Obsession(control) vs Love

Throwing out a wild thought -

Pulling the Annie thing back in from my previous comment on Ben's obsession with pregnant women and the comments in the Claire and Aaron thread.

What if Ben knew from a long time back that it was foreseen by the others - some prophecy or something - that a child born on the island would be this great leader?

Ben somehow lies to the others for some purpose - convinces the others that this child is him...  that Ben was born on the island (maybe suggesting this is why his dead mother is there) and that he can see Jacob because he is this special person.   (Only *we know* that crazies can see him too.  Ben is crazy - was it because of his father or something else he wanted to escape?)  They mistake the "chosen" for his "mirror opposite" in Ben.

Ben loses his father who was just starting to show interest in him and love for him "too little too late" for Ben.  Ben decides it's more important to control the island than to give his dad a second chance.

However, knowing - or suspecting that this special child would be coming down the road - Ben tries to make the prophecy happen in a way that allows him control over the child and allows him to remain the "leader" and keep up the ruse he began.  Using their faith to seek control.

He tries to get his sweetheart Annie pregnant - but she dies and since he considered himself to be in love with her this adds to his dementia and heightens his obsession and search for the answer to his dilemma.   The pregnancy investigation on the island begins.  He adopts his daughter thinking that she may be this special child - but when she's tested, finds out she's not.  In the midst of keeping up the ruse for the others and why he showed intrest in her in the first place, he nonetheless becomes attached. 

Because he seeks to control - he precipiates the loss of his love through the pregnancy attempt and gains nothing from it (hmmm - much like how he looses his adopted daughter in a power struggle for control later - seeing an MO here).   Seeking control but always losing it - and losing love in the process.

He's testing the newborns as they come along for this "special trait", but without them surviving the point is moot.  Through Juliet's experiments and hypothesis that this only happens to children conceived on the island and hearing that a pregnant woman is on the plane gives him renewed hope in his quest - this again is special.

He manipulates Ethan in order to find out for sure.   Tests Aaron, keeping Ethan in the dark about his real purpose (for fear of losing his position of power) has to hide that he is seeking the child and manipulates events to send Ethan to his death.  Ethan, a loyal companion - his friendship sacrificed in order for Ben to progress in his chess game.

Juliet gets tied up in his obsession... again ... his manipulation attempts end up in him losing her as a love interest as well.  She is "the ghost" of Annie that haunts Ben - he's presented with his loss over and over again until he learns the lesson he should have learned the first time.

The challenge is first presented through his dad in relation to losing his mother.  He fails.
The prophecy of the child does not instill faith for him, but he sees a route to control his fear.
Is presented to him in his lover (the shadow of her presented to him again in Juliet) - and then his daughter (the shadow of his obsession for Aaron).
Further out to his "friends".  They are really shadows of the real thing - how things would have been had he learned how to let go of his fear and truly love.  Ripples of the same thing - the choice presented to Ben over and over again.  Instead of taking love for what it is and for love alone - he sees those feelings as a tool to get the control that he really values.