Six lessons from The Lion King for the primary students:

1. Your relationship with your dad is a special one – Mufasa loves Simba even when Simba goes and makes foolish mistakes. Any father dreams of his child be better than him. So in between the anger and the curfew, it all love, care and hope.

2. Friends come in all shapes and sizes – A meerkat, a warthog and a hornbill don’t exactly fit in a description of a Lion’s friend circle. Yet Simba has loyal friends in Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu. It’s not how your friends look like it’s how much take care for you.

3. Stand up to the bully – When Pumbaa, the warthog was call clumsy by the hyenas, it was the last straw to the camel’s back. Instead of running away, he stood up to the bullies and that was the end any bullying ever in his life.

4. It’s your pride – When Simba abandoned his pride and chose the path of Hakuna Matata, he thought, he found bliss But true bliss is when you return to your herd, your family to protect, nurture and love them. Your going away and losing hope, not only hurts you but your entire pride!

5. Own responsibility, not mistake – Simba was devastated when Scar told him that his mistake caused Mafasa’s life. Instead of admitting it he let the mistake hurt him to the point of abandoning his goal.

6. We all need a mentor in life – Rafiki, whose name means “friend” in Swahili, is a mandrill with an unnaturally long tail. When Simba is down and uncertain, he shoes him the stars. The way, the direction and the ambition. Remember this Chinese quote, ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.’

All the best and I would be glad to coach and mentor anyone who wishes to.

– Dawood Vaid. Mindset Coach.
dawood@skyeducation.in