Lion Guard's Wisdom

Zazu Hornbill, son of Zuzu

Zazu: Peace and prosperity has finally returned to the Pride Lands after many desperate years of suffering through corruption of Royal power, long drought, excessive hunting, overgrazing, and overpopulation of rivers and waterways killing aquatic life. These were the hardest times for all animals and plants who respected the Circle of Life, and for those few that chose to stay in the Pride Lands and survived are admired for their will and determination, including their aid to those who needed it most in desperate times. Those that migrated to chose healthier and happy lives are not shunned for leaving, but are looked upon with hope by us that they found a home and built a family so that their part in the Circle may continue. Those that returned were always welcomed back whenever they desired and we are humbled to have them once again, including their extended families who always have our blessing.

But we also welcome the return of the team that protects the Pride Lands and defends the Circle of Life. Their existence was supposedly shunned after the dark Royal of Pride Rock destroyed them out of evil envy, and their absence has been felt as long as he was the so-called King. With him now passed on, the Lion Guard has formed once again and has continued the legacy in aiding the inhabitants of the Pride Lands and foiling the dark ways of the violators of the delicate balance.

But this particular Guard is a first of it's kind in producing animals other than lions and who are no older than adolescence.

This has made no difference as each animal has used their unique and natural abilities to prove both a worthy and mature team member that will not back down from anything and will take on any challenge that comes their way. So far, their tasks have been successfully completed and harmony has been safely restored.

This raises the point of never underestimating a particular youthful individual because they seem to be 'just kids' and are different from the others in terms of ability and/or capability. Everyone is unique in their own way and they should be respected for who they are. That goes for everyone in the Circle of Life.

Through their experience, the five members of the Lion Guard have learned valuable lessons on the run, and this has helped them to mature both as team members and individuals. They are even more valued as key partakers in the Circle as a result.

The Pride Land's Fiercest, Bravest, Fastest, Strongest, and Keenest of Sight are here today to share tales of their experience in the Guard and provide valuable wisdom, which they hope will be a fine example for others to follow:

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You were chosen because of your radar vision of almost everything within - dare I say it - a one hundred mile radius. But you are also like the intellectual nerd of the group who gives inside knowledge to both your team and anyone else who wants to learn more. As well as a defender, do you consider yourself an advisor with your abilities?

Ono: I never really stop to think about being a number-two animal, if you will. I just tend to go along with instruction and do whatever is asked of me. I am always happy to give intellectual lectures to anyone who needs it or is keen to learn, but I am not about to tell someone off or be harsh on them because they have made an honest mistake. That is not my nature. 

I just think that it is only fair to leave them be to learn from their errors. Nobody learns without getting it wrong, and it is the very mistakes you make that only make you better and stronger in both mind and body if you are willing to learn from them. You can give all the advice you can, and others may and will take it in, but sometimes you have to learn the hard way to eventually succeed. If that is the way that it turned out in the end, then wonderful. If it didn't, then tough luck. But at the end of the day, it was the choice they made which made them who they were. It did not affect you and therefore you should not have to worry. You did all that you could to help and regardless of success or failure in the end, the effort that you put in is all that anyone can ask for. 

In the case of The Lion Guard, I know they all work to the best of their abilities  and I know that I can trust them to perform. Kion in particular is a fine leader because he trusts his instincts and understands everyone's needs, so therefore I let him do his job and only give advice when I really need to. He also trusts me to do what I need to do, otherwise he would never have chosen me to represent the Guard in the first place. That goes for the other members.

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You are the fastest in the Pride Lands, and that gives you the ability to catch your foes who try to escape or outrun them when they come after you. You even race to the aid of your allies when they need fast help. But some have said that you even show a bit of attitude, and therefore have labeled you as slightly arrogant. Would you consider this controversial label as gospel?

Fuli: That really depends on who is making the judgements. Everyone has their own way of interpreting certain so-called controversial individuals. Some opinions may be bluntly obtuse and some aim to look at the bigger picture. It is about the balance between pessimism and optimism, and it is always wiser to look at the positive side of things before jumping to conclusion on the negatives. Those few that justify the means with reasonable detail are able to explain what happens beyond what you see and show the individual on the inside as well as the outside. These are the opinions that matter most. Otherwise it is about simply finding someone to pick on, or looking for an excuse to gain unanimous consent against the target audience.

You may think that I have a little attitude and that it seems arrogant, but a lot of individuals mistaken confidence for arrogance. I know that it is wrong to brag and I certainly do not like to, but when you are good at something, you have to show positive intent so that you can keep performing consistently. That, I believe, is one of the secrets towards success: It is not always about how good you are at something; it is about staying consistent. But in order to keep that consistency, you have to stay in a positive frame of mind. That is where confidence comes in. Skill plus optimism equals consistency, which in turn creates success. If you have the skill but lack the belief in yourself, you will only fall faster and never find that consistency again, which in turn will cause your skill to be lost forever.

It is important to have the brains and the willpower to succeed in life, but sometimes it doesn't show because some are too afraid to use them. They should not be. Everyone has it inside of them, but they must create the initiation to trigger it. Otherwise it will mean nothing.

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The incredible strength that you have shown landed you a place as a member of the Lion Guard. So far you have proved your worth by shifting the heaviest rocks, knocking over the toughest Acacia's in the Pride Lands, and making your enemies 'bounce' of you when you hit them. But you have also really explored the Pride Lands over time because you know just about everyone and every location. You are also considered the 'nice guy' of the Guard. Along with your strength, would you also consider your know-how and supposed kind nature as another valuable trait in aiding the Guard and setting an example to others?

Beshte: (Laughing shyly about the mentioning of his 'sweetness') Well, generally speaking, I definitely think that it helps. I know that I am certainly well-natured and nice, and I believe that is how the rest of the world should be. If you want to truly find your place in the Circle of Life, integrity is one of the most valuable traits. You have to try to be nice to everyone, and only then will you earn respect and gain friends. That includes earning the respect of your own family. Life is too short not to be friendly, and as a member of an important faction in The Lion Guard, I say that showing the example of integrity will help to inspire others to follow suit. It is the heart inside that counts, not just the uniqueness that is seen on the outside. Others can call me sweet all they want, but I tend not to talk about it. I just go about it and hope that my example will help others who respect the Circle of Life. 

But never underestimate me just because of my personality, because I get tough when it comes to facing enemies and that side of me turns into something more extreme than at first impression. That comes down to duel personality: By showing toughness as well as having an open heart, you attain a wide range of both physical and psychological skills, and therefore using them to the best of your abilities and proving them effective makes you even more unique as an individual. That, I believe, is the real thing that separates the 'normal' from the 'special'.

As for knowing the ropes of the Pride Lands, I believe that you really get valuable knowledge when you take your time to explore as many places and meet as many new faces as possible. This way, you learn about the history, values and even archives and artefacts of each location, and therefore you understand the uniqueness of the wonderful world that you are living in. I don't think that you can get a true appreciation of your living environment until you discover it's many unique contents and gain a greater understanding of their value in nature. The same goes for the many animals that you meet and befriend. By taking your time to know and understand one another, you both gain an appreciation of your respective nature, therefore strengthening the important connection you all have in the Circle of Life.

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You are the bravest member of the