Watching 'The Lion King 1½', I realized 'Hakuna Matata' wasn't about 'not worrying'

To be honest, I had always thought of The Lion King 1½ as just a 'fun side story'.

A slightly meta and lighthearted work that depicts the behind-the-scenes of the main story from Timon and Pumbaa's perspective.
And Hakuna Matata, a bright and uplifting song.

But watching it again, I thought differently.

Hakuna Matata wasn't about 'not worrying'.

At first, Timon thinks that spending time in a comfortable paradise is what Hakuna Matata is all about.
Staying away from worries, avoiding troublesome things, and protecting one's own place.

That isn't wrong.
But as the story progresses, that belief begins to waver.

When Simba tries to stand up as king,
Pumbaa says,

'We have to go help our friend!'

This was the core of it.

Hakuna Matata is not a term that refers to a state of having no worries.
Rather, as long as you are alive, worries are always there.

What's important is not to place worries at the center of your life.

Timon struggles.
Should he stay in paradise, or go to his friend?

The answer he arrived at in the midst of that was,
'Choosing what I want to do right now'.

Making a choice that you won't regret, no matter how the results turn out.
That is the true Hakuna Matata.

It's not about erasing worries,
but an attitude of not being consumed by them.

Set your worries aside, and make 'what do I want to do' the main focus.

Thinking about it that way,

🎵 It means no worries for the rest of your days, it's our problem-free philosophy, Hakuna Matata

These lyrics,
don't sound like 'don't worry',

but rather a message of 'don't be controlled by your worries'.

Hakuna Matata is not an escape.

It is a motto for moving forward.

This time, I felt that Hakuna Matata wasn't about 'not worrying,' but about 'not being controlled by worries'.
But surely, depending on your own situation and state of mind at the time, it might sound like it has a different meaning again.
How did it sound to you?