why is the Dialogue of Mihawk talking about this unchanging “sense of self” written in the same panel as Zoro puts his bandanna on and starts using CoC?
"You are what you dream" more or less. Which...feels like it could be the moral at the heart of this entire story, really.
Well that’s a problem for Sanji then since Sanji has abandoned fulfilling his dream many times.
Being dedicated to making your dream a reality is what's important. It doesn't matter if you gave up on it, in the past. What matters is what you choose to do now.
I think you can falter. You can doubt. You can change your mind. As long as you don't let those doubts swallow you, having those feelings is fine.
That's kind of what Cross Guild seems to be all about. (Cross Guild can be about many things, after all.) Giving people a second chance to find new dreams. Their old dreams didn't work out. Their plans went bust. But, there's still hope for them, if they keep going. Even if your old dream didn't work out, you can still find a new one to work toward.
Because that's what I think Mihawk will have to do. Mihawk needs to learn that it's okay to find a new dream, later in life. It's like someone changing careers in their 40s. It's hard, but you can do it. Mihawk's been focused on one, limited dream for so long he can't imagine anything else. So, he has to free himself from the mental trap he's put himself in.
Sanji's dream...likely needs refinement. He wants to be a great chef, and to find the All Blue. Perhaps, to give himself a more concrete vision of his future, which may allow him to unlock his CoC, he needs to think about WHO he will be cooking for? Not so much changing his dream. But, changing what he chooses to focus on.
So, yeah, if I'm right, I guess everyone's getting therapy sessions! Really getting to the core of what they want, and any mental blocks they may have that may get in the way of them achieving that.
you’re saying Luffy’s refusal to ever abandon his dream is what makes him a CoC user? Or it’s what gives him CoC? I don’t know what you’re saying
And yes, that does mean that Luffy is a little bit special. Because he's been so dedicated to his dream for so long. But, not everyone can or should be like that. And I think the lesson will be that it's okay if you change your mind later. Not all dreams last a lifetime. But, some do. It just kind of depends. You need a "sense of self" to know when and if your dream is changing.
I'll admit, it is a bit of a contradiction. Or a zen koan. You need to be aware of your unchanging self to know what parts of you are changing and respond in kind.
It's kind of like figuring out what you want to do when you grow up. Some people know exactly what they want to be when their kids. Some people don't know until later. And some people change their minds, as they gain more experience. There are different paths to finding your dream.
...I'll admit this is all very abstract and psycho-babbly sounding. But, I think that might be the direction we're heading in, given some of the themes that Oda seems to want to play with.
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