Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5521796-20130201044544/@comment-4839682-20130218234548

I'm sure the whole "Knowing wouldn't make a difference" plays into it too... one wouldn't want to know every detail of their future, it would drive you crazy.

I mean, the Seer told him his actions that day would leave his son fatherless... so to avoid that, Rumplestiltskin injured himself so he couldn't fight. However, that cowardice fueled his wife's resentment, and her eventually absence fueled his cowardice. The cowardice led to his desire to protect his son, which led him to kill Zoso and become the Dark One. The power sparked his son's desire to travel to a realm without magic, which led to Baelfire traveling through the portal alone. So, the Seer was right; his actions DID lead to his son being fatherless, even though Rumple attempted to avoid that fate.

In the end, knowing doesn't matter.