what is the meaning of "the circle of life"?

Question

How does it relate to our society? What are the morals and ethics behind it and the effects of breaking the circle?

Answer 1

Wow...that has a lot of meanings to different poeple.
I always took it to mean that all life, plant, animal, insect, ALL, were connected. All life is "born" and all life dies. It is a never ending circle.
It doesn't realte to our society. Humans, being the top animal, have a habit of feeling that because they are top, everything else should bend to their desire.
The morals and ethics, as far as I can see, would be in recognizing that all life is valid, that all life matters, and doing your best to see to it that all life is given the chance to retain its dignity.
Break the circle, and we get the world as it is. Utopia, now that would be the unbroken crcle.

Answer 2

The maxim "circle of life" refers the the cycles of nature and the natural processes of life and death. Society would relate to this in terms of its response to these realities, a response which could take many forms-- philosophy, art, science, literature, etc. Whether or not there would be morality or ethics behind the "circle of life" would depend on whether or not that there existed a higher power, a creator, that imparted the "circle" with moral or ethical content. If there is no creator, or if the creator has not intended a moral content to the "circle", then morality or ethics in this regard are irrelevant-- the circle of life is simply what it is-- the cycles of nature and the passage of life into death.

Answer 3

Life begins and ends & new life begins. I can't see the phrase without hearing the song from "The Lion King!" "The circle of life & it moves us all..." I have it on DVD & I saw the musical version at the theatre (which was breathtaking). People live on through their children & their children's children. The circle continues. Also within nature various creatures die so that others can live. Also, as you suggested, yes we are all connected. All living creatures and the planet. We are all a part of nature & our lives affect each other. That is why we have to protect the planet which sustains us.

Answer 4

If a particular interprets its meaning as nature, then it is not something that is breakable outside the particular Judgment; only nothing is outside of nature.

I think it has to do with the universality of time cycles of our days, and months and years, the seasons and daily routine. In Buddhism, death and rebirth is cyclic or circular in its abstract, but linear in infinite time. For some it means repetition in generation to generation, but that is a fallacy or falsehood.

In western and eastern astrology? Their symbols are frequently depicted in circles as star formations are identified circularly.