Introduction
Kung Fu Panda is a fun and energetic film series filled with great fight sequences, wittiness, and wisdom. Even though kids are the target audience, the story has a lot of value to offer older audiences. It serves as an allegory of self-belief. This article will explore 9 life lessons we can learn from Kung Fu Panda.
1. Have the Courage to Pursue Your Dreams
Po has a dream. Literally; it sets the scene.
Po fears that loving kung fu will be seen as a betrayal of family tradition. He also knows he’s an unlikely Dragon Warrior candidate (well, not even one at all) and doesn’t believe he’ll ever fulfil his dream. Hence, Po lies to his father that he’s keen on the noodle life.
However, Once Po receives a sign of hope of becoming the Dragon Warrior, he commits wholeheartedly, in spite of these fears.
Many of us have hidden dreams and desires, perhaps since we are young. It may be a strong urge - a feeling that this is your life purpose and what you’re meant to do.
Chasing after these dreams takes courage. It takes courage to say no to a straightforward, perhaps obvious path laid before you - like the noodle shop - and to pursue what your heart wants. It takes courage to walk a path that defies people’s expectations. However, doing so opens us up to creating a life that aligns with our deepest passions and purpose - a most fulfilling life.
2. To Find What You're Looking For, Stop Looking
Master Oogway says,
"Your mind is like this water my friend, when it is agitated it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear.
Have you ever lost an item and looked for it absolutely everywhere, getting frustrated to no end? A few days later, you might be in the shower or going for a stroll when "Huzzah!" You remember exactly where it is.
Just as agitated water becomes murky, a frantic mind's thoughts get tangled, making it hard to "see clearly". We may get stuck in a thought rut, our brains reciting the same dialogue repeatedly. Ruminating is often a sign of stress and high levels of stress can affect cognitive function, memory recall, and problem-solving abilities.
In contrast, when we calm our minds like still water, stress hormones like cortisol decrease, improving our cognitive functioning and overall clarity. Our thoughts can “settle” and become easier to manage and understand.
Additionally, during activities like walking, running and showering, our mind may enter a relaxed state where it's not focused on the outer world and at rest. This state activates a group of brain regions called the Default Mode Network (DMN). The activated DMN allows for unrestricted, subconscious thinking that often brings out spontaneous solutions and ideas (like remembering where that lost item is).
When Po formally trains with the Five, his kung fu sucks. His brain is in a focused, externally directed mode where he’s incredibly concentrated. When it comes to food, Po’s unexpectedly amazing without even trying. His mind relaxes and the DMN activates, allowing for unrestricted unconscious thinking. This relaxed state allows him to demonstrate his capabilities that were already within him all along.
When feeling stressed or in a thought-loop, try to stop thinking and let it go. This can be done by going for a walk or similar activity that works for you. You can also pause and focus on taking a few deep breaths to calm your mind for a minute or two, wherever you are. Or imagine a monkey with a moustache playing the harp.
3. Trust the Process
Po is caught up in self-doubt and worries about his lack of kung fu abilities, questioning whether becoming the Dragon Warrior is meant to be. Oogway tells him the classic quote:
Po must trust that if he perseveres, he will gradually transform into the person he is destined to become. Persevering looks like staying at the Jade Palace even when everyone makes him feel like he doesn’t belong. It looks like continuously attempting kung fu, even when progress is nada.
Our brains sometimes non-stop chatter about everything that could possibly go wrong.
If I pursue a new path will I lose everything I’ve gained so far?
I failed before, so why would it work now?
I know what I want, but I don’t know how that would ever be possible.
The unknown is scary! But don’t let it paralyse you, preventing you from taking risks and pursuing a pathway. We don’t have to have all the answers.
Let go of the worries and doubts, let go of trying to control the future, and see how that chatter is replaced with peace.
Take one step forward at a time and begin to trust that everything will work out.
4. It’s Okay To Be Different
While the Five were all trained rigorously with discipline, Po’s training is a guilt-free buffet. Po defeats enemies uniquely, using elements of surprise and unpredictability. Po is mocked mercilessly for being fat but ironically, his very fat causes Tai Lung’s powerful, specialty nerve attacks to not affect Po beyond tickling him.
Sometimes we feel the need to conform to standards or the people around us based on what we think we should do or be like. However, our perceived weaknesses can actually end up being strengths.
Think of Thomas Edison who was deemed “too stupid to learn anything” by his teachers because of his dyslexia, yet is one of the greatest inventors in history. Think of Malala Yousafzai whose outspokenness about education was seen as inappropriate for a woman in her conservative community, yet became a leading activist for universal education.
Some things are black and white good or bad. Murder is bad. Adultery is bad. However, everything non-moral falls into the grey, being at the mercy of society, whose standards change like the tides. While we can’t control society’s beliefs, we can control what we think of ourselves and our confidence in who we are. When you fearlessly embrace your qualities that may be perceived negatively, you empower yourself to rise above societal constraints.
Again, this doesn’t look like being a douchebag who’s “rising above societal norms”, this looks like accepting yourself for who you are and realising other people’s perceptions don’t define you.
5. Believe in Yourself
Shifu told Po,
“You will never be the dragon warrior until you have learned the secret of the Dragon Scroll”.
This was true, though not in the way expected.
The Dragon Scroll was built up to be an easy source of ultimate power for whomever obtained it, a magic bullet. In reality, it was a test of character - could Po defend the valley despite being given nothing at all?
Sometimes it seems like there must be a secret to being successful. We are waiting for the perfect time or circumstances or external factors, waiting to find our own “dragon scroll” before taking action. There’s no secret. You already have everything you need within yourself to achieve your goals. The key to activating this “limitless power” is self-belief.
"To make something special you just have to believe it's special." - Mr. Ping
6. Make Peace with the Feeling of Failure
When Po is training with the Five for the first time, Snake beats him up. Upside down with his feet kicking, Po shouts “that was awesome! Let’s go again!”. Shifu says they will fight and Po responds with an energetic “All right! Yeah, let’s go!”.
Po gets destroyed by Shifu.
Yet, he returns unburdened by his failure and “level zero” skills. He’s still keen to keep trying.
He can persist during the painful process of progress because this is his passion; his love for kung fu gives him the drive to keep learning and never give up. And naturally, never quitting leads to improvement.
Passion means enjoying the process, the progress, the climb, the challenges and setbacks along the way. Even if Po never became the Dragon Warrior, my guess is he still would’ve been grateful to have ever had a small taste of his dream.
Po’s light spirit and positive attitude also help him to persevere. While his jokes and silliness’ purpose are to entertain the audience, a childlike spirit can help with not taking failures to heart.
Failure is a natural part of the learning journey, and being comfortable with that feeling of making a mistake or not succeeding helps in progressing faster!
7. You Must Overcome the Battle of the Mind
Po faces many challenges before the climax of the final fight. In my opinion, the real battle was not with Tai Lung, but himself. Po had to first be resilient, to overcome self-doubt, to stop scoffing dumplings.
He had to pass these multiple tests of mental strength and character before reaching the final fight sequence. In this battle, all Po’s previous effort paid off and he shined.
Aside from the external challenges we face, we face a daily battle with our own minds.
Freudian’s Iceberg Model outlines that we have our superego, our conscience that knows what we should do, and our ego, which knows what we feel like doing. It’s like having a devil (ego) on one shoulder playing tug of war with an angel (superego) on another.
Here are a few examples of how the devilish Ego versus the angelic Superego may respond in situations.
Situation: Dessert is offered but you're on a diet.
Ego response: Prioritise your pleasures. Have dessert.
Superego response: Consider your long-term goals of maintaining a healthy diet. You mustn't eat it.
Situation: you have the opportunity to pursue your dream career.
Ego response: I want to enjoy the comfort of your current routine and contemplate avoiding the challenging path - prioritising immediate comfort over long-term desires.
Superego response: I’m willing to do what it takes to pursue this opportunity.
Situation: Po is entrusted with protecting a valuable artefact.
Ego response: Brimming with excitement and curiosity, Po tries to use the artefact and accidentally unleashes evil spirits that doom the world.
Superego response: guided by his moral duty and responsibility, he looks after it and returns it in perfect condition.
These examples highlight the ongoing conflict between the superego's moral compass and the ego’s pursuit of personal satisfaction or comfort.
Lesson nine will help you to ensure your Superego always wins.
8. Align Your Actions with a Greater Purpose
Even though Po was the chosen one, he had to travel a tough journey to fulfil that fate. It required intense action (even if this was just a two minute montage).
In real life, we can’t fast forward the sucky parts. So how do we stay motivated to keep going?
Underlying Po’s effort is the belief that he is the Chosen One destined to be the Great Warrior. This gives him a sense of purpose of bringing balance and harmony to his world. This underlying purpose provides Po with motivation to endure the painful process he must go through to become who he’s meant to be.
Having a greater sense of purpose gives us strength to align our actions with long-term goals even if it means giving up immediate comforts (to listen to our Superego).
Our sense of purpose is usually closely tied with our values. Examples of what a sense of purpose could be:
Helping others
Pursuing artistic expression
Advocating for social justice
Environmental conservation
Nurturing family and relationships
Educational impact
Entrepreneurial ventures
Scientific exploration
Spiritual and philosophical pursuits
Finding your sense of purpose involves self-reflection, exploration, and a willingness to understand what truly matters to you. Take the time to reflect and use this knowledge to guide you in taking action.
Conclusion
Po ascends from his humble beginnings as a noodle-slurper to being the incredible Dragon Warrior. We too can transform ourselves, believe it or not (pun intended). From pursuing your dreams with courage and trusting the process, to acknowledging the power of individuality and self-belief, the lessons from Kung Fu Panda inspire us to view life from a fresh perspective. They teach us that failure is only a stepping stone to success, and that peace can strengthen us in battles against self-doubt. We learn the importance of aligning our actions with a higher purpose, shaping our future in a way that resonates with our core values. These lessons are applicable in chasing our long-term dreams, as well as in our everyday, mundane lives. So go forth and create your dream reality!
Skadoosh.
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