“I suppose we all find out, sooner or later” is such a great ending to Ozpin’s v7 monologue to demonstrate Oscar’s influence on him. Like, yes, the whole speech is Ozpin echoing Oscar’s philosophies throughout v7 and showcasing how his worldview has shifted, but this line perfectly sums up a big part of what’s changed: he’s willing to acknowledge without qualifying.
He now recognizes fear as a universal inevitability, not to be run from nor capable of being eliminated, but something to examine intimately. Knowing you may not be proud of the person you see, that your reflection might be the thing to scare you most of all, and choosing to see it anyway. It’s there, whether or not you look.
Ozpin’s rhetoric has always been very “Perhaps [”bad” thing] is less than ideal, but we must remember that it could be much worse. Ultimately, I still believe [”good” thing] will prevail over [”bad” thing] in the end.”
Meanwhile, Oscar’s rhetoric is more “[”Bad” thing] is a fact of life, and it’s happening right now. If we want any chance at a positive outcome, we have to embrace [”bad thing”] before we can change it. Or else we’ll become it.”
But here Oz is just saying yeah, everyone’s going to have their fears come true someday, and it’ll reveal parts of ourselves we don’t want to see. He doesn’t conclude the speech with a lesson, like “Perhaps the day will come when we are faced with our darkest fears, but for now, we are safe, and that’s worth celebrating while we can.” He presents it as it is. There’s no ‘if.’ It’s just something that happens. And that’s the end of the monologue. “I guess it’ll happen to everyone.”
