My five year old just finished watching Disney's The Lion King. I tuned in when an adult Simba returned to the Pridelands and faced his Uncle Scar for the first time since he left as a child because he believed he was responsible for his father Mufasa's death. Mufasa believes he will get rid of Simba and confesses that it was he, not Simba, who killed Mufasa.
That revelation after so many years of self doubt, sadness and guilt, had to have been mind blowing for Simba. He spent many years away from his home and away from his family and most importantly, not being his true self, because he lived in the shadow of all of those complicated emotions. I get that he's a cartoon lion, but come on, there's a lesson in there for all of us. Especially us. Carrying guilt in our hearts over the loss of our little ones can only stand in the way of us being able to be our true selves. It can separate us from family, friends and ourselves. Guilt is a corrosive emotion which can literally change us from the inside out.
To quote the great Pumba, "[Y]ou got to put your behind in your past" er, I guess I'm looking for Timon's correction, "You gotta put your past behind you". That doesn't mean forgetting, it doesn't mean completely letting go. Hold on to your little ones, always keep them close. But it does mean doing what we can to recognize any guilt we carry and to get out from under it's shadow.
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