The young Simba believed it was his fault that his father was killed. In shame and fear he loses himself in the land of Hakuna Matata, a land of fun and games. It is fun, but a distraction from the higher goal to which he was born.
Hakuna Matata is a phrase that comes from the East African language of Swahili, which means “do not worry.” This phrase is part of the song in The Liong King movie when a meerkat named Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa sing it to cheer and teach young Simba. The whole song itself tells us that we do not have to worry for the rest of our days. At this point in the movie, the young Simba has been deceived into thinking that he is responsible for his own father’s death. As a result, he ran away from home and was dying from exhaustion in the desert. Fortunately for him, Timon and Pumbaa just came to rescue him and took him under their wing.
Timon and Pumbaa then cheer young Simba: “Those two words will solve all your problems.”
“Take Pumbaa here
Why, when he was a young warthog
He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal
He could clear the savannah after every meal
I’m a sensitive soul though I seem thick-skinned
And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind
And oh, the shame
Thought of changin’ my name
And I got downhearted
Everytime that I . . .”
Did Hakuna Matata solve Pumbaa problems? No, it did not. It just helped him to shrug off the problem by pretending it does not exist anymore. Those friends who were careful not to stand downwind have now disappeared from his life altogether. He presumably still has dreadful wind, but who cares, right? Hakuna Matata! Why face up to our problems when we can ignore them instead, right? Hakuna Matata! And later in the movie, Timon and Pumbaa give young Simba a grub to eat. He initially refuse to eat it because he is a lion, and lions do not eat grub. As a lion he used to eat meat like zebras and antelopes. Nonetheless, he chokes it down because he has no other choice. But no worries . . . Hakuna Matata!
So much of what is wrong in the world is preserved by people who put up with bad stuff instead of trying to alter it. Nevertheless, I do not put a blame on people who choose this course of (non-)action. So if you are powerless, weak, and focused on survival, well, maybe it is your only option. But that does not mean we have to think that endurance or denial are good strategies for dealing with bad stuff. And if we think that denying problems is the happy-go-lucky approach, people who actually face up to problems look uptight and boring in comparison. The song is a slap in the face to people who want to solve problems, make the world a better place or face up to their demons.
So what is the goal in life? And what is the right attitude toward it? Remember, young Simba went astray when he went into Hakuna Matata land, because he forgot his higher, ultimate goal in life.
Aristotle sees the goal in life in a different light. Terminus ad quem is Eudaimonia which translates Happiness the chief end. For him, Eudaimonia refers to a state of having a good indwelling spirit or being in a contented state of being healthy, happy, and prosperous. In a broader context, it refers to the right actions as those that result in the well-being of an individual, meaning it is a way of life, life of a certain character and stripe, a flourishing form of life. Bloom where we are planted. Become all we are meant to be. This is not in opposition to Happiness, but different in character from “no worriers, just be happy”. . . Hakuna Matata! It is the difference between Hakuna Matata and reflective thought. Animals and children do not experience Eudaimonia, because it requires a rational plan.
I think we have watered down the meaning of Eudaimonia. And consequently, we have lost a measure of what it means to be fully human. Like the muddy, meandering Huang He (Yellow) River, we are a mile wide and an inch deep. It just sounds no fun in life, right? Pray, do not get me wrong. It seems that we have lost some perspective. Therefore, if we have a higher calling, take hold of it and let us not allow ourselves to be distracted by the aimlessness of insignificant pursuits.
Rey's Rapt 