Talk:RWBY Dreams/@comment-35434444-20191021214806

Weiss' nightmare is by far the most suggestive to me because it captures the overall point of the entire series.If this chibi episode were cannon, it would mean that Weiss is closer than anyone to figuring out how to defeat Salem. (Although ironically it will son be apparent that she has nothing to be worried about.) “Your life has a limit, but knowledge has none. If you use what is limited to pursue what has no limit, you will be in danger.” -- Chuang Tzu Knowledge is not all that is without limit. So is freedom and, indeed, Salem's torment.

The reason Weiss fears being a literal know-it-all is that the more success one has in pursuing an abstract like love, or freedom, or wealth, or knowledge, the more important it becomes to go on succeeding forever. Long ago, people walked everywhere and were sick of traveling, so they got to riding horses. This was good for a while, but soon they began to rely on the speed of the horse and developed all kinds of clever tricks for domesticating them in ever increasing numbers. What's more, this process could only be sustained by the expansion of infrastructure needed to provide the horses with food, shelter, saddles, shoes, etc.So people went around doing things faster so that they could build up their infrastructure so that they could go around doing things even faster!They made trains and did things even faster. Then they made cars and did things even faster. Then they made planes and computers and automation -- but all this allowed them to do was go faster in order to go faster!The pursuit of speed and efficiency creates the need for more speed and efficiency. The faster you need to get somewhere, the slower you feel. So in this funny way, the most productive person of all is the man who takes it easy and just walks. The wisest man discards wisdom. The wealthiest man is content with what he already has. The man with the highest status does not strive and thus has no need to bow to anyone, but can do so anyway out of genuine affection instead of giving lip service. The best debater cannot be defeated because he makes no propositions. The best writer doesn't use any words. And the most free -- liberated -- man, makes no effort to escape from his "predicament." Remnant has the same problem. The gimm attack, so people make more weapons, breed more people, and train better warriors. But the better they get at fighting the grimm, the more anxiety they give off which produces more grimm. Not Salem or even the Dark One himself did produce the grimm. The huntsmen did. Because they can only succeed in repressing their evilness.

Therefore the greatest huntress goes into seclusion and is embarrassed to raise arms in anger.When the grimm do finally come for her, that will be that. But strangely she always manages to go untouched. As if the outward conflict of the grimm reflected an inner conflict of the soul that, once resolved, no longer plays out in the world...