughout the series, almost every character has played a critical role in affecting the actions of the others. On the other hand, DHARMA also played a part in rounding up the people to get on the plane, so, it's really a question of destiny.
Q: If the machine is destroyed by Desmond, why wouldn’t the island catch up with the outside world time in 2004?
A: When I originally thought up of this theory, I was going to take the direction you just described (Desmond destroys the time machine and the island immediately "catches up" with real time in 2004). And, to be honest, I think they show may still go in that direction. Now, let me explain how the island is remains in the past: I think that the magnetic bubble that encloses the island is what is keeping it in the past. So, you have this type of chemistry between the time machine and the magnetic bubble. The bubble is serving as a type of shield that regulates how the island exists - it's like an invisible time barrier for the entire island. So, what do the time machine and the bubble have to do with the swan station? I don't think the SWAN had anything to do with the actual bubble. I think the swan was simply a station where people pushed the button for testing, and the bubble is a permanent and unique property of the island, and that it can't be destroyed. Furthermore, why would Jack want to go back to the island? Because he wants to go back in time to change his fate!
Q: Is the island still hidden from the outside world once the bubble collapses?
A: Once the key is turned, there are now 2 parallel timelines. One is running its course in the year 2004, outside the island. And, the island is now existing in its bubble in the year 1996. Since the island is no longer in a time loop, both timeline are simply running parallel. Hence, 2006 in the real world = 1998 on the island. The problem is that the bubble that surrounds the island still keeps it “hidden in time” from the outside world.
Q: If the plane goes back in time to 1996, what happens to the character’s counterparts that previously existed in the original timeline?
A: No one that we’ve seen on the island has actually left the island in the year 1996. So, while the losties are stuck in the year 1996, their counterparts have yet to play out their roles in the outside world in the years 1996–2004. Therefore, there aren’t “duplicates” of anyone on and off the island – UNTIL Desmond turns the failsafe key. At that point in time, the characters on the island have counterparts that are existing in the real world. Jack, once off the island, feels the need to go back because he knows that if he doesn’t beat DHARMA back to the island, then DHARMA will go back in time and kill everyone on the island in order to preserve the off-island timeline. If anyone on the island were to ever leave, and somehow use their “constant” to get off the island and into the real world, they could potentially do serious damage to the course of history. That is, if fate would allow them.
Q: What’s the significance of Penny’s search for Desmond?
A: At the end of season 2, we see Penny’s communication with people in the arctic – who are proactively searching for Desmond. This scene represents penny, after 3 years of searching for Desmond (in the year 2004). When Desmond hits the failsafe key, he temporarily exposes the island to real world time, like with the Oceanic crash, however, the magnetic anomaly is actually island going back in time to the year 1996. Now it is once again invisible to Penny, yet she at least knows where the island should be.
Q: How do you explain Richard never appearing to age?
A: Richard had been traveling back in time to communicate with Ben all along. Hence, In Ben's flashback, Richard, as we saw him, was traveling back in time. So, the 40-year-old Richard as we know him, exists in 2007. But, until the purge, Richard continually used the time machine to visit Ben as he was growing up.
Q: Why would a human have to enter the “numbers” every 108 minutes?
A: In order to keep the island suspended in time, it would’ve been a great idea for Ben to reset the time machine every second, or minute. NOT every 108 minutes. That would provide more security on the island, as the island would only be “exposed” for a short period of time. Unfortunately for Ben, there are a few issues. Consider if you program a computer to “set a time machine back 108 minutes” – you’d be sending the computer back to a time BEFORE it was programmed. Therefore, the computer couldn’t program itself to reset the time machine. So, it requires a Human, who can retain memories through time travel to continue to reset the time machine. The other issue that Ben faces is that he can’t just go and tell someone that they have to do this. I mean, who would want to sit around pressing a button on regular intervals? So, Ben finds the Swan hatch, where testing used to take place – it was a convenient coincidence that the testing in that hatch involved the pressing of a button every 108 minutes. Ben decided that 108 minutes would be a “safe” amount of time in which to create the loop. And there you have it – Ben rigged up a contraption to reset time, while hiding its true purpose. It’s the perfect scenario for a guy like Desmond!
Q: How does Mrs. Hawking fit into all of this?
A: Think of Mrs. Hawking as more of a "presence" than an actual person. Her role was to "help fate" keep Desmond in the same direction while he re-lives his life. Even she says that "fate has a funny way of correcting the universe" - she is the embodiment of that very statement. While I don't think she had a conscious agenda in sending Desmond to the island, her "character/role," per say, was solely to ensure that he get to the island so that the timeline could be preserved.
Q: Sun conceived while on the island but she still gave birth – why?
A: Note that mothers can’t give birth on the island while the island is in a time loop. That is because time is literally not passing on the island, so the babies can’t grow up in the womb. Also, fate physically can’t allow for a birth to take place because if time on the island isn’t moving, introducing a new entity to the world could potentially impact the will of others. However, Sun conceived while the island was in a time loop; then Desmond turned the key shortly after and the island started moving in real time again, from the year 1996. So, the baby had time to grow. Since we know that Sun gets off the island, and Jin doesn’t, we can make the assumption that Sun’s baby was to replace Jin in the new timeline. Also, note the scene where Jin was bringing a stuffed panda to the other lady while she was giving birth. That scene is from the parallel time in the original timeline, before Ben even went in the time machine. In that timeline, Jin never even met Sun, yet Jin still ended up working for her father.
Q: If the losties traveled back in time when the plane crashed, why is Claire still pregnant? Were Jack's tattoos that old, too?
A: Juliet says that women who conceive off the island will live; however, women that conceive on the island die. This is true because women who are already carrying a baby have had time to allow it to grow in their womb, prior to going back in time on the island. Claire could’ve technically given birth BEFORE the plane crash if she wanted to – so that is how her baby could’ve lived according to Juliet’s comment. However, I believe that women can’t have babies, not because of any aging of the womb, but because of fate. I think the fact that women can’t give birth is simply fate course correcting to prevent a second entity from entering the world – given the second entity could permanently alter the future. Thus, for all we know, Aaron could’ve been replacing another character on the show – possibly Ethan, who dies at about the same time that Aaron is born. Jack can keep his tattoos because they are a part of his physical body, which does not de-age when he enters the past. The key to the concept of time travel is that if you go back in time, your womb will always age, you will be "temporarily" cured of ailments, and you will not continue to age until you reach the present day in age.
Q: What about the Sonar fence – it’s done some weird stuff so far, like partly killing Mikali and keeping the smoke monster out of the Others’ camp.
A: Ask yourself why the fence has to be “sonar?” Why couldn’t it just be a fence? Furthermore, never has there existed a sonar fence in our day in age. The fact that the show even introduces such an idea is evidence enough to suggest that time travel could be involved! As for the fence itself, I believe it’s actually some type of sonar time-barrier. When Locke pushes Mikhail through the barrier, Mikhail is actually instantaneously passing though the real-world time in the future (where we know he is dead from when he blew up the looking glass). So, in the instant that Mikhail passed through the sonar fence-time barrier, he went dead (because he was meant to be dead in the future). But, then he woke right back shortly after passing through the fence because he went back in time to island time. Also, the fence keeps the smoke monster out. Granted the smoke monster is the course corrector, it would have no need to enter the present time because there is no course correction necessary in the present, because the future has not yet played out yet.
Q: On a lighter note - got any explanations on the four toed statue?
A: This is just speculation, but I believe the statue was created by DHARMA back in the early 1900’s. We can assume that their leader had only 4 toes, and the statue was made in his liking. However, once DHARMA began experimentation on the Others, they destroyed the statue. They blew it up and tried to bury the remains underwater.
Questions and Answers - Continued
In this section, I will address some of the more recent questions regarding the theory
Q: Why was Daniel crying in his flashback/flashforward, as he was watching the footage of the Oceanic Crash?
A: Daniel is crying because he is a time traveler. He will at some point exist in the year 1996, yet his flashback takes place in 2004 after the fake Oceanic 815 is found. So, somehow his body knows that it existed on the island in a different time, and that he did come into contact with the survivors. The fact that he’s crying is probably because he feels guilty, because somehow he knows that he’s going to be responsible for the deaths of some of the survivors.
Q: What explains the 31 minute time difference between the freighter and the people on the island?
A: The people on the freighter exist in 2004 off the island, while the rest of the island is existing in 1996. Daniel is testing the location of the “special coordinate” this with his payload experiment. Ideally, if the payload went through the exact center of the coordinate, it would arrive to the island instantaneously. The fact that the payload reached the island 31 minutes later suggests that it passed somewhere between the center of the coordinate and the rest of the bubble. I think that the further you get from the center of the coordinate, the more the time differential is that you’d have to pass through. So, maybe if you’re 10 meters from the coordinate, you’re 31 minutes off – but then if you’re 50 meters from the coordinate, you’d be (31x5) 155 minutes off. Each scenario would require more work to find a constant. With the payload experiment, Daniel had deemed that 31 minutes was a safe amount of a time gap.
Q: How does Ben get off the island (via Sayid’s “flashforward”)?
A: Ben is a time traveler. In the original timeline (or any one of the past timelines), Ben and Richard traveled back in time from 2007 to 1996 to start the time loop. Originally, Ben wanted the time loop to run forever – but the folks from 815 put a grinding halt to that idea (unknowingly, of course). Since Ben was alive in a past timeline, he’s technically invincible in this new timeline, until the year 2007 (at which, the future hasn’t been written for him). So, somehow Ben manages to get off the island with the Oceanic “6.” I believe Ben’s ultimate motive is to take down the rest of the folks at DHARMA so that he can regain whatever time machine they re-created. If he can find the time machine, everyone working with him can use it to go back in time to 1996 on the island, and start the time loop again. Why does Sayid go from hating Ben to trusting him? Because Sayid knows that if he doesn’t destroy the folks at DHARMA, then there will be no hope at getting back to the island to save the rest of the survivors, who are existing in the year 1996.
Q: How do Hurley and Sayid intercept the radio signal and hear that old 1940’s music?
A: There could be a few explanations of this. Sayid had mentioned that the radio waves could be bouncing off the ionosphere (the metallic layer in the sky), and Hurley suggests that it could be from a different time. In one sense, a radio signal could’ve came from the year 1940, entered the magnetic bubble that encompasses the island, and it’s been bouncing off the bubble’s magnetic field for decades. On the other hand, if the island is existing in 1996, then Sayid may actually be intercepting a radio transmission from the year 1996.
Q: Why would Ben and Richard set the loop to contain the time that Ben's tumor manifested itself and would require surgery for him to survive?
A: In Juliet's flashback, when she gives Ben the news about his tumor, she points out that he is surprised. And, in reality, he is! Let's assume that Ben has lived out the years 1996 - 2007 multiple times (assuming he's continued to travel back in time). Each of those past times, he didn't get a tumor. But, in this most recent iteration, he does get a tumor. But, he is healed by Jack. So, at the end of the day, it's like he never really had a tumor - much like the other timelines. So, this is a perfect example of how things can play out differently in alternate timelines, yet, the overall fate of major events can't be altered.
Q: You mentioned that Dave (Hurley’s friend) was a real person at some point in time – how do you explain that?
A: Perhaps Dave was someone who died when Hurley collapsed the deck (this happened in one of Hurleys earlier flashbacks). To cope with the guilt of killing the people on the deck, Hurley re-created Dave in his mind. Then, on the island, Dave becomes a real person again. Perhaps Dave always worked for DHARMA, and that's another reason why Hurley ultimately ended up on the island? There are really too many unknowns to speculate on Dave's character - but I'd be willing to bet that at one point in time, he was a real person.
Q: How has Richard always had access to the time machine?
A: Let's assume that multiple people have traveled back in time multiple times between the years 2007 and 1996. Maybe Jacob was the original leader of the others - he traveled back in time to Recruit Richard. Then Jacob he died, so Richard had to find someone to replace Jacob. Then, Richard goes back in time and recruits Ben. Then, Richard dies. Now the cycle would have the Ben needs to find a replacement for himself, so he goes back in time to recruit....Sayid?? It's all speculation, but my guess is that Richard and Jacob got to the time machine long before Ben, and he's always had some amount of control over the machine, as fate would have it.
Q: Ben's mother was recruited by DHARMA? Wouldn't the situation you posed result in her being on the island and off it at the same time?
A: No. If she first worked on the island, then went back in time, the "second" timeline would contain her not being on the island. In her second timeline, she dies immediately and Ben takes her place, and ultimately ends up at the island to finish the work that she started. So basically, she never did anything on the island that required her to be alive for the second timeline. Ben was the one that fulfills her task at some point in his life, the second time around for her.