The Lawless Island

Even though the first thought that pops to my mind when I picture myself in a fairly inhabited island is J.J. Abrams’ TV show Lost, the further considerations that come to my mind differ from theevents that occurred in the show. Hopefully, I would land on the island with a number of other shipwrecked colleagues, but for the sake of the discussion my presence in the Island will be merely of asolitary observer, unseen by the locals and unable to interact with them. The characteristics of this island are that there is no kind of law, no official hierarchy (although one would quickly develop)and only a common language to understand one another. This island is therefore a simulation of the first men or the first civilizations. This island is one where lawlessness will develop into a newsociety.

At first, in this island, people would be nomads. Travel in groups where the elders and the strongest men would be regarded as their leaders. The men would fight for them, hunt for them,while the women would take care of the children and of the daily chores. They wouldn’t have much private property other than the people themselves and anything they could carry around with them. Therewould be no private property of land. Different superstitious rituals would occur and the use of reason would be rare. Encounters between different groups of these islanders would be very rare; whenthey did occur these would be extremely respectful and courteous.

But the peace between these groups didn’t last long. A man from one of the groups would have a sexual relationship with a woman fromanother group and the first battle in the history of the island would occur. The outcome of this war would be that outcome of any war: a wining group, a losing group and a bunch of deaths. The wininggroup would claim the losers as their own property and either execute them or abduct them as slaves. But having lost the first war, the winning group would be weak and, when encountering with other...