(Spoilers ahead. Though, you probably already know what happens, as you'd have to live under a rock not to know at this point.)

It seems like fans of Lost are having one of two reactions to the finale - either they loved it (and cried!) or they thought it was a cop-out.

I'm of the camp that cried. In fact, I not only cried, but I bawled like a baby, and that's saying a lot since I usually have nerves of steel and I never cry at movies. Ever.

What really got me at the end was the peace and happiness on Jack's face as he (and his friends) were enveloped in the white light. And the peace on his face as he finally laid down to die, knowing that he had done something good and meaningful in saving the island.

The ending resonates for many of us, because for us spiritual seekers, the ending is true. It's probably one of the most true things to ever be presented on network television. This is the meaning of life wrapped up in a TV show! We're all going to die someday, and when we pass over, we're going to have to "let go" to return to the light. Those of us attuned to such things could feel, if perhaps unconsciously, a divine presence in that final light presented by Lost. I honestly think the ending was divinely inspired. It's a wake up to many of us...we resonate because it stirs distant memories within us of our own spiritual "home" in the source (God, or whatever you want to call it). Some of us, like some of the Losties, are more "ready" than others, and I think it's those of us who are most touched by the finale. (No offense to those scientifically-minded people who just wanted a sci-fi explanation.)

Because, in reality, we are like the characters of Lost. Stranded here on the island of earth, adrift in a vast sea of stars, not knowing why we are here or what's the purpose of it all. In our earthly "reality," we have forgotten, like the Lost characters had forgotten in their "sideways reality," where we come from and where we are going. The "light" is actually there, it's been there all along, but it's just beyond reach. We get so caught up in the struggle of our lives, thinking that it's all sooo important, and in the end it's just a journey. Ultimately, we end up back in the light, if that's what we want.

I cannot think of any other television show (or movie for that matter) that so brilliantly captured the essence of the human condition. For those who thought it was "mawkish" or "trite," I think you missed the bigger picture.

A couple of points of plot clarification from my perspective, since there is a lot of confusion out there:

1. The original timeline, with the plane crashing on the island, was "real life." Juliet hitting the bomb did not send everyone into the sideways reality, it just created the "incident" that caused the Dharma Initiative to install the button that needed to be pushed every 108 minutes. (The "contamination" around the hatch was nuclear fallout.)

2. The sideways reality was a purgatory of sorts created by the collective souls who were part of Oceanic Flight 815. Some were ready to wake up and move on. Some (like Ana-Lucia) were not ready yet. Ben Linus could have moved on but consciously decided he was not ready.

3. The island wasn't purgatory...I'm still not entirely sure what it was, but I see it as sort of a portal to the other side. It was the source of spiritual energy on the planet. On the one side, it contained "hell," and on the other, the "light." It's also possible that the island actually was hell (as Richard said so plaintively), just a hell that you could reach sometimes by boat or plane.

4. Because the island was close to the source and had mystical properties, lost souls (such as Michael's) got stuck there. These are typically called "ghosts" or "earthbound spirits." They are not ready to move on to the next phase because they are filled with guilt and remorse. Or, perhaps they are staying because of an attachment to a loved one (such as Richard's wife). Michael did not appear in the final scene because he was still "earthbound" on the island, one of the ghost whispers.

5. The "electromagnetic energy" the Dharma Initiative was studying was the same thing as the "light" that appeared at the end. This energy is the spiritual life force..."The Force" from Star Wars, minus the midichlorians. Somehow the island was a crack between our "real" reality and the spiritual life force that embodies the "great beyond."

Now, if you are still wondering what the deal was with all the strange things happening on the island, I think at some point you have to realize it is part myth and leave it at that. Really. Think about it. Who cares who put the cork in the island bottle in the first place? Because if you go back further you'll have to ask, who created those people? Who created the universe? Who created God? How did the original something come from nothing? Some things will never have an answer.

And, even if our reality is the "real" one, where did that come from? What makes it all go? If we die and move on to another reality, is that somehow less real than what we experienced here? Maybe it's all a construct and we're just souls here learning as we go.

(And c'mon, isn't that what the ending of the Matrix said too? That even the real world was a matrix of energy and information, just like the "computer" matrix. When we wake up to that, we can bend the very fabric of space and time, like Neo did.)

Ultimately, I feel the full title for Lost should actually be "Lost Souls." We are all Lost Souls, just some of us are a little more awake about it than others. When you are ready for the light, it will appear.