Do you mean a child's mind? Because we saw a flash of Jacob in the cabin, and he looked old to me- physically at least.

I think in the commentary of this episode the writers said that the situation refects the story of the Dali Lama and the Panchen Lama. The Dali Lama assigns a Panchen to find his reincarnate when he dies. The new Dali then assigns a new Panchen. Now where everyone falls in this equation is beyond me. Jacob= Dali Ben= Panchen? So is Walt= new Dali? Locke the new panchen? And what about Richard?

Maybe like Wednighter said, Locke could be Ben's ying....or his yang....whatever. Two halves of one Panchen?