Is Hakuna Matata a good thing or a bad thing?

[EdtheHyena]

Bad

[Perrys Girlfriend]

I think it personally depends. If you are in a bad mood, it's good. When you have something to do, not so much!

[Carl]

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.

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!

I think her point was that when you are depressed and stressed, you get bogged down and you begin to physically feel like you can't do anything. Instead of forgetting or getting over the problem, because you often can't, what must be done is that the person has to put it out of mind and just not think about it. Then you can recover, and when you need to get it taken care of, then you'll be more able to do so. This usually applies to meeting some deadline, but the same principal was in place here. Only, Simba thought he couldn't go back because if he did, he'd be punished for his crimes. So instead of meeting the deadline and coming back to it, he would have to keep it out of mind forever. He got a reminder of the deadline from Nala, and managed to get the work done in time, but he barely passed with a D+, whereas if he'd started working on it again earlier, he could have scored better. But in his depression, just thinking about it was crippling to him, so he needed to put it off in order to stay sane(ish) and not collapse under the stress.

It's necessary to take breaks like that sometimes, but they can't be drawn out too long if best results are to be met.

So, like many have said, it's good, in the right situation, and in moderation, but Simba lived in Hakuna Matata for longer than he should have. This also explains his behavior in the sequel, as stress builds up and he has no choice but to deal with it promptly.

[Timon8]

I think Hakuna Matata is a great thing. Altough I hate the fact that people these days just use it as a ''YOLO'' kind of thing.

[NaiaRulez]

Usually, it's not a bad thing, but it will also depend on how you apply it.
For example, in the movie, forget the past if what happens is that his father died, is not good. In fact, you have to face it and be strong, which Simba did and thinked over it before he returned to the Pride Lands to get his place as king.
In my opinion, Timon and Pumbaa not educated him good at all (and not only because of this, also 'cause they teached him to eat bugs XD)

[Lauren]

I always view the philosophy of Hakuna Matata as a way to leave the pressures of life behind you for as long as you need to with the time you're given. In general, we're always facing new responsibilities as we grow up and sometimes we don't completely know how to figure out solutions to our stress until it comes to us. Of course, in Simba's case, he just lost someone who was really important to him in the most unfair way and didn't want to tell Timon and Pumbaa what happened. He did need some time to let the depression sink out of him and live peacefully for a while, especially since he was only a child when they found him. The philosophy is good, but obviously not for too long because if you have that mindset for the rest of your life, you wouldn't be able to handle responsibilities as maturely as you should be able to.

[gothprincesskiara]

Well there is that moment when you have a stressful situation, and stress isnt always good for your health, there is that now famous saying let it go, and don't worry about it when you really need to, distressing is a good way to reset the mind sometimes

[Elton John]

in simbas pride even timon and pumbaa stopped living a worry free lifestyle. I forgot how the line went but they seemed to have forgotten about "hakuna matata"