Look Harder

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Because of all that, the first movie I was actually able to see in theaters was The Lion King.

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Man, I laughed, I cried, I walked away with this feeling that I had witnessed something special when I saw that movie.

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Now, when I love a movie, I tend to rewatch it pretty often, at least once a year.

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The Lion King is one of those movies, and it actually wasn’t until rewatching Lion King as an adult that the deeper undertones and messages of the film became obvious to me.

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And one of the most impactful messages, in my opinion, was brought on by a very charismatic baboon.

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Rafiki was the sort of sage or shaman of King Mufasa’s pride land.

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The guy was brought out for a special ceremony, such as presenting the newborn prince to the kingdom, and he had important tasks, like, you know, naming Simba, for instance.

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And then Mufasa died, and Rafiki retreated to that tree that he lived in, until just before around the third act of the film.

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In case you don’t recall some of the details, after running away from home, deceived by his uncle Scar, into thinking that he caused his father’s death, Simba met Timon and Pumbaa, along with their Hakuna Matata philosophy of living worry free.

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But then he had a reunion with his childhood best friend, Nala, who schooled him about the atrocities of King Scar’s reign over the Pride Land.

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Now, at that moment, Simba’s whole world view kind of shatters.

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He feels lost.

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He feels torn between his birthright and responsibility and the new life that he made for himself.

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There’s also a lot of inner doubt going on inside of him because he doesn’t feel worthy of going back to try to even help.

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And this is where Rafiki comes into the picture.

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He appears to Simba, who has no recollection of him, and tells him that he knows his father Mufasa, that he’s alive and that he can show him where he is.

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Rafiki then leads Simba on a wild baboon chase through some dark brush and a dark forest until they reach a clearing with a pond.

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Rafiki parts some leaves and he points at the water and tells Simba that that’s where Mufasa is.

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Simba very hesitantly kind of paws over to the pond.

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He looks, he sees himself, and then he just dismisses Rafiki, saying that it’s his own reflection.

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To which Rafiki answers, Look hard.

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This essentially unlocks this majestic appearance of Mufasa among the storm clouds, reminding his son that by forgetting who he is meant to be, he’s forgetting who his father was.

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That brings me to you.

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Who are you?

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Where do you come from?

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And I don’t mean physically, geographically.

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What gives your existence intrinsic value?

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You know, the origin of things is one of the biggest mysteries in our existence.

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It’s gnawed at the minds and hearts of philosophers, religious leaders and scientists for ages.

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Theories abound.

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The faith of some leads them to find worth in the belief that an omnipotent god created them, and that he delights himself in his creation.

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Another might believe that while on this earth, we all walk as individuals separated by the barrier of our skin, but we are all ultimately one, emanating from the life source of the universe.

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Some don’t believe anything supernatural at all.

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They stick to whatever explanation science can or can’t give.

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I’m not here to discredit any of those thoughts or beliefs.

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On the contrary, go with that.

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There’s a chapter in Neil deGrasse Tyson’s book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, titled The Greatest Story Ever Told.

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And in that beautiful chapter, deGrasse Tyson walks through the magnificent creative journey that began with the Big Bang and stretched all the way to you, listening to this podcast right now.

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If we were handmade by an intelligent, omnipotent creator of some sort who blew breath of life into us, that makes us children of the most powerful being in the universe.

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On the other hand, if we’re all just masks being worn by the Godhead, then within this frail mass of flesh and bones, there’s divinity and the magnificent source of all life.

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And if we’re all products of the causality and chance of an expanding universe, then look at how much had to happen, how much had to go perfectly right for you to be alive right at this instant.

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Look at the multitude of species that went extinct in the fight for survival on this planet.

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As Alan Watts put it, you are the Big Bang’s creative force manifesting itself in the present time as you.

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Perhaps one of those theories is right.

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Perhaps they’re all wrong.

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Perhaps they’re all right.

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But no matter which one your mind grasps on to, own it.

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Try this next time the amnesia kicks in.

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Remind yourself who you are.

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No, really, remind yourself.

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Talk to yourself in the mirror if necessary.

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Remind yourself that whether you were put on this rock by a god or you’re the result of cosmic forces and events, there’s intrinsic beauty in you.

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You’re a work of art, imperfectly perfect, down to your most hated defect, because the sum total of your virtues and defects is what makes you, you.

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Remind yourself that the essence of life is within you and that whether the universe or god is your father, your royalty.

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Walk in that authority and conviction.

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Run after your goals.

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Work hard for your dreams.

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No matter what you believe in, life is composed of cycles of good and bad, and that befalls every human being, no matter the race, gender or creed.

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Don’t let life cycles make you forget your worth and value.

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Remain at the center of all of it.

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Conscious of the fact that greatness is within you.

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Sometimes life cycles are loud.

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Sometimes they’re blinding.

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And in those moments is when you have to drop the cynicism, drop the pessimism to remember who you are.

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That’s when you have to look harder.

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I’d love to know how that goes for you.

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You can write me at contactamusing at gmail.com.

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Don’t forget to subscribe or follow so you don’t miss the next episode.

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And please, share this message with someone who needs to hear it.

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Remember you can find this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher and anywhere else you find podcasts.

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I’ll catch you in the next episode.