Kung Fu Panda 2 – Wisdom for Overcoming Addiction

As Po the “Dragon Warrior” was engaged in a fierce battle to defend the valley of peace, an image on the armor worn by one of the bandits triggered an intuitive vision from his past. In that very moment, Po realized the obvious; he had been adopted by his father, Mr. Ping, the noodle making goose. This not only shocked Po, but it also troubled him deeply because in the blink of an eye his identity had been shattered. Suddenly, Po questioned his life; his purpose, and even his very existence. Despite this devastating revelation, Po was curious about his past. So, once the battle concluded and the bandits had been defeated, he sought answers from his adoptive father. Mr. Ping explained that he found Po out back, one day, in a box of radishes and was unaware of who his biological parents were - much less his place of origin. Nonetheless, he took Po in and cared for him as a son. Even though Po was grateful for his father’s kindness, in Po’s mind, the truth only seemed to complicate matters by posing several hypotheticals such as; what if my parents didn’t love me, or what if they didn’t want me? As a result, nightmares ensued as they often due when emotional turmoil is present. Ironically, prior to the revelation, Shifu (Po’s instructor) had begun teaching Po how to use inner peace to master an advanced Kung Fu skill. Obviously, the distraction that Po now faced would make achieving inner peace and the advanced skill extremely difficult. And, in order to defeat the evil lord Shen, complete inner peace, unshakable confidence and incredible skill would be required. Po went on to struggle emotionally and his Kung fu performance waned until the wise, old oracle, who had foreseen Lord Shen’s defeat, taught Po the correct path to inner peace. Wisely, the soothsayer coached Po to embrace his past. She said, “It doesn’t matter how bad the beginning of your journey was or wasn’t; what really matters is who you choose to become from this moment forward.” Upon embracing this teaching, Po has a second vision of his parents sacrificing themselves to save him from Shen's forces. Before being subdued, his mother hid him in a radish crate sitting on a nearby roadside cart. Clearly, his parents did love him and did not willingly abandon him. Po attains inner peace by realizing that regardless of what happened in the past, he can choose to let go of the past and become who he was meant to be, “The Dragon Warrior” who saves China!


So, at this point, you may be pondering the relevance of Kung Fu Panda to addiction. Well, a lack of personal identity, issues of abandonment, low self-esteem, and living in the past are common precursors of addictive behavior. When one lacks personal identity either because they’ve allowed others to define them, or they’ve allowed others to prevent them from discovering their true identity, low self-esteem is always the end result. For many, substances and compulsions act as an escape or diversion from the issue. However, there are other key points here as well. For example, even if Po’s parents would have abandoned him, the oracle’s teaching still applies. Just because a parent or parents actions are inappropriate doesn’t mean their behavior must dictate how the adult child should or should not live his or her life. Remember, “It doesn’t matter how bad the beginning of the journey is or isn’t; what really matters is who you choose to become from this moment forward.” One does have a choice, whether they want to acknowledge it or not. To ignore that fact only perpetuates addictive behavior. And, the final point is; we all can benefit from the guidance and wisdom of a teacher or coach – no matter how long or brief that time proves to be.


Regards,

David Roppo
The Addiction Freedom Coach