It’s happening. The end of the world is near.

Okay, not really, but one of the greatest eras in TV history is coming to a close within the next month, and life as we know it might never be the same again. Judge me if you must, but ABC’s hit drama series, Lost, has only four episodes left, and I’m starting to freak out a bit for a few reasons.

First of all, I am freaking out about how I am going to fill my time. By the time the season finale ends May 23, I will have spent what is equivalent to five solid days watching Lost. That doesn’t even count reruns, which I usually watch before the start of a new season to refresh my memory. I don’t know about you, but that’s quite a bit of jungle surviving, polar bear hunting and button pushing if you ask me. Perhaps I can take up salsa dancing on Tuesday nights like I’ve always wanted.

Secondly, I am freaking out about losing a very important discussion topic. Lost has been my go-to backup conversation for years now, and it has proved itself completely foolproof in any and every situation. People who like the show will quickly try to assert they know better than anyone else what’s actually going on in the series, while people who know nothing about the show will either ask you to explain it or at the very least call you a fool and ridicule you for a few minutes.

No matter the reaction, I’ve never heard a mention of Lost that didn’t keep people at least temporarily entertained. The show is like my social security blanket (again, judge me if you must) and it pains me to imagine myself in an awkward social situation without a fallback conversation. I guess I’ll just talk about those salsa lessons I’m planning on starting in early June.

My last freak-out might be the most important. I am freaking out about the actual outcome of the show. There has been talk that all of the characters are actually dead or that the island they seem so permanently “lost” on is really hell. Throw in a smoke monster and this season’s introduction of an alternate reality and my head is sent spinning into utter befuddlement. Clearly, I am invested in the show, and clearly, it has played a significant part in forming my current identity. If these problems and dilemmas are not resolved May 23, 2010, I am worry about the psychological consequences it might have on me.

Should you be concerned about the ending of the world’s greatest TV show? Perhaps. For while I might be an anomaly, if any other Lost fanatics out there such as myself are out there, it’s going to take more than salsa dancing to combat this identity crisis.

Be afraid; be very afraid.