Thursday, November 3, 2011

Hakuna Matata



Recently, Disney re-released the movie, “The Lion King,” a classic favorite for practically any child born after 1994. This movie has to be one of my all-time favorites and you can draw so many analogies from this movie concerning life. One in particular that I find relevant is the song, “Hakuna Matata;” this song is coined from the Swahili phrase which means “there are no worries.”

In class, we just finished reading the book, “The Anxiety Cure.” In this book, Hart discusses how overstressed lives pave the way to anxiety, and that anxiety and worry are serious risks for one’s overall well-being. Hart claims that we all have anxiety to some degree, and it is important to have some anxiety so that we are motivated to accomplish tasks. However, sometimes anxiety gets out of hand and can cause mental, emotional, and biological damage.

Much of anxiety is due to stress; and for many of us, stress is due to a fast paced and overstressed lifestyle. Moments of stress are inevitable, especially in today’s society; however stress should not become a lifestyle. At some points we need to take a little advice from a Disney classic and slow down. Obviously, we cannot permanently adopt an “Hakuna Matata” lifestyle, because we have responsibilities; but there are moments when each of us needs to learn to relax, breathe, and enjoy the life God has given us.

3 comments:

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  2. It almost seems that people have to be taught to relax. So many are overstressed, and why? Maybe because they are taking on too many endeavors? Life has stress, no doubt. Stress management is important. That needs to be taught also, in my opinion. So many people do not like to sleep or think it is a waste of their time. Sleeping for me is one of the only ways that I can withdraw from the cares of life. Lives are so fragile also. Individuals have many needs and feelings. God will help us manage our lives though. We all should have some 'Hakuna Matata' in our lives every now and then though.

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  3. It was interesting to read this post, as I am a huge fan of this movie and my sister and I know the song by heart, as weird as that may be. But the philosophy behind the phrase I believe is what lurse people into it, for we live a a rushed world, where everything had to be done yesterday, and we barely have time to cath up with the important things, let alone take time to relax. But, I agree relaxation is vital for our well-being, maybe not a "Hakuna Matata" type, but relaxation neverthless.

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