Lion King Life Lessons
Have you seen the new Lion King? 🦁 I often hesitate to see a remake of a childhood classic because it usually fails to satisfy my nostalgia. So when I entered the theater Saturday I kept my expectations low, hoping to enjoy seeing my favorite Disney movie in live action form.
Given that I haven’t stopped listening to the soundtrack since (Hakuna Matata and Can You Feel the Love Tonight are basically on repeat in my head), it’s safe to say I pretty much loved it. You can’t beat the original but I was pleasantly surprised with how well they stayed true to the original story and characters. I found myself smiling, crying, dancing and singing the entire time!
But enough of the movie review... I want to point out the maybe-obvious-but-often-overlooked life lessons in this heart wrenching story we all love:
The Circle of Life: Mufasa teaches Simba that we are all connected on this planet. This is something us humans have lost touch with overtime. It is important to be aware of our actions and remember that our choices not only affect us, but all other living things on earth. In the movie, Scar encourages the hyenas to begin over hunting after he takes the throne. This quickly causes the once flourishing pride lands to become decimated. We often do not realize that our collective daily decisions (e.g. consumption of meat and fish, use of plastics, driving a car, etc.) have a lasting impact. Putting forth a more conscious effort could drastically improve the fate of our pride lands 🌎
Healing trauma with connection: as a young cub, Simba is told by his uncle Scar that he is responsible for his fathers death and then tells him to “run away and never return.” Simba grows up believing this to be true and becomes convinced he could never be a worthy king. This traumatic experience is far oversimplified in the movie, but it shows how important a supportive network can be as part of the healing process. Having Timon and Pumba as buddies when he transitioned away from home as well as feeling welcomed and accepted by his family upon return helped Simba understand he is not alone. Of course not enough to eliminate the trauma itself, these connections likely protected Simba from what could have been exacerbated, lifelong mental health problems.
Hakuna Matata (aka “no worries”): this is an obvious one, but can’t go unaddressed! It is important to acknowledge and process difficult situations in life, but becoming consumed by them keeps us suffering unnecessarily. We can use Hakuna Matata as a tool for accepting life and all its difficulties while creating compassion for ourselves and others. This mentality helps us “unhook” from unhelpful thoughts and feelings so that you can go on living a valued and meaningful life!
I could probably list out a hundred more life lessons from The Lion King, but I don’t have enough time or space for that! I am curious about others that stand out for you? What is your favorite Lion King Life Lesson?