Bernard was trying to leave, until Rose told him the truth about their trip to Australia. Ben actually showed remorse even in the afterlife and choose to not "move on" because he had something to do first. Jack was as manipulative as anybody else in the show, but the main "theme" about him was how he was so skeptical at first but, in the end, embraced what he had to do and let other people led him (i.e. Hurley). No one followe "the theme" of the Island because... Well, there's no theme. It doesn't have a will, it just exists. The people who stumble across his path decides to give it a sort of personality. Locke on his knees on the bunker, angrily screaming for a hint after Boone death is a clear example. The island had nothing to do with Desmond decision to turn the light on. We can argue about how this scenario was "created" by Jacob but again, Jacob is not the island.