Is Hakuna Matata a good thing or a bad thing?

[Ninaroja]

I've been thinking about posting this for some time now. Thought I would since the TLK section hasn't really had a new topic for a while.

Lately I've been thinking: the hakuna matata philosophy is what allows Simba to continue to function somewhat normally and adapt to a new lifestyle in the aftermath of Mufasa's death, but at the same time it is also part of the reason (besides guilt, thinking that he caused Mufasa's death) that he is running from his past and not facing up to his responsibilities.

So, are we as the audience supposed to view Hakuna Matata as a good thing or a bad thing? I personally am unable to decide, mainly due to the reasons above.
The way I see it, Simba was so accepting of Hakuna Matata because of the incredible trauma he had just been through, and needed a way to release the stress and guilt it caused, despite it's philosophy contradicting what he had been taught. So for that reason it's a good thing, in that Simba was able to continue to live his life (albeit slightly dysfunctionally underneath it all)

However, on the other hand, this is what causes him to not face up to his reality and responsibilities, which in turn prolonged the suffering of the Pride Lands under Scar.

So what do you guys think? I know that there are those among us who always post really interesting replies to these things

[Azerane]

Hakuna Matata is not a bad thing, but like with everything it's in moderation. If somebody gets angry at you (like a customer at work or something) say Hakuna Matata and let it roll off you and don't worry about it. But in terms of more serious life matters, you certainly need to face them. I definitely think Hakuna Matata is a good philosophy, it's simply about how and when you apply it

Simba used it as a means of forgetting and ignoring his past trauma, but it shouldn't be used like that. To me it's more of a way to remind yourself to relax and not take too much of life too seriously, after all, we're here to enjoy it

[SlayerOfLight]

Hakuna Matata is basically the same like ''who gives a fudge about anything, I'll live however I want and I take whatever I want'' so nope... Can't say it is a good thing. And I know that from experience because it wasn't untill a while ago that my own ''hakuna matata'' life came to an end and I realised there is so much that I miss in life and there is much more to accomplish. I thought I had everything, but oh boy... Couldn't have been more wrong.

So I'll say it once again: NO. Hakuna matata is definately not a good thing. A lazy careless life whitout facing responsibilities is never good, not even if a Disney movie says so.

[FlipMode]

Considering that the film is actually about facing up to the mistakes of your past, learning from and overcoming them, no.

[juhouh]

It's a good thing but Rafiki's advices are always better for "facing the past"

[Meskhenet]

I don't think it is a good nor a bad thing. As Azerane has stated "Hakuna Matata is not a bad thing, but like with everything it's in moderation." Hakuna Matata is a good thing if you are having a bad or off day and if you need a break and need to get away from it all, but you are using it as a "YOLO" type of thing or as an "I don't care about anything" attitude that yes it is bad. It just depends on what the situation is and how you handle it.

[InsaneSeagull]

From my point of view, it actually depends. It depends, really. Depends on how it's considered, how it's used, who uses it etc.

Simba would really have lost himself if he hadn't run off from his problems for some (longer) period of time. For that part, it's naturally good, because it saved him from drowning in his own fears and troubles. Timon and Pumbaa were really the best thing that could have happened to him right then. They thought him that worries aren't everything and that enjoyment can be really pleasant from time to time. He managed to overcome his fears, simply by - forgetting about them, and letting life go on. Of course, you can't expect him to forget about something like that so easily, and he probably had nightmares featuring his father's death etc, but that's not the topic. The point is that he learned that problems aren't everything, and that having time for himself and enjoyment is also his life. It just made him feel better, which is a huge thing. Trust me, it is.

On the other hand, running off from your problems and responsibilities for too long can definitely be bad, since it gives illusion about life. It makes it look too carefree, which - it definitely isn't. Neglecting his responsibilities also brought problems to Simba's old family, which was also something he didn't think about. He neglected them, for his own sake. He didn't run off from his problems for some time, he actually never meant to come back to them. It was Mufasa's ghost that brought some sense back to him. However, he did somehow manage to handle it.

[Todd23]

[quote="KristinaKiara"]From my point of view, it actually depends. It depends, really. Depends on how it's considered, how it's used, who uses it etc.

Simba would really have lost himself if he hadn't run off from his problems for some (longer) period of time. For that part, it's naturally good, because it saved him from drowning in his own fears and troubles. Timon and Pumbaa were really the best thing that could have happened to him right then. They thought him that worries aren't everything and that enjoyment can be really pleasant from time to time. He managed to overcome his fears, simply by - forgetting about them, and letting life go on. Of course, you can't expect him to forget about something like that so easily, and he probably had nightmares featuring his father's death etc, but that's not the topic. The point is that he learned that problems aren't everything, and that having time for himself and enjoyment is also his life. It just made him feel better, which is a huge thing. Trust me, it is.

On the other hand, running off from your problems and responsibilities for too long can definitely be bad, since it gives illusion about life. It makes it look too carefree, which - it definitely isn't. Neglecting his responsibilities also brought problems to Simba's old family, which was also something he didn't think about. He neglected them, for his own sake. He didn't run off from his problems for some time, he actually never meant to come back to them. It was Mufasa's ghost that brought some sense back to him. However, he did somehow manage to handle it.[/quote]

But did it really help with that? I mean he never forgot about it-after all, he didn't want to face his responsibilities because he was afraid of "the truth" coming out (a.k.a. he killed Mufasa, which wasn't true but still...) and he also couldn't get over the fact that he "did kill Mufasa". I mean, he was crying about it after his argument with Nala!

[Kiburi]

Agreed with the other posters saying that just like most everything else in the world and life, it's only good in moderation. Or else, you'd just become a slacker.

[Biomac]

Well that philosophy is good to a point. But however, Hakuna Matata philosophy has some kind of insidious side that you should be aware of. Indeed, abusing of it like Simba did led him to some point of laziness and cowardice, and so facing his past and taking his responsibilities was even more difficult.
So as the audience, I believe that this is what we're supposed to learn from it.