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