Tuesday, November 19, 2019
The Lion King
The Lion King is a Disney movie that about the adventures of the young lion Simba, the heir of his father, Mufasa. Simba's evil uncle, Scar, plots to overthrow Mufasa's throne by luring father and son into a stampede of wildebeests. But Simba escapes, and only Mufasa is killed. Simba returns as an adult to take back his homeland from Scar with the help of his friends Timon and Pumbaa. Two examples of philosophy in the movie are friendship and no worries. First, friendship is related to Epicurus, who believes friendships are the most important thing in life. In The Lion King Simba runs away from home after being blamed for the death of his dad, who was killed by his uncle. While away from home he meets Pumbaa and Timon who become his best friends and help him return to his home and take back what is truly his. This shows the importance of friends in your life and how they can help you accomplish major goals in your life. While on his adventures with Timon and Pumbaa, they teach him the phrase Hakuna Matata which means no worries. This relates heavy on the teachings of Lao Tzu of not trying control everything and just going with the flow of what life brings you.
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You're right, Bradley, the Timon and Pumbaa section of the movie is a good illustration of Epicureanism. "No worries" could be the motto of the Epicurean philosophy of ataraxia, and their friendship with each other is a big part of how they are able to live without worries and enjoy themselves so much.
ReplyDeleteNotice, however, that the plot also criticizes this attitude. Epicureans withdraw from society and politics, keeping themselves out of involvements and responsibilities that cause stress and anxiety. But Nala arrives and reminds Simba that he has a responsibility to his people. So even though he has to leave his care-free life behind, he chooses to go back and fight for the greater good of his homeland. He turns away from Epicureanism in the end!
Not only just friendship and no worries, but Lion King is also really big on the Circle of Life, which is also found a lot in the Tao Te Ching.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good example of how certain philosophical ideas are in places that most people would never expect. This classical Disney movie does a great job at this. I do not think that I could come up with a more fitting quote than "Hakuna Matata" for the Epicurean philosophy of ataraxia.
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