Interview with Simba, Son of Mufasa

INTERVIEWER: On the show tonight we have someone very special with us: Someone who overcame all obstacles that came his way, who accepted himself for who he really was and faced up to his responsibilities despite what had happened to him. He is a very worthy leader of a great savannah kingdom in the open heart of Kenya, Africa. He is full of nobility, courage, strength, wisdom, and bravery. He is also a wonderful father to both his child and his adopted child. We know him as “The Restless Warrior”. My guest this evening: The Lion King of the Pride Lands: SIMBA, SON OF MUFASA!!!

SIMBA: Good evening.

Hi Simba; great to have you with us on the show. Thank you for coming down. First tell us a bit about your family and where you live.

I was born at Pride Rock in the middle of an open savannah in Southern Kenya just south of Kilimanjaro. My father was Mufasa; my mother was Sarabi, her sister was Sarafina. Both Mufasa and Sarabi have now passed on and I have my mate and current queen Nala, daughter of Sarafina; my daughter Kiara; and my adopted son Kovu. I am sad to say that my best friends Timon and Pumbaa passed away some months ago. It was their time. They were like family to me and I am really going to miss them.

I am sorry to hear about that. Anyway let me ask you some questions about your life.

Not a problem. Shoot.

When you were just a cub you seemed very excited about one day becoming king. What were your thoughts at the time?

Well, you know, when you are at a young age you are not very matured; so I guess that I was a bit young to understand the main responsibilities of being a true leader. I was just excited about one day becoming someone who can do what they like and not being told what to do by anyone else. But my father told me that there is more to being king than getting your way all the time. It is about understanding a balance that all living creatures exist in and respecting them; even the animals who we eat, because when we die, our bodies become the grass and our certain prey eat the grass. Therefore we are all connected in the great Circle of Life. I realized then that once I understood the balance of life, I would become a better and more respected king.

You decided to visit the elephant graveyard even though you knew that it was dangerous and forbidden and your father told you not to go there. You even decided to take your best friend Nala. What led you to such a decision?

At first I had no idea what that place was when I first saw it, but I was very curious. I wanted to investigate the area all the same just so I would know, and I was feeling a bit bummed that I wasn’t allowed to. But when my uncle Scar told me that it was an elephant graveyard, it got me really excited and I thought that it would be such a cool place to visit. Scar also mentioned to me that only the bravest of lions would dare venture there. That got me thinking that maybe dad would be proud of such a brave cub. So I decided to investigate after all. I just couldn’t help myself. I took Nala along because I thought that it would be cool for her to see as well. I didn’t want to go alone; that would have been no fun. Then after our encounter with the hyenas, we were lucky to escape with our lives when dad came and saved us. He wasn’t impressed because I had disobeyed him and I knew that I disappointed him; not to mention making the situation worse by putting my best friend in danger; but at the same time he admired me for my courage and he couldn’t scold me for long, and so he was proud of me. I then learned afterwards that being brave is not about looking for trouble; it is about using your courage to help others. And that no matter how cool something might be to venture or how curious you are about it, it is not worth risking your life. I might add that at the time I had no idea that my uncle Scar was planning a trap to rid me forever as the future king. So it was really because of him that I had the urge to venture the elephant graveyard.

I realize of course that it must have been difficult for you, enduring the loss of your father; and I would like to express my sympathy for you. What was more traumatic for you? Loosing your father or the fact that you thought that you were responsible for your father’s death?

I would have to say that it was more the fact that I thought that I was responsible for what happened. That stampede; well I thought that I had started it when I was practicing my roar down in the gorge and it echoed around the entire place. Dad rescued me but he had trouble getting back up himself when he climbed that wall. Then I saw him fall back down. He seemed to be falling miles before he hit the ground. When I saw him lying dead I started to feel guilty because of what I thought I had done. At the same time I was heartbroken for loosing my father because he meant the world to me and I didn’t know how I would get through without him. I thought that loosing him meant loosing my way. Then Scar told me to run away and never return because if anyone else ever knew what really happened, I would not know what they would think of me. I thought to myself at times: was I to face the responsibility for what happened, I wouldn’t know what to do. So it was more traumatic being the one responsible. I mean, loosing a father is tough, but you eventually manage to live with it as long as there is always someone there for you; and thank God for Timon and Pumbaa, I might add. They were the only family that I had when I lived with them. But when you think that you are responsible for something shocking, you may never forgive yourself.

What do you miss about your father?

Mainly his love and affection; because he was a wonderful father, and an extremely worthy leader of such a valuable kingdom like the Pride Lands. Everyone respected him for who he was; a true leader who did not have too much pride in himself and who knew the important priorities to leading a kingdom. He had this deep, warm voice that made me feel safe. I looked up to him as someone who loved the ones he really cared for, and who was very wise and noble. He was very patient; he barely ever lost his temper; he helped those in need; and he never backed down from anything. He was capable of just about anything. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep the Pride Lands in peace and prosperity; and that’s probably why he died to save my life. He would probably rather die than see terrible and horrific changes to our kingdom, or even the breaking of the Circle of Life. There is probably no one else who I would rather look up to. He was an inspiration to everyone. His leadership, love, nobility, and determination are the things that I am going to miss most about him. What I wouldn’t do to see his face one last time before I die.

What was it like living in the jungle in a un-lion-like way?

It felt kind of weird at first being that if I was going to live with my friends Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog, I had to eat like them and live their lifestyle. Living on grubs wasn’t a bad diet, really. They tasted pretty good to me. I think that they had some good fat and protein; and as you know lions need fat in their diet to keep in good shape. Unlike a normal lion’s meal, it was the easiest thing in the world finding food. All you needed to do was move a log and there it was. Hunting became out of the question. Pumbaa once said, “Why move mountains to get your chow when you only need to move a log”. I even loved swimming in the water. I am really used to it and it is so much fun. Most others say that cats hate water, but I have been swimming in the water for years and I really love it. I would have to say that the four years that I lived with them was like living in paradise. I developed a lot of un-lion-like behavior and others thought that I was crazy, but I’m used to that.

During that time in the jungle, you lived with Timon and Pumbaa that whole time. Again it must have felt a bit unusual living with what you might describe as your “prey”; and yet you all created a spiritual friendship. What is it that you see in Timon and Pumbaa that makes your friendship was it has been and still is?

Well, they were very important friends to me growing up. They took care of me when I needed someone to help me get through my childhood. Technically speaking, they were really the parents I barely ever had. It was difficult for me as a cub to be alone without parents, but they were there for me. They both showed me the life outside of my normal life; and that was the fun life filled with enjoyment and the least amount of worries. They would always make me feel better whenever I was feeling sad or lonely. Their sense of humor really rose to the top of the humor hierarchy, metaphorically speaking. That is what I loved about them; they were so funny. They would always make me laugh, even in the “not so best” of times. This just made our friendship even greater. But what I really saw inside them both is the spirit of friendship, and how sometimes you cannot make it on your own; when that is exactly what friends are for: If you stick together with your friends or family and work together, you will make it through. Even in the most difficult of situations, as long as you stick together, there is always a way. You all rely on each other to survive. So it was that spiritual connection that we all shared that helped us through our lives. It is something that we continued to share even after I