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"The flow of time is always cruel."

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Dec 10, 2020
It's too bad this is probably the most quoted/quotable line from OoT. I guess it gives you an idea of Zelda's state of mind, and it makes sense given the events of the game, but it's not a super healthy outlook on life and, ultimately, death.
 
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I think you can be realistic but also not think that change, aging or whatever is always for the worse.
 
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I mean, I think that's the implication of "the flow of time is always cruel." But maybe that's a weird reading on my part,
 

Chevywolf30

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I mean, I think that's the implication of "the flow of time is always cruel." But maybe that's a weird reading on my part,
I see what you're saying, but I don't think the quote is saying that change is bad. If you read the rest of the quote, Sheik says something about a childhood memory never disappearing. I think the quote's about remembering things after they've gone. Or something like that. I've had a lot of similar stuff heavy on my mind lately.
 

Uwu_Oocoo2

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You kind of have to think about the context of this one to really understand its meaning. Sheik specifically says-
The flow of time is always cruel... its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it... A thing that does not change with time is a memory of younger days...
At first that sounds almost depressing, like "People age and die. Whatchu gonna do about it".
But you also have to think about why she's saying it. Sheik says this before teaching Link the Minuet of Forest, which he needs to reach Saria. When she says "its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it...", she's actually trying to give Link a warning. Saria, his childhood friend, is still a child. He had missed so many years of his life, but Saria had never changed. It prbly would remind him of the childhood that he missed. So when Sheik said "The flow of time is always cruel", it was meant to be comforting words. "Yeah, I understand, this sucks". But then she continues to remind him that its still the Saria he knew, and he would always have those childhood memories to cherish. It's less a message of doom and more of hope. :hug:
 
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Yeah, I actually have a problem with the whole quote.

"The flow of time is always cruel."

So, just to expand a litte bit, I've been reading some Buddhist stuff lately. A big point I've gleaned is it's not change that causes suffering, it's our attachment to the way things were. So to say, "the flow of time is always cruel," seems like a matter of perspective and in my view, an unhealthy one. That's not to say I don't understand why Zelda feels that way. Basically everyone she knows has probably been killed in the last seven years and the land turned to ash.

"A thing that does not change with time is a memory of younger days."

Ok, I'm in my mid-30s — not super old, but not super young. My memory of younger days does change! With age, I get additional perspective about things and feel differently about those things as a result. Sometimes, out of the blue, I'll remember stuff that I haven't thought about in years.
 

Mikey the Moblin

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He said that he's been reading some Buddhist stuff. Not that I'm just disagreeing as a knee-jerk reaction, but I'm inclined to do so. Probably shouldn't do that now that I think about it.
it would be like you saying "I've been playing some twilight princess lately" and me saying "as a wind waker fan I disagree"
which is totally non sequitur rofl
 

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