What is wrong with Renarin?(full book)

[Tarion]

SSRIs do not fix depression. SSRIs are tools that allow you to hold depression back, and also do not work across the board. We cannot "fix" depression or else the rates of depression would be significantly decreased. Also we don't see other people reacting the way Kaladin does during the Weeping. It is certainly SAD that he is experiencing. In fact, it still would be under your description, just using Stormlight in place of sunlight.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that SSRIs are used to fix depression (God knows I wish they did), but rather that the medical attitudes towards mental health in modern medicine treat mental health issues in such a way that Stormlight could be a potential fix.  Sure, we can't cure depression in the real world, but we also can't regrow limbs.   

 

As for Kaladin during the Weeping, I'm not sure we see enough other people during the Weeping to be sure.  Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely leaning towards SAD (even if it's just SAD as a form of magical withdrawal) but I'm hesitant to put the problems of Sanderson's characters to mundane causes.  I mean, I bought (Mistborn)

Zane's schizophrenia

.  Trying not to make that mistake again.  

Edited March 10, 2014 by Tarion

[FeatherWriter she/her]

I'd bring up the argument that we do see Shallan's point of view during the Weeping, and it almost seems to be deliberately contrasting with Kaladin. Shallan talks about how relaxing she finds the Weeping and how much she enjoys it and is feeling relaxed as we flip back and forth between her and Kaladin, who is dragging and loathing every moment. And Shallan is a surgebinder, of quite a bit of skill at this point. There isn't anything shown of Kaladin or Shallan missing Stormlight -- in fact, both of them still have access to Stormlight through spheres and such. (Though Kaladin misses having it because Syl is gone during the end of the book here.) I feel like the text is fairly clear that there's something different about Kaladin that has nothing to do with his surgebinding, and I almost want to say that Brandon confirmed this somewhere, but I don't know where to find it.
 

Kaladin

The Weeping was a bad time for him. Days spent trapped indoors. A perpetual gloom in the sky that seemed to affect him more than it did others, leaving him lethargic and uncaring.
(Ch. 77)

 

He fought the rain. Did that make any sense? It seemed that the rain wanted him to stay inside, so he went out. The rain wanted him to give in to the despair, so he forced himself to think. Growing up, he’d had Tien to help lighten the gloom. Now, even thinking of Tien increased that gloom instead— though he couldn’t avoid it. The Weeping reminded him of his brother. Of laughter when the darkness threatened, of cheerful joy and carefree optimism.

(Ch. 80)

 

Shallan

 

Four days into the Weeping, and she still enjoyed the weather. Why did the soft sound of gentle rain make her feel more imaginative?

(Ch. 78)

 

These winds were unusual for the Weeping, which was supposed to be a period of placid rainfall, a time for contemplating the Almighty, a respite from highstorms.

(Ch. 80)

[Tarion]

Thanks, I'd completely forgotten that.  

 

I'm still not entirely willing to put it down entirely to Kaladin's mental health, but that's because it's coming to me that it could well be an Honor/Cultivation thing.  Kaladin, who is more "of Honor" suffers during the Weeping, while Shallan is more of Cultivation and finds herself more creative.  Most people are more balanced, and don't swing either way.  

 

But I'm basing that almost entirely on Shallan's line about feeling more imaginative.  

 

Still, SAD looks very reasonable in that context.  

[leinton]

Honestly it makes sense that Kaladin would have SAD in the context of the books. Most of the characters are neuroatypical in some way. Kaladin has depression, Shallan dissociates, Dalinar has impulse-control issues, Renarin has ASD, etc. Adolin so far appears to be the only neurotypical character. In fact, the spren seem attracted to their reactions to these neurotypes. Syl even says that the Radiants of old were broken before they became Radiants. I personally feel that the broken people become the surgebinders, rather than surgebinding magically causes mental illness.

 

Note that I'm not saying the mental illness itself is what calls the spren but the individual's negative reaction to it. This is especially true for Shallan, as there is no evidence that there is a physical component to dissociation.

 

Also I really don't think you could cure depression the way you're stating? Stormlight has so far been seeing fixing things that are directly detrimental to a person. The physical component of depression (imbalance of serotonin and GABA in the brain) is actually a lot more common than depression disorders. It's not something that's "broken" it's just something that makes a person more likely to succumb to waves of depression. Under typical circumstances you wouldn't even notice it, so how would the Stormlight know to heal it?

[Gloom he/him]

Also I really don't think you could cure depression the way you're stating? Stormlight has so far been seeing fixing things that are directly detrimental to a person. The physical component of depression (imbalance of serotonin and GABA in the brain) is actually a lot more common than depression disorders. It's not something that's "broken" it's just something that makes a person more likely to succumb to waves of depression. Under typical circumstances you wouldn't even notice it, so how would the Stormlight know to heal it?

Okay, I can see where you're coming from, but Stormlight must have a guiding directive. If it didn't, how would it know to fix anything that was wrong with a person prior to attaining stormlight? How would it fix Renarins eyes rather than just maintaining his vision at its current level? How would it regrow Lopins arm when he'd lost it long before he ever consumed stormlight?

Some mechanism of stormlight healing needs to be able to evaluate ideal normal and restore the body to that ideal. If this wasn't the case, then new surgebinders would start at their own personal normal and be restored to that particular point of health. We don't know where that ideal is set, or what factors are involved. I think that since every surgebinder has to be slightly broken in order to become a surgebinder, that brain chemistry may not be affected by this, but I still have serious doubts that something like seizures would not be corrected.

This will also b the last time I post in this thread since it appears that anything that is said here that even marginally appears unfavorable about Renarin results in a down vote, and I really don't see any reason to interact with people who feel they have the right to abuse the voting system because I have my own opinion.

[Wileygirl13]

It seemed to me that he can only see the distant future. If he could see the near future, he would have known they would survive the battle and escape the storms. Instead he kept ranting that they were all gonna die....

Maybe he's too new at his abilities?

[Krenn]

Actually, Renarin freezing up in the middle of the battle (when he goes to oversee a plateau run) is what he says wasn't a seizure later. The seizure in the duel is never disputed. I'm pretty sure the screaming is what triggered the seizure, as that was a very high-stress environment for him. Still a seizure though, even when it's triggered by outside influences.

 

speaking of Renarin's seizures, here's an interesting question: are we certain that Renarin's seizures have a convention medical cause behind then?

Shallan has apparently had her spren all her life. What if Renarin has too?  is it possible that his seizures are actually an inefficient form of foretelling the future? something he will have more control over as he progresses in the oaths? 

[Mistdork she/her]

Meh!

 

Renarin isn't physically handicapped. Renarin isn't physically neurologically handicapped. Renarin is a Surgebinder. Any physical ailments would have been corrected when he started breathing in stormlight. This would have been when he stopped wearing his glasses. What Renarin is, is emotionally handicapped. He spends most of the book quietly coming to terms with what he is, and since we don't get a POV, we don't see it. Renarin didn't have a seizure in the arena, because this was at a point after he stopped wearing his glasses, he may have suffered a panic attack, but that is a completely different animal.

 

Renarin is like someone who was born with one leg who just grew a second and now has to learn to walk rather than hop around. He just needs time to adjust to being balanced, to seeing the world through a new lens. He is cracked of course, if he weren't, he would never have managed to bond with a spren.

 

There are so many potential reasons for his actions, but none of them are the result of a permanent condition of the mind or body. Stormlight would have fixed those.

 

Doesn't Stormlight heal according to how one views themselves in the cognitive/spiritual since? If Renarin views himself as ASD and having seizures, but yet wants to see himself as a warrior (a warrior doesn't wear glasses) then that explains why only those things would heal. Saying ASD doesn't have a physical cause is somewhat silly, it has a lot to do with brain "wiring" and nerves and such...

 

If Stormlight healed him of it, Renarin would still have to deal with years of not being about to interact with people on a neurotypical level. You can heal the physical cause, but healing/changing someone like that wouldn't change his years of experience as a person on the spectrum. That's quite unrealistic. It's called a developmental disorder for a reason, even though Renarin seems more typical now (like an extremely shy introvert with some awkward quirks), we haven't seen what he was like as a kid and without that, there's no way to know how 'severe' he actually is. You can be moderately autistic as a child, but be high-functioning, have the 'old form' of PDD-NOS, or Aspergers as an adult. Given the right environment (such as a supportive family, aka, the Kholins) and even without therapy, (though ardents might be able to give some, I guess) he would seem basically normal despite being technically on the spectrum (though, I imagine that he it's more likely he would've been lower on the high-functioning side of things than moderately or severely disabled). It's part of how this disorder sometimes works...

 

Anyway, what really bothers me about this thread is how certain people praise Renarin for every 'normal' or 'brave' thing he does as though he is some saint for doing them. The thing is, it comes off more as babying than kindness. Is it believable that Renarin jumped down into the arena to help his brother? Yes. Was it incredibly stupid? Yes it was, it's alright to admit that Renarin can do stupid, irrational things. He's human after all, and that's what's great about his character. Not that he's overcoming a disability or is 'so brave' to face every day life because it, but that Sanderson respects this character enough to allow Renarin to grow and make stupid mistakes, he seems human, not like a paper cutout of someone on the spectrum...or a special snowflake.

 

It's admirable. Since I have a sibling on the spectrum in the same area Renarin's in, I felt like I had to say that Sanderson's done an excellent job, not only with this, but with how he writes Adolin's relationship with Renarin. I can relate to him in this even though he mostly gets on my nerves (actually, everyone in SA does so at one point or another, except the spren and Dalinar)...

 

---

 

 

speaking of Renarin's seizures, here's an interesting question: are we certain that Renarin's seizures have a convention medical cause behind then?

Shallan has apparently had her spren all her life. What if Renarin has too?  is it possible that his seizures are actually an inefficient form of foretelling the future? something he will have more control over as he progresses in the oaths? 

 

There's a part of me that wonders if they're connected to the whole Nightwatcher-episode, but other than that possibility, I don't think so. Glys has only been in the physical realm for a short time since Renarin just recently healed his eyes.

Renarin could have very mild PKU (nope, not defining it, I wrote an essay already today, its up above, that's why it's more formal than this). His seizures fit that to some extent, but it would be rather shocking (to me) if he had that instead of the more specific diagnosis of ASD and epilepsy...*shrug*

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Anyway, what really bothers me about this thread is how certain people praise Renarin for every 'normal' or 'brave' thing he does as though he is some saint for doing them. The thing is, it comes off more as babying than kindness. Is it believable that Renarin jumped down into the arena to help his brother? Yes. Was it incredibly stupid? Yes it was, it's alright to admit that Renarin can do stupid, irrational things. He's human after all, and that's what's great about his character. Not that he's overcoming a disability or is 'so brave' to face every day life because it, but that Sanderson respects this character enough to allow Renarin to grow and make stupid mistakes, he seems human, not like a paper cutout of someone on the spectrum...or a special snowflake.

(bold mine)

 

Heh, I suppose I could thank you for the tact you had in not calling me out by name, though I think we all know who you're talking about. And you were very respectful about it, so I can't really be upset. I mean, I know I'm irrational about Renarin. I don't even come close to trying to be rational about Renarin. If he were a real person, I would definitely not treat him the way that I do now. You're right, it'd be completely unhealthy to have someone fawning over him and sheltering him from every possible thing that could hurt or even mildly discomfort him. 

 

But that's kind of the fun of him being fictional. That I can fall unequivocally, head-over-heels, in love with him and that I can baby him and be completely biased in my overprotectiveness of him. That I don't have to be rational about him; I can just adore him and have fun with it. It's why I can say that I have the craziest villian crush on Mraize even though, WHOA, that'd be a really terrible relationship to ever consider in real life. It's why I can hiss and grumble at Shallan and be mad at her for what she's done, even when the more sensible part of me knows I can't really completely hold those actions against her.

 

I don't have to worry about how my actions are going to affect Renarin (or Mraize or Shallan or anyone else), because I can't affect him at all. So I can be selfish and think "how does Renarin's reactions affect me? Oh, I know. I want him to always be 100% happy and nothing bad to ever happen to him and I can wail and lament whenever that doesn't happen." So... I'm going to be ridiculously protective and biased and I can wail and moan at anyone who would try to hurt a hair on his darling adorable head, because he's fictional and I adore adoring him. It's fun and wonderful, and I'm throwing my lot in with him to it's fullest because Harmony dang it all we're going all or nothing on this "favorite character" thing and I'm going to ride it out for all it's worth.

 

I like being invested in characters to this kind of crazy, whirlwind, take-no-prisoners kind of level. It's my favorite way to enjoy things. It's certainly not the way that everyone else should have to enjoy things though, and I know it might seem wierd or crazy from the outside. Just... know that there is a measure of choice in the way I regard Renarin, I guess. I could be a lot more reasonable about him if I wanted to. But I don't want to. This is more enjoyable, and it's something I read and analyze for fun, so I'm going to have fun.

 

(Whoops, this turned into an essay. Sorry about that. Y'all are saints for putting up with me and my craziness, I swear.)

[Beautor he/him]

Okay, I can see where you're coming from, but Stormlight must have a guiding directive. If it didn't, how would it know to fix anything that was wrong with a person prior to attaining stormlight? How would it fix Renarins eyes rather than just maintaining his vision at its current level? How would it regrow Lopins arm when he'd lost it long before he ever consumed stormlight?

Some mechanism of stormlight healing needs to be able to evaluate ideal normal and restore the body to that ideal. If this wasn't the case, then new surgebinders would start at their own personal normal and be restored to that particular point of health. We don't know where that ideal is set, or what factors are involved. I think that since every surgebinder has to be slightly broken in order to become a surgebinder, that brain chemistry may not be affected by this, but I still have serious doubts that something like seizures would not be corrected.

This will also b the last time I post in this thread since it appears that anything that is said here that even marginally appears unfavorable about Renarin results in a down vote, and I really don't see any reason to interact with people who feel they have the right to abuse the voting system because I have my own opinion.

 

Gloom, I agree that Stormlight must have a guiding directive, and I'd guess that it's the cognitive aspect of the individual that determines what is the "fully healed" aspect. That would explain why Kaladin's slave brands have not healed. He still sees himself as a branded slave. As being someone held back and oppressed by the Lighteyes. The way I see it regarding Renarin's eyes, to me it makes perfect sense that his eyes would heal with Stormlight because he would see himself as seeing normally because he wears corrective lenses. Myself, without corrective lenses I would be almost blind, however because I wear contacts constantly I almost never think about having a vision deficit. If I were to form a fluid description of myself in my normal day it with normal vision because I always wear my lenses. I'm not sure if I have explained my theory on this well. With Lopen, from the way he talks about himself it appears to me that he still sees himself as having two arms, even if one is no longer attached. He describes his missing arm making a rude gesture towards Kaladin after being stuck to the wall the 2nd time.  On the other hand something like ASD is very much a part of who you are and how you see yourself, so I can see Stormlight having no effect on that whatsoever.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Beautor

[MistLord he/him]

Someone definitely needs to ask Brandon "why isn't Renarin a Dustbringer?". Not that Renarin isn't Learned and Giving, but he does seem to fit Brave and Obedient far more. 

 

Sorry if bringing back threads is looked down upon here... 

[Aleksiel]

Someone definitely needs to ask Brandon "why isn't Renarin a Dustbringer?". Not that Renarin isn't Learned and Giving, but he does seem to fit Brave and Obedient far more. 

 

Agreed. However, Renarin fits very well the personality description of the Truthwatchers, so I wonder if the attributes themselves are really what determines one's Order. Perhaps having Truthwather's character traits will lead him to be learned and giving? But that's not good enough for me, honestly. Yes, Dustbringers were obviously warriors, but Renarin wanted to be a warrior and has expressed their divine attributes, so I am really baffled why Brandon didn't make him a Dustbringer.

 

If Brandon just needed a Truthwatcher for the plot, he could have made Navani one. Then it would have been easier to mislead everyone that Dalinar was truly the one writing the glyphs.

[Eri she/her]

I think there is a WoB about Kaladin having SAD. Didn't see any about Renarin and ASD though.

 

As for why stormlight didn't heal it — I think it's a similar case to Kaladin's slave brands: he sees himself like that, so it won't heal.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Eri

[PrimeGawx he/him]

I'm sure I have seen WOB that directly refers to the difference between Kaladin's and Shallan's disposition that probably is to point out that not all Nahel bonded suffer from SAD.

 

Also I think ASD is always going to be sensitive area as there is still so little we know about it's causes, only recently it has been theorised that it MAY be caused by miswiring of synapses in the brain whilst the brain is developing in the womb but this is a very recent theory. In this sense then how would you cure it, I would guess anybody who had their brain cured (rerewired) would have a lot of relearning to do. 

 

My partner is currently undertaking a medical degree and she is very interested in Autism and she has problems with those who do say it can be cured.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

I think there is a WoB about Kaladin having SAD. Didn't see any about Renarin and ASD though.

 

As for why stormlight didn't heal it — I think it's a similar case to Kaladin's slave brands: he sees himself like that, so it won't heal.

 

We do have WoB on it:

 

Kogiopsis

Is Renarin Kholin on the autism spectrum?

Brandon Sanderson

Slightly—not even so much as Asperger's, but yes. (Something about it being difficult to notice/diagnose?)

 

(source)

 

Fun fact kogiopsis asked that question because a close friend of hers, Elise Warren, is in a similar position to Renarin and they noticed similarities between themself and Renarin.  Brandon actually consulted with them on Renarin's character for WoR (they are actually mention in the acknowledgements at the begining of the book)

[Mistdork she/her]

Heh, I suppose I could thank you for the tact you had in not calling me out by name, though I think we all know who you're talking about. And you were very respectful about it, so I can't really be upset. I mean, I know I'm irrational about Renarin. I don't even come close to trying to be rational about Renarin. If he were a real person, I would definitely not treat him the way that I do now. You're right, it'd be completely unhealthy to have someone fawning over him and sheltering him from every possible thing that could hurt or even mildly discomfort him. 

 

(Whoops, this turned into an essay. Sorry about that. Y'all are saints for putting up with me and my craziness, I swear.)

 

You're not the only one I was calling out, Feather. There are some people who don't think that he has ASD at all, there are others who think that this is just something used to "excuse" his actions. My argument is that they should respect him and his action while acknowledging that they are related to ASD as it relates to his characterization. I'm a little crazy, I tried to kill a dozen bird and it really didn't work. So, I apologize...and for not responding to your post for so long. Have you ever graded 200 exams? It's rather taxing.

 

Anyway, I really don't mind your fan-ism...that much. It's just that I used to be like you. I've been overprotective of my siblings, (though not to the same extent that you are with Renarin), but you want to be published, right? It's fine to be a fangirl, I'm a fangirl of certain things and even certain characters in the Cosmere (whom will not be named), but admitting a character is dynamic, especially a character that you love, makes you understand him even more. Be overprotective of Renarin all you want, but I think that if you let yourself admit he doesn't need coddled and fawn, and can stand on his own two feet, you might end up loving and respecting his character even more (if that is possible, who knows). I also think that if you do so, it will help you make more dynamic characters, since the worst thing an author can do is be over protective, that stops their characters from developing in a believable way. I'm not claiming to be a better or more experience writer than you (in this area). However, it's somewhat similar to a history student writing their (first) thesis. They fall head over heels in love with it, gush about it for months, but the only way that it will bloom is if they realize that they can't baby it and keep all the bad parts of the their story out. Nurture it, yes, but sometimes loving a creative endeavor means realizing that those kind of things create a better story, character, et al. In the end, you'll love it anymore. The best pieces are always dynamic, changing, cultivating. No, Renarin isn't your character, but I think that applying this idea would be good for you, and I'm sorry that my first post sounded so personal. But I like Renarin...I like him because he's dynamic.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Nymp

[FeatherWriter she/her]

You're not the only one I was calling out, Feather. There are some people who don't think that he has ASD at all, there are others who think that this is just something used to "excuse" his actions. My argument is that they should respect him and his action while acknowledging that they are related to ASD as it relates to his characterization. I'm a little crazy, I tried to kill a dozen bird and it really didn't work. So, I apologize...and for not responding to your post for so long. Have you ever graded 200 exams? It's rather taxing.

 

Anyway, I really don't mind your fan-ism...that much. It's just that I used to be like you. I've been overprotective of my siblings, (though not to the same extent that you are with Renarin), but you want to be published, right? It's fine to be a fangirl, I'm a fangirl of certain things and even certain characters in the Cosmere (whom will not be named), but admitting a character is dynamic, especially a character that you love, makes you understand him even more. Be overprotective of Renarin all you want, but I think that if you let yourself admit he doesn't need coddled and fawn, and can stand on his own two feet, you might end up loving and respecting his character even more (if that is possible, who knows). I also think that if you do so, it will help you make more dynamic characters, since the worst thing an author can do is be over protective, that stops their characters from developing in a believable way. I'm not claiming to be a better or more experience writer than you (in this area). However, it's somewhat similar to a history student writing their (first) thesis. They fall head over heels in love with it, gush about it for months, but the only way that it will bloom is if they realize that they can't baby it and keep all the bad parts of the their story out. Nurture it, yes, but sometimes loving a creative endeavor means realizing that those kind of things create a better story, character, et al. In the end, you'll love it anymore. The best pieces are always dynamic, changing, cultivating. No, Renarin isn't your character, but I think that applying this idea would be good for you, and I'm sorry that my first post sounded so personal. But I like Renarin...I like him because he's dynamic.

 

Oh definitely, you're abolutely right! And I got a little defensive of my fangirl persona, but trust me it's not the only one that's out there. Much as I wail to see Renarin going through difficult situations, I adore seeing him being pushed to grow and being forced through difficulty in order to become a better person. It's my more scholarly, mature-analysis side, which isn't quite as much fun to play up on the forums, but it's definitely there! I mean, I write fanfic, and I've written fanfic of Renarin going through really hard situations to see him grow. I mean, currently I'm making the poor boy get dragged into Bridge 4 during the events of Way of Kings, which is a very fun concept to play with... but is about as far from coddling as you can get.

 

Of course, if anyone else were to write something like that and I were to read it, I'd moan and wail and clutch him protectively and ask "how could you do this to my poor baby!" But deep down, I like seeing these kinds of growth arcs, and I like being upset for him, and I like seeing him being tried and tested in order to become a stronger and more confident person. He's got a Braize of a growth arc set up, and it's going to be awesome to watch (if painful to go through!)

 

We do have WoB on it:

 

(source)

 

Fun fact kogiopsis asked that question because a close friend of hers, Elise Warren, is in a similar position to Renarin and they noticed similarities between themself and Renarin.  Brandon actually consulted with her on Renarin's character for WoR (they are actually mention in the acknowledgements at the begining of the book)

 

*salutes my --Writer twin* Glad to see I'm not the only one who never shuts up about Ellie, Weiry! 

[traceria she/her]

 

I know 0 introverts with families as supportive as Renarins who would be ashamed of talking with their family to the point Renarin your describing. Renarin's family, loss of his mother aside is near ideal. I feel like that gets ignored. Renarin isn't living some insurmountable challenge. He has a damned good life and appreciates it. Appreciate with him instead of making him out to be some kind of terribly suffering damaged wretch. His life is likely better than 90% of the people on this forum.(Money, family, an eccentric reputation, and a minor disorder.

 

Sorry, haven't read the rest of this page of comments yet nor the one after, but I've got to say something about introverts. For the most part, extroverts DON'T get us, no matter how supportive they might be (or think they are). My family growing up was great, but they didn't get it and still don't to a degree. Dalinar and Adolin would tell you that they'd do anything to support Renarin, but sometimes what an extroverted person thinks of as good or supportive for an introvert in actuality isn't the best thing for him/her. I think it completely within reason that Renarin acted the way he did, support or no support from his father and brother, even other issues aside. That's all to say that no matter how good your life may be, an introvert is still going to have different struggles and will likely be misunderstood by those whole aren't introverted themselves.

(Edit to fix spelling.)

Edited April 14, 2014 by traceria

[WitSpren he/him]

What I would like to know is if Renarin can See the future then why couldn't he See that they were going to survive?

Instead of screaming "Were all going to die!", shouldn't he have been screaming "Were mostly all going to live!" or some such?

[kaellok he/him]

What I would like to know is if Renarin can See the future then why couldn't he See that they were going to survive? Instead of screaming "Were all going to die!", shouldn't he have been screaming "Were mostly all going to live!" or some such?

 

The future is not absolute, fixed in place.  It is malleable, and changes based on changes people make.  Mistborn burning atium see a shadow of this, and react, in order to change it once again.  It's strongly theorized in a substantial number of areas that tackle visions of the future that the mere act of looking into the future changes it.  So, Renarin seeing into the future and saying something, anything other than what he did in the future could change the course of events from one of damnation to salvation.

 

Alternatively, perhaps he did see them all living, but he saw that he had to scream "We're all going to die!" first, and he feared that doing anything different from what he saw would change the future from one of salvation into damnation.

 

Or maybe he cannot control himself, his actions, his voice, anything while under the grip of one of his visions, and so whatever he says or doesn't say should not be held against him.

 

Or maybe the visions he sees can be warped and affected by Odium, so he's seeing the future Odium wants.

 

Oh, and he didn't know until right around exactly that point that he was actually seeing the future, and not just going crazy.  Literal crazy.  Let's see how you react when you're seeing the end of everything happen--about 2 minutes before everyone else.  When you know that foreseeing is impossible, and if not impossible, then also heretical and will damnation your soul for all eternity.  Not really the best circumstances to learn how to handle a gift in a beneficial way.

 

Really, though, we just don't know enough about how seeing the future works in SA to do more than speculate wildly with little to no textual evidence to back it up.

[happyman he/him]

What I would like to know is if Renarin can See the future then why couldn't he See that they were going to survive? Instead of screaming "Were all going to die!", shouldn't he have been screaming "Were mostly all going to live!" or some such?

 

It depends largely on what he was seeing.  Most importantly it depends on how much detail he saw.  If all he saw was that the two storms were about to run into each other and what it would do to the neighborhood it ran into, but didn't see other details (like we are in a fabrial which can transport us to a safe haven), that may have been a sensible reaction.