The New Frontier - Exploring the Movie Further

Exploring Further

At the beginning of The Lion King, Simba lives in close proximity to his True Source, his father, Mufasa, who is the king of the Pride Lands. Mufasa teaches Simba how to be a good king, showing him how to live with courage and care for his people. Mufasa calls Simba into the adventure of living from his true identity as a good king of the Pride Lands. A bit daunted by this task, Simba questions if his dad will always be around to help him do so. Mufasa looks up to the stars and tells Simba that they are the great kings that came before them. Mufasa will join them someday, and from the stars, he will always be there to guide Simba. The young cub trusts in this, accepting his True Source's call and calibrating his heart to True North.

That is, until tragedy strikes. Simba's uncle Scar, jealous of Mufasa's throne, puts Simba in a life-or-death situation. Mufasa races to rescue his son, unaware of the Scar's sinister plot. In the end, Scar throws Mufasa to a stampeding herd of wildebeests, killing him. Simba weeps, heartbroken by his father's death. Without a moment to spare, Scar tells the young cub that Mufasa is GONE because of him. At this moment, Simba could have remembered his father's voice, "I am always with you." Instead, he lets Scar's words get too close to his heart. They become a magnet that drives Simba from the Pride Lands into the desert.

Simba wanders until a meerkat and warthog named Timon and Pumba find him. They offer him a different way of life that centers around "hakuna matata," or not worrying about anything at all- just letting the good times roll. Separated from his True Source by the magnet of his uncle's words, Simba clings to their way of life, effectively rejecting his father's call to adventure. He lets hakuna matata become a new magnet to his heart, and over time, forgets his father altogether, thus forgetting his true identity as his father's son and the rightful king and caretaker of the Pride Lands.

But even on this False True North, Simba can't deny the pull of his heart toward something more. One night, while he sits under the stars with Timon and Pumba, he tells them about his father's words long ago- that the stars were actually the past kings looking down on him. His friends laugh at the notion, but Simba can't shake the magnetic pull of his heart toward his father's presence. The call to adventure still rings in his ears. He goes out into the night, frustrated by the deep yearning he feels because he doesn't believe he can do anything about it.

Meanwhile, Scar turns the Pride Lands from a beautiful garden-like country into a barren wasteland in Simba's absence. As a result, the lionesses must go far and wide to look for food. Nala, one of Simba's friends, just happens (or so it seems) to run into Simba while searching. She begs Simba to re-accept his father's call to adventure- to be the son and king his father believed he could be. Simba refuses, still trusting Scar's poisonous words.

He leaves Nala, upset by their conversation. He wants to be okay with his hakuna matata life, but something in Simba knows Nala is right. Torn by his deep yearning to accept his father's call and the magnets he's let too close to his heart, Simba cries out to his father, "You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not, and it's my fault." It seems Scar's voice has won. Simba won't accept the call to be king.

Beat down by Scar's lies, Simba encounters his father for the first time in years. Mufasa reminds Simba of his true identity and calls his son to step into it again-to reclaim his place. For the first time, Simba sees clearly. He trusts his father's words and detaches from the magnets of "hakuna matata" and Scar's poisonous words. Accepting the call, Simba calibrates his life's direction to True North and steps back into the adventure his True Source always had for him.

Returning to the Pride Lands, Simba reclaims his place as the rightful king, removing Scar from power. Simba follows in his father's footsteps as the king and restores the Pride Lands to their former glory- abundant and beautiful.

We are just like Simba. Our hearts are made to live from the identity God bestows on us. We are made to accept that call, so when we reject that call, a part of our hearts can't settle. We try to fill that unsettling ache with performance, entertainment, and numbing; none truly satisfies us. Only adventuring with God can do. Thankfully, even when we reject, God's call is always there, ringing in our ears. After years of rejection, we can still accept, detach from our magnets, and step into the adventure of our true identity. It's never too late to reclaim our place and choose to live in our Garden State.

Further Discussion:

After reading this, what other parallels do you see between your story and Simba's? Do you see some of the other ideas from the "Truth of the Month" video in the movie? Discuss them together.