Lessons from The Lion King
“Run. Run away and never return.” -Scar, The Lion King
As a child, my siblings and I loved watching The Lion King. Yes, we had a crush on Simba. It’s entirely possible to have a crush on an animated lion at that age. But I remember watching the scene where Scar tells his nephew cub to run away and always being confused by it.
If you are unfamiliar with this scene in The Lion King: Simba’s father, Mufasa, has died. Simba believes it is his fault when, in truth, Scar killed Mufasa. When the literal dust has settled, Scar approaches the young Simba who is begging for advice. “What do I do?” he asks his uncle. The reply? “Run away.”
I never understood why Simba would do this. Wouldn’t running away make him look guilty? Wouldn’t losing his father only want to make him run into the arms (or paws, in this case) of his mother? But as I experienced more of life, I learned how guilt and fear can push us to make terrible decisions. When we’re swarmed with these types of feelings, we can’t think straight. We tend to make decisions that can change our lives more than we understand at that moment.
Simba listens to Scar. He runs away. But in the end, he does not let his past define him. Even once he’s grown, Simba still feels guilt and shame. He still thinks that he’ll be blamed for his father’s death. But he returns home. He returns to help save his pride (a pride of lions, that is).
I think there are many life lessons we can take from this, number one being that even if we’ve run away, we can go back. It may not be the same as when we left. Amends may need to be made, but we can return to try to make things right. No matter what is in your past, you can decide to either run from it or learn from it (another great message from a character within the movie).
Everyone’s past shames and hurts are different. And while there may not be two identical situations, working through your past can be similar for most of us. It starts within and through acknowledging that the past does not need to dictate your future. Whether the hurtful moment in your past is something you’ve done, something done to you, or maybe even words said to you, it does not need to impact your future. You can overcome your past in order to have a better future. Start by identifying the pain, acknowledging it, and then start the process of forgiveness. Whether this is for yourself or someone else, forgiveness frees us from the restraint and burden of the past.
Challenges/Points:
Many of us run away from something in our past.
You don’t have to continue running or hiding.
Begin the process of forgiveness today - even if it means forgiving yourself.
Questions:
What is that event or person that you ran away from?
Is it still defining your life today?
What is the first step that you could take in letting go and “returning home?”
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