Final Fantasy and Philosophy: The Ultimate Walkthrough (19 page)

Cloud: I was so angry. . . . Angry at myself for my weakness. . . . That was the first time I heard about Sephiroth. If I got strong like Sephiroth, then everyone might . . . If I could just get stronger . . . then even Tifa would have to notice me.

Second, in the same episode, we affirm that Cloud never did partake in the Mount Nibel mission as a SOLDIER. Instead, he found himself so embarrassed by his own lies of SOLDIERdom that he chose to hide his face from his hometown by wearing his uncomfortable guard’s mask for the duration of the mission. Third, and perhaps most important, we learn that although he considered himself weak and cowardly, it was Cloud and
not
Zack who mustered up the strength and courage necessary to put a stop to Sephiroth by throwing him into the Mako reactor at Mount Nibel, effectively preventing (or at least delaying) his terrible spree to destroy the planet.

Indeed, although Cloud had hitherto lived his life in an inauthentic state of perpetual
bad faith
, after coming to terms with his own failures (as well as realizing his own strength as a free individual fully capable of vanquishing the powerful Sephiroth), Cloud awakens from his stupor and returns to his friends with new hope. At this point, the Cloud we encounter appears wholly transformed:

Cloud: I never was in SOLDIER. I made up the stories about what happened to me five years ago, about being in SOLDIER. I left my village looking for glory, but never made it in to SOLDIER. . . . I was so ashamed of being so weak; then I heard this story from my friend Zack. . . . And I created an illusion of myself made up of what I had seen in my life. . . . And I continued to play the charade as if it were true.

Barret: Illusion, huh . . . ? Pretty damn strong for a ’lusion, I’d say.

This noble admittance to having chosen the inauthentic path of life is soon followed by the decision to live life to its fullest, with all of its hiccups and flaws:

Cloud: . . . I’m . . . Cloud . . . the master of my own illusionary world. But I can’t remain trapped in an illusion any more. . . . I’m going to live my life without pretending.

With that, Cloud vows to carry onward with AVALANCHE’s original mission to protect the planet at all costs and to defeat Sephiroth once and for all. For it is at this point that he has come to the realization that the world is indeed an integral part of his very being and that regardless of his futile attempts to deny the conditions of his existence, he will always be fully responsible for his own actions and, consequently, the true master of his own destiny.

Cloud’s Choice and Ours

As we have seen, the story of
Final Fantasy VII
is wrought with numerous existentialist themes. As players of the game, we find ourselves thrown into a godless world of modern nihilism and must, through no avenue other than our free choices (and, of course, with our controllers in hand), come to terms with our place within it, our relationships with others and, perhaps most important, with ourselves. Through the perspective of Cloud Strife, in particular, we experience a wide array of life choices and address their consequences with a depth of character that is not typical of other games. Indeed, the choices that Cloud makes not only illustrate the breadth of the human spirit but also demonstrate our capability as individuals to actualize our potential through the realization of our own freedom and responsibilities. And while these realizations ultimately enable Cloud to save the planet from its gravest dangers, they also afford him the opportunity to complete the most fundamental quest of all: to live life
authentically
.

NOTES

1
Particularly observant players of
Final Fantasy VII
might recall that the name “Heidegger” is also shared by the head of Shinra’s public safety maintenance department. There is little reason to believe, however, in any significant connection between the two.

2
Martin Heidegger,
Being and Time
, translated by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson (New York: Harper & Row, 1962), p. 93.

3
Friedrich Nietzsche,
The Gay Science
, in Walter Kaufmann, ed.,
The Portable Nietzsche
(New York: Penguin, 1982), p. 95.

4
The female character who accompanies Cloud for this particular event is determined by (a) how the player responds to dialogue with those characters, and (b) how often and when that character is placed in the same party with Cloud. If all female characters are treated especially poorly and/or neglected by the player, Barret will show up for the “date” instead.

5
Jean-Paul Sartre,
Being and Nothingness
, translated by Hazel Barnes (New York: Washington Square Press, 1992), pp. 101-102.

13

IS THE FEAR OF STOPPING JUSTIFIED?

Kevin Fitzpatrick

Mr. 288 told me that I understand what it means to live and to die. . . . But it’s only because I thought stopping was different from dying . . . I don’t think I really understand what it means to live and to die. Where do we come from . . . ? Do we go back there when we die . . . ? If that’s what it means to live . . . I wonder where I came from . . . ? Where will I end up when I die? Why am I shaking? What is this that I’m feeling . . . ?

—Vivi Orunitia, Final Fantasy IX

In
Final Fantasy IX
, Vivi Orunitia is a precocious nine-year-old whose nature and origin are as mysterious to him as they are to us. He begins to overtly quest for answers about what he is and the circumstances of his “birth” after he encounters a factory that is manufacturing “dolls” that bear a striking resemblance to him. As the story reveals the mysteries of his nature, we find out that he is the prototype creation of a man named Kuja, who created Vivi through a strange amalgamation of souls and black magic.

The factory Vivi encounters is creating more of his kind, an artificial race referred to as “Black Mages.” Most of the Black Mages lack self-awareness and are controlled as puppets. Some Black Mages attain awareness over time, however, and escape their controller’s influence.

When Vivi happens upon a village of Black Mage escapees, he begins to consider his own demise. The following conversation takes place in a newly formed cemetery where Black Mages have begun to bury those who have stopped moving:

Black Mage No. 56: I . . . I came here with Mr. 36. We escaped together. We had so many things to learn. It was really scary at first, but we helped each other. Then one day, Mr. 36 stopped moving. He just stopped . . . wouldn’t move or say anything. My friend who knows lots of things told me this was what ‘death’ was, and we had to bury him. Mr. 36 is buried under the ground now. But I don’t understand why. He’s going to come out again one day, right? When he does, I’m going to wash him off in the pond.

Vivi: Wh-What’s he talking about . . . ?

Black Mage No. 288: . . .

Vivi: Was it a disease? Or was he hurt?

Black Mage No. 288: . . .

Vivi: Tell me! Why?

In this scene we learn that Vivi doesn’t understand why someone would die without being sick or injured, and the fact that he doesn’t ask whether Mr. 36 was elderly also suggests that Vivi fails to consider aging as a cause of death. We discover in later conversations between Vivi and Mr. 288 that Vivi and the Black Mages of the village fear death. But is their fear justified?

If the fear of death is justified, then we should be able to point to something that is lost through death. People can be harmed only if one or more of their values, and therefore their meaning or purpose for living, is in some way lost or hindered. Therefore, the extent to which death can be an impediment to the satisfaction of a person’s values determines the extent to which it is justifiable for that person to fear death.

Stopping’s Effect on Subjective Values: Morality, Knowledge, and the Value of Life

One of the more striking values that Vivi exhibits is morality. At various times, he refers to people as being “evil” and refers to specific acts as “bad.” He not only wants to avoid being evil and bad, but he wants others not to view him as being evil or bad. Consider his reaction to being mistaken for the manipulated Black Mages that are terrorizing much of the world. Vivi emphatically remarks at such times that he would never hurt anyone. He would not hurt someone because he believes that it would be wrong; Vivi values morality.

Can the value of morality be hindered by death? If Vivi believes that being moral simply entails not doing evil acts, and he performs no evil acts, then it doesn’t matter whether he dies today or a hundred years from now; he will be equally moral, regardless. If, however, Vivi has failed to live a moral life, then he might need time to be a good person in order to make up for the time that he spent being immoral. As the timeline increases, the percentage of his acts that are immoral would decrease. So if Vivi ever believed that he had been significantly immoral, then death could be considered a hindrance to his satisfaction of morality. Of course, living longer would also add more time to be tempted to be immoral. So perhaps if he has lived a moral life thus far, then death should be a welcomed event (from the point of view of morality). In addition to morality, Vivi also values knowledge. Questions about where he comes from, what he is, and whether he will die drive Vivi. With this value in mind, Vivi would be harmed less if he died later in the story than toward the beginning, simply because he would know more of the things that he desires to know.

Perhaps the most basic value anyone can have is the value of his or her own continued existence. Some people fear death because what they value most is who and what they are and the fact that they continue to exist; if they cease to exist, then all other values that they may possess cease to exist as well. Vivi appears to value specific people and life in general; this is why he takes part in fighting and defeating an entity named Necron, who is determined to destroy all life. If Necron is to be believed, then he is eternal and will always return to try to destroy life. Vivi’s valuing of life in general could be hindered in its satisfaction by his death because he would no longer be around to protect it. So, if he does value protecting life in this manner, death will always be a harm to him. Does Vivi have this fear? It is hard to say. The storyline of
Final Fantasy IX
does address this fear, however, and provides a solution.

According to Garland, who is the man behind the curtain, in many respects, all memories that anyone experiences throughout his or her life are eternal. Concerning the true nature of memories, Garland says the following:

Do not limit memory to just one individual’s experiences from birth. That is only the surface. Every life born into this world, whether natural or artificial, requires a parent. And that parent also requires a parent. Life is connected, one to another. . . . If you trace the root of all life, there exists one source. The same can be said for memory. All life constitutes an intelligence that holds memory beyond experience. Memory is not isolated within individuals. It is an accumulation of generations of memories that continues to evolve. You can say that memory and evolution go hand in hand. But most life-forms do not understand the true nature of memories . . . which explains why most memories never cross paths.

There are many ways that one can interpret this description of the nature of memories. I take it, however, that one point is explicit: as long as there is life, memories are eternal. Vivi’s friend Zidane, whom Garland is addressing in the previous quotation, overcomes his own fear of death by believing that the important part of what we are as individuals is our memories, and that our memories will last eternally.

Vivi never comments on Garland’s memory claims, and it is quite possible Vivi does not even hear what Garland says. But there is some connection between Garland’s claims about the importance of memories and Vivi. According to Garland, memory and evolution both flow out of procreation. This may be why in the end it is suggested that Vivi might well have died, but that this is somehow okay. Vivi’s descendants, who have a link through Vivi to the origin of life, may well carry his memories and the memories of everyone who is on the path from the origin of life to Vivi.

Whether or not Vivi’s procreation is supposed to be linked to Garland’s and Zidane’s account of memories, many people find shelter from their fears about death by having children. The fact that Vivi may have chosen such shelter is suggested across two scenes. The first occurs when most of the citizens of the Black Mages’ village willingly leave to aid Kuja. The Mages do not agree with what Kuja wants them to do, but they help him because he claims he will extend their lives if they help him in his pursuits. Two of the Mages, however, stay behind to look after a Chocobo egg. Apparently, they would rather make sure a new life is brought into the world than pursue a longer life for themselves. Vivi watches this scene curiously.

The second scene takes place at the story’s conclusion when Vivi’s children are present, but Vivi is nowhere to be found. Interestingly enough, the ending is clearly meant to be a happy ending, whether he is still alive or not. The similar mannerisms of Vivi’s son and his recognition of people Vivi knew from stories Vivi had told him may well be an attempt to show that some important part of Vivi has been passed on to at least one of his children.

These are just some of the values that Vivi likely holds. But regardless of what Vivi’s values or his thoughts about death truly are, it is death’s impact on his value satisfaction that determines whether any harm is done to him by his death.

Necron a Hero?!

We need to consider whether some values are objectively valuable, and if so, what that means for the fear of death. By “objectively valuable,” I mean that a value has an intrinsic worth independent of anyone actually valuing it, or at least independent of anyone believing that he or she values it, in the same way that the force of gravity exists whether we believe it does or not. If objective values exist, then these values must be considered when determining whether Vivi can be harmed by death, for an objective value would be important for Vivi regardless of his beliefs concerning the value.

The philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BCE) believed that the only thing that had objective value was happiness; he argued that death should not be feared. For Epicurus, happiness is a state that occurs from being without any physical or mental pain.
¹
Therefore, in order for Vivi’s happiness to be hindered, he must feel pain, either physically or mentally. But if he is dead, then he will be incapable of experiencing anything, including all forms of pain. Dying may be painful, but death itself is nothing. Vivi and the other Black Mages don’t even need to fear the pain of dying, however. Stopping seems to be devoid of any pain; life simply ends.

The deaths of others sometimes hinder happiness. Vivi, for example, is saddened by Dagger’s mourning the loss of her mother:

I was really confused when my grandpa died. He told me, “Vivi, no need be sad.” So I told myself, I can’t be sad. That’s why I felt confused again when I heard that everyone was stopping around him. I don’t know what to do or what to feel. . . . But when I saw Dagger crying when her mom died, I wasn’t confused anymore. I was sad.

In this scene, it is unclear exactly why Vivi feels sad. It could be that Vivi is sad simply because Dagger is upset, and Dagger is someone whose happiness Vivi values. Or, he might be sad because seeing Dagger’s reaction gives Vivi license to feel the sadness over his grandfather’s death. It could even be that Dagger’s reaction toward her mother’s death resonates with Vivi regarding his feelings toward the stopping of people in general. Perhaps he is mourning all of the deaths that he has witnessed and maybe even the deaths that he knows will come.

Regardless of why Vivi is sad in this scene, the death of another has reduced his own happiness, as well as Dagger’s. If happiness can be decreased by the death of a loved one, then Vivi’s fear of death could justifiably result from the knowledge that his death will likely cause unhappiness for those who love him. This justifiable fear, however, is the result of Vivi valuing people who love him or valuing happiness itself, as opposed to valuing his own happiness. As such, this shows only that valuing other people’s happiness can lead to some justification for fearing death.

Epicurus believed that people like Vivi fear their own death because they believe that their own individual happiness will be hindered by death. This is a mistake, though, because death itself is completely innocuous.
²
Realizing that death in no way harms us, we can free ourselves from the pain caused by the fear of death.

Necron from
Final Fantasy IX
actually comes quite close to espousing Epicurus’s philosophy. After Kuja destroys the crystal that is the source of all life, Necron says the following:

I exist for one purpose . . . to return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life. In a world of nothing, fear does not exist. This is the world that all life desires. . . . Your fears have already deluded you. One day, you will choose destruction over existence, as Kuja did. When he sought to destroy the crystal, the purpose of life ended. Now, come. Enter the zero world that you desire.

From this statement, we can see that Necron believes that something in Kuja’s act of destroying the source of life has ended the purpose of life. This means that Necron believed that there was purpose in living before Kuja’s action. Necron also indicates that it was the fear of death that motivated Kuja’s action. If the fear of death is the cause of the action that destroys the purpose of life in Necron’s eyes, then the following claim is highly plausible: Necron believes, as Epicurus did, that happiness is an objective value of such importance that if it is not satisfied, then the purpose of life ends. He says as much: