Maps of Meaning: The Lion King

Maps of Meaning. The Lion King. Application.

Revolutionary Adaptation

In the previous piece on Maps of Meaning, I discussed my understanding and application of Revolutionary Adaptation. Just last week, I decided to watch “The Lion King”, a film that many have claimed to be archetypal. 

In this piece, I share my analysis of the movie, including the application of the figure of Revolutionary Adaptation in terms of Simba’s life.

Arrogance 

The present green and naive future king of the Pride Lands decided to defy the orders of his father, and ventured into the unknown. Simba’s refusal to acknowledge his ignorance and need  to learn from his culture is a hubristic representation of Luciferian Pride:“What I know is all that is necessary to know.” Expectedly, the outcome was not desirable–in fact, fatal and disastrous. Inviting Lana to embark on his adventure into the unknown, Simba put himself and his dear friend in trouble with the hyenas. Luckily for them, Mufasa emerged in time to the rescue. The heroically successful actions of Mufasa indicates the significance of our culture in protecting us from the unknown. Mufasa’s next words to Simba would signify the lesson from this scene: “Not only did you put yourself in danger, you did the same to Lana!” It was Simba’s arrogance, absent-mindedness, willful immaturity, impatience and infantility that almost caused his and his friend’s lives. This is a message to remain obedient to the instructions of our Great Father–not to engage in activities that we are not necessarily prepared for. Otherwise, we are bound to precipitate adversities that inflict tragic consequences on those around us, who are innocent. 

Nuances

Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that such a dilemma–determining whether or not to obey our Great Father, whether or not to carry out an act when we do not necessarily feel ready–does not have a framework through which we assess the quality of our decisions. Must we always follow the instructions of our elders? Are there times, when taking action before thorough preparation, optimal? If so, when?

Nobody knows.

It appears to me that the best and only choice we have at our disposal presently is to keep our eyes open, be ever-perceptive, and remain receptive to the lessons that our Great Father–our culture–has to offer. The consequence of such a decision and practice will garner wisdom in our minds. It is wisdom that will equip us to make the most ideal decisions in a given space and time that is complex and multifaceted. 

Keeping our eyes Open

Incidentally, we segue aptly to the theme of keeping our eyes open and of remaining attentive:

Muscular, dominant and protective as Mufasa’s character is, he–like all of us–has (at least) one flaw. It is difficult for the viewers to point it out, not least because it is not obvious, but because Mufasa is so likable (at least to me) to me that it is painful to have to acknowledge that his flaw is indeed the contributor of his death. Perhaps the filmmaker was deliberate in this: conveying that even our most respectable and seemingly unshakable Great Father–culture–is likely to have the proclivity to self-sabotage:

Mufasa’s flaw was his inability to detect evil. As the great king of the Pride Lands, Mufasa had thoroughly failed to detect the evil tendencies of his own brother, Scar. It seems to me that Mufasa was cognizant of Scar’s dissolute and facetious ways, but it did not occur to Mufasa that Scar could be as fatally predatory and malevolent as he eventually was. Harboring arrogance, jealousy and resentment, Scar had formed a coalition with the hyenas and devised a ploy that aimed to sacrifice the lives of Mufasa and Simba. The scheme was half successful and Simba survived; though Simba was eventually conned into believing that he was the cause of his father’s death. This false realization put him to shame, whereupon he would depart from the Pride Lands.

The message pertaining to Mufasa’s flaw is that the inability (including the unwillingness) to recognize evil is the precursor to the growth and amplification of chaos, which will be sufficiently powerful to wipe us out. It must be noted that “wiping us out” could manifest in the form of taking our lives, just like how Mufasa’s blindness–willing or not–persisted at the expense of his dear life. In Dr Peterson’s words, “...individuals and societies who flout these (moral) absolutes—in ignorance or in willful opposition—are doomed to misery and eventual dissolution.” The astute filmmaker has made Scar, of all characters, the evil and cause of the death of the Great Father. This should excite our caution and render us on guard, as the evil that could be as destructive as to cost our lives may not be as distal as we imagine. It is about time we remove our rose-tinted glasses as they are the source of our optimism bias; it is time to keep our eyes and ears open, to sharpen our vision, employ our attention; it is time we learn to be alert to the presence and potential of evil, which undoubtedly has the potential to haunt and destroy us.

Not Living up to our Potential

At this point, Simba had left the Pride Lands for sufficiently long that he was now—unbeknownst to him, or rather, due to his reluctance to admittance—a grown lion; whose imposing demeanor would have imbued awe and commanded attention; whose physical strength would have compared to that of Mufasa’s (his father, who had now transformed into one of the gods and would now look down at him with the stars, from above the sky); and whose roar would have echoed and alarmed and engendered fear, should it reach the ears of all members of the Pride Lands—and it could(!).

Yet, he refused to realize his potential. To him, the challenges entailed in realizing his potential and revivifying his culture—his Great Father—were too overwhelming. As such, he resorted to associating himself with Timon and Pumbaa.

Simba led the life of “Hakuna Matata”, of dissolution, of carefreeness; one which he would be ashamed of when the conceptualization of his current life sprang to his mind. The latter is evidenced when Timon and Pumbaa flippantly inquired how Simba perceived the stars in the sky; in response to which Simba was first reminded of Mufasa’s words: that the stars were the Great Gods and Ancestral Fathers, who would look down at him at all times, and then was overcome with an unbearable level of shame. His paws covered his face, unsuccessfully hiding his undignified, present state from omniscience. Simba let out a pretended giggle and feigned agreement, but his conscience continued to gnaw persistently at him, rendering him uneasy and restless. Although unspecified to the audience, the astute viewer would have felt a hefty load weighing in his heart at this point. That must have been Simba’s experience too. Simba knew that it was his responsibility to be the king of the Pride Lands. That he must do it. And he knew that he was in a state of avoidance—willful ignorance, blindness and cowardice had led to this. Notably, this was perhaps the first instance when it occurred to Simba that the perceived burden of shouldering his responsibilities could not remotely compare to the numinosity, enormity and intensity of guilt conjured up by his conscience. It felt as if–or literally(!)–that there was something almost divine within him, that would render his heart heavy and him self-conscious; shame had transformed into a tangible apparition that haunted him eternally. Although it was possible to suppress this feeling from time to time, it would only return before Simba realized, and especially when Simba was alone.

(As an aside, Timon and Pumbaa’s inability to resonate with Mufasa’s perception of the stars in the sky is a representation of their present frivolity, lacking depth, sophistication and refinement in character. It is also a message to the audience that we should be wary of who we surround ourselves with. The decision to acquaint ourselves with individuals whose value systems differ from ours; and life purpose does not entail confronting the unknown to better themselves, is akin to introducing nuisances, which will impede the upward trajectory we hope to embark on in life. In the face of such, attempts to provide guidance to them should be made; the failure of which should be the signal to depart, to separate ourselves from them.) 

The motif of Revolutionary Adaptation as a responsibility was reinforced when Nala encountered Simba again. Not only did Nala use the word “must” to order Simba to be back in the Pride Lands, her presence itself put Simba to shame, augmenting the degree to which Simba’s conscience haunted him. This demonstrates that the fulfillment and maximization of one's potential, which can only be achieved by willingly confronting and stepping into the anxiety-inducing unknown, to revivify our Great Father (culture, the known)–is in fact, a moral obligation. It is not a matter of choice. Rather, the failure and reluctance to make this decision will not only excite our conscience to grow and haunt us, it will also precipitate disastrous outcomes to those around us–just as the Pride Lands were presently being torn apart by Scar, due to Simba’s decision to be absent, to abdicate his responsibilities.

Fulfilling Our Potential

Fortunately, Simba was eventually sufficiently judicious and informed, to recognize the importance of realizing his potential, revivifying and rescuing his culture. Simba returned home to confront his evil uncle, Scar. The violent process was fear-inducing and a drudgery, physically and emotionally: Simba’s would experience shame in the face of members of the Pride Lands, especially his mother; and would be scarred whilst combating Scar. 

But all was worth the pain. 

Scar was defeated and floundered as a result of his own careless and faithless doings.

Simba embodied Revolutionary Adaptation, and was deservedly crowned King.

Fortunately for Simba and his friends whom he met (Timon and Pumbaa) from outside of the Pride Lands, Timon and Pumbaa were–or at least seemed to be–sufficiently sensible, joining Simba in the Pride Lands; which I would presume, foreshadow their outliving their previous life of “Hakuna Matata”. This would not only be a representation of their willingness to grow, Simba’s influence on them also signifies the importance of embodying a force of good–that by being one’s best self and realizing one’s potential maximally, we are able to bring our loved ones to rise with us. 

That should be enough motivation for us to willingly embody Revolutionary Adaptation.

Epilogue 

The above is my interpretation of The Lion King as well as my attempt to apply the plot of the movie to what I have learnt from Dr Peterson’s Maps of Meaning (I will be quick to admit that some parts of my analyses were inspired by Dr Peterson’s words in his lectures, which can be viewed on Youtube). Evidently, the premise of the entire movie could be represented by the concept of Revolutionary Adaptation. Nevertheless, I would like you, the reader, to also be attentive to other parts of the movie that may be more subtle but no less valuable: including the sections of Nuances, Arrogance, Keeping our eyes Open, and the importance of recognizing who we surround ourselves with.

Thus far, I have produced two pieces on my application of Revolutionary Adaptation. Hopefully, my analyses and words have formed enough evidence to convey the archetypal and universal quality of this concept. Hopefully, you too, will now be motivated to embody Revolutionary Adaptation.