2. Who are The Others?

We recently found out that the Others, the 'Hostiles,' have likely been there before the Dharma landed, although the truth of that has yet to be revealed. Ben, the leader of the Others, was once a part of Dharma and responsible for the massacre of these scientists, but the Others were a group far before he joined them. Why does Richard seem to never age? Why was Ben allowed to be their leader? Why do they all seem to possess dangerous skills, such as fighting abilities, shooting, and/or walking silently through the wilderness?

The Others were a mystery from the first season, and yet they still remain very undefined in terms of their purpose. Yes, they say they are the 'good guys' but if they are, who exactly are the bad guys? Why was Ben so terrified of the people on the ship that Naomi brought to them? We know that several of the Others, like Juliet, were brought onto the island in the past few years, but we am more interested in knowing how many of them have been there before Ben.