Hakuna Matata (it’s a wonderful phrase), but what’s not necessarily wonderful is what it means. Yes, of course, it means no worries for the rest of your days. (Update: Disney sued me for using that line even before I published this blog.) But Timon and Pumba also say that it means putting the behind in your–I mean, putting the past behind you. And that’s pretty sound advice, as Simba finds out…until it’s not.
And that’s what I’m finding too. For me, looking at a date in the past (especially if it’s in my childhood diary or in my inbox) makes me break out in hives and a cold sweat, mostly because I worry that 1) I haven’t done anything with my life or 2) I forgot to do something/follow up on something. The past is just a source of anxiety that I try to avoid at all costs that grows bigger and longer everyday, just like my guilt for not doing stuff does. And time itself is something that I’d simply prefer never to acknowledge at all. So, Hakuna Matata it is because I am just a large version of teenage Simba (but with less cooler hair).
But like I said, that’s not really the right way to go about it, and Simba figures that out pretty quickly (in the span of an entire song, but you get it). I mean, if you follow the philosophy of Hakuna Matata I’m guessing that you won’t have any worries, but then again, you may not be doing much of anything else, either. Except eating bugs and grubs. Or you know, ignoring your problems while your uncle plots to rule the world.
I’m pretty much saying what every 90’s kid already knows. Disney can predict what will happen to you in your adult life, and luckily, they already have the answers: face your fears and your past, and you’ll come full circle (of life).
Bailey Dailey 