And then, I was lost

So ... I think I've got a pretty solid theory on Lost's finale last night, and what it means for the show.
First of all, I've always been a big-picture viewer when it comes to Lost. I don't care too much about the Dharma notebooks; the reasoning behind the 325 heading to leave the island; or any of the other things that have been intriguing to the fanatics out there. I've loved this show for its characters. Sure, the Island itself is a character, but in the grand scheme of things, it is little more than a really cool venue for the character stories. My argument for that is: there was history and questions about the island before the castaways arrived, while they were there, and after. At its heart, Lost is a character-driven story. We only found out what the characters discovered. Anything else is irrelevant to their story.
In that, we have the sixth season, and the revelations of the show's finale last night.
1.) The island is real. The crash was real. The people are real. Their adventures, actions and reactions were actual, real and viable to those involved. The island itself is a real place.
2.) The Sideways world is, in fact, a kind of holding pattern for the castaways' souls after they've died. The interesting part is that the holding pattern was not at all linear. For some souls, the Sideways life may have been years. For the final castaway who died, it may have been mere seconds. But at the end of last night's episode, all the souls were finally reunited, having such a connection that they all yearned to "move on" together. And therein, the white light.
3.) But again, they didn't all die together, in the same time, or in the same place. Charlie and Locke died years earlier. Bernard and Rose had stayed on the island; we don't know when they died. Jack closed his eye in the final scene. Kate and Sawyer escaped the island, and we don't know when they died, or how. But everyone was brought back together, having been enlightened during a series of tear-inducing events in their Sideways "realities" to their island lives. And they were brought back in their castaway form, with their castaway memories, and with a sense of peace for their experiences.
4.) So to be taken away from the series is that the first five seasons were what they seemed: the story of real people (characters) faced with extraordinary circumstances, in an extraordinary place. That the island life was their actual life. Gone are the theories that the island was some kind of purgatory.
5.) I didn't sleep much at all last night, having all this information rolling around through my head, trying to make sense of it. When I woke up this morning, I had it figured in my head. First order of business was to try to explain it to Brian, then to Mom. And finally, to figure it out here on the blog.
6.) All in all, I'll say that I found this to be an extremely well-done, well-acted, well-executed, and well-outlined show. As far as series finales go, I think this may be one of my favorites. I find that the ending of Lost is as emotionally upsetting as the end of Friends and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'll miss it. I've saved the finale though, and will certainly watch it again before I get the final season on DVD ... in August!!