[Jeritron]

Farady says they are variables and have free will.

I am inclined to believe him. The only thing that makes me question it all is the fact that Jack and Co. were "always" a part of 1977. Even when they were setting up camp and figuring things out in their first stay on the island, their future was presumably already a part of the island's past.
If their destiny is not written, how can this be? Was it a loose path that was certain to happen, but how and why was up to them?
For instance, think of the man in red shoes that Ms. Hawking points out to Desmond. He was destined to die. How he died was irrelevant. That was up to him, and those around him. They had the free will to save his life, or he could change his mind and not go outside that day.
Still, he was going to die.

I think similarly of the characters. They were destined to wind up back in 1977, and while they were there they were destined to become part of Dharma.

Everything else was up to them. If Jack had decided not to take the chopper and try to escape the island, they would have ended up in 1977 some other way.

I guess the analogy is that no matter what they're having pizza for dinner, but they can choose when they're going to have it, and what they want on it.



Was it written that they would arrive in 1977 and do exactly what we're seeing them do now, or was it just certain that they would arrive there, and the details were up to them as people?