Have you ever wondered… about hakuna matata? I have. This phrase, while widely well known now, has its origins rooted within Swahili. It means no worries, for the rest of your days. Literally, hakuna matata translates into English as “there are no worries.” How nice, pleasant, and wonderful, right? Do you know what it sounds like to me? Inner peace. By being calm, cool, and collected, your skillful, smooth, and steadfast self can remain unperturbed in the face of random pandemonium. You are in control, flowing along.
If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying?
If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?
-Shantideva
Another word to approach this concept or idea is equanimity. Maintaining ownership of and responsibility for your inner self in spite of anything and everything outside your self. Being in tune with your body so as to avoid surprises. Being able to look back and reflect in order to improve. Do you want to prolong your problems, or will you pacify your past?
Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.
-Rafiki in “The Lion King”
To control your own inner peace to the point that external circumstances and events will not impact your mental well-being. Steering your ship within your lane with a stoic steadfastness that supersedes your surroundings, allow suffering to subside from the forefront. Focus on the peace; you can tap into it when you are ready and willing.
You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.
-Timber Hawkeye
You can relax and open up more when things are not as chaotic within and around you. When life does not pull you in too many directions all at once, you can take peaceful pauses and appreciate it all. At other times, you need to properly prioritize your peace. Otherwise, how effective and true can you be? Since we cannot always guarantee what all is going on around us, meditation and mindfulness strengthen our ability to control our inner self.
Inner peace is the key: If you have inner peace, the external problems do not affect your deep sense of peace and tranquility.
-Dalai Lama
“Equanimity holds it all. Peace is not about moving away from or transcending all the pain in order to travel to an easeful, spacious realm of relief: we cradle both the immense sorrow and the wondrousness of life at the same time. Being able to be fully present with both is the gift equanimity gives us—spacious stillness, radiant calm.
We can recognize what is true, even if painful, and also know peace. Equanimity does not mean we have no feeling about anything; it is not a state of blankness. Instead, it is the spaciousness that can relate to any feeling, any occurrence, any arising, and still be free.1“
If you have a problem and can fix it, why worry?
If you have a problem and cannot fix it, why worry?
Hakuna matata. Qué será, será.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.