Examining the Lion King Kingdom Model (Part 1): The King's Meal Was His Subjects

Since the lion in The Lion King is the king,
it follows that his meals are his subjects.

That's a bit gruesome.
No, it's quite gruesome.

This question that suddenly popped into my head
became the catalyst for dissecting the kingdom known as the Pride Lands.

I had no way of knowing at the time,
that this simple question would turn into a massive thought experiment...

The other day, I watched the movie The Lion King with my daughter. It is, needless to say, a classic Disney masterpiece.


I'm sure I watched it when I was a child, but I don't remember the details.

I know the protagonist is a lion cub named Simba, but I'm sorry to say I don't remember the names of the other animals.

A thin, dark-furred lion is the villain, right... and a weasel and a warthog were singing something that looked fun... that's the extent of my knowledge.

*Click here for the sequel

With that in mind, I started watching with a fresh perspective. It seems the animals of the savanna live in a kingdom with a lion as their king.

The highlight of the beginning is the Circle of Life. It's a song that celebrates the cycle of life in the savanna, where Simba, a lion, and the herbivores are singing together as if they are good friends.

I watched it thinking, "These giraffes are accepting their roles and coexisting with the lions. How admirable."


In the middle of the story, Simba is exiled from the kingdom. Afterward, he meets Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog.

Thanks to them, Simba survives and even has the void in his heart filled.

In other words, they are his soulmates.

Simba grows up safely into a fine adult.



However, when Nala, Simba's childhood friend who is now an adult, finds Timon and Pumbaa, the situation takes a sudden turn.

Nala seems to be starving, and as soon as she finds the two, she attacks, intending to eat them.


"Oh! This is the Circle of Life! There is no mercy in the savanna!"


Just as I thought that, at the very last second, Simba stepped in to stop her.

............


"Isn't that cheating!!??"


I almost said it out loud. From that moment on, my head was filled with all sorts of thoughts, and I couldn't focus on the movie anymore.


────
For Simba, Timon and Pumbaa are undoubtedly special.

Since they saved his life and his heart, the choice to "save" them makes perfect sense.

If I were in the same position, I would want to save them too.


However—this is the savanna.


Isn't this

"the moment when Simba's personal feelings took precedence over the rules of the entire Pride Lands"?

Lions hunt nearby herbivores when they are hungry. That is the law of nature and the principle of the Circle of Life.



But for Simba, those who are important to him "must not be hunted."

This is a form of "favoritism," and at the same time, an "exception."

And at this moment, I couldn't help but think:




Isn't this "selection of life" rather than the "cycle of life"?
Even herbivores have a survival instinct.


Looking at it from that perspective, in this kingdom,




"how much you are liked by the lion"
has become the most important factor for survival.

—a strange structure emerges.

Can that really be called a healthy kingdom?

────

Rafiki the shaman surely won't be eaten.

But what about a monkey with no role?

If you are told, "It's your turn today," then that is the end of your life.


If I were a monkey living in this kingdom—

I would surely be a nameless monkey who is suddenly told, "It's your turn today."

At that time, would I be able to calmly let myself be eaten by a lion while saying,
"Oh! This is the Circle of Life! I was prepared for this... please enjoy your meal..."
............



No, that's impossible...Why me?



Why today?

Why me, when my children were just born?

I would at least want to pass on the personalities of my daughters to someone...

The older one gets distracted easily, so please let her take breaks as needed while watching over her.


The younger one was just born, and if the powdered milk isn't from company M, she gets severe constipation.

Would I be allowed to say "goodbye" to my daughters?

To do that, I would at least want to be told the schedule


before being told, "It's your turn today."

There is such a thing as mental preparation.

I would like about a week's notice...



...No, if I were told the schedule, I might just pack my bags and run away with my family in the middle of the night.



If we ran away, would the target suddenly become Mr. N, who lives next door?

At that time, would Mr. N resent me while being eaten?


What about Mr. N's wife and children?


What would they be thinking while watching their father get eaten...

────



In the end, in this kingdom, it is a world where the lion "decides the prey based on his mood for the day."

Once I started thinking that way,

the rest of the story didn't sink in.So, how can it become a sustainable kingdom?


What kind of kingdom would allow me to be convinced to join the cycle of life?

Next time, I would like to carefully examine the interest structure of the actual Lion King kingdom as a hypothetical model.

👇　Click here for part two