From Failure to Father - An Inspiring Fictional Individual
- Brandon Miracle
- Sep 15, 2015
- 2 min read
The most inspiring individual I've not had the pleasure of meeting is the fictional, but very real, Tomoya Okazaki. (Clannad spoilers follow.)
Tomoya Okazaki, of the anime Clannad, feels lost, unncessary, and alone in a town he hates. He has no relationship with his father and no mother to speak of. He goes about his days merely existing. Eventually, he finds happiness and a reason to live in Nagisa Furukawa. They fall in love, get married, and have a daughter: Ushio Okazaki. However, moments after giving birth Nagisa perishes to an illness that she could never shake.
Fast forward five years.
Tomoya is found, merely existing, in his apartment without his daughter. In his grieving, he couldn't bring himself to be a father to his only child. He found everything and then lost it all. Things got unbearably difficult and he gave up. I'm too guilty of this. When things became even a little hard, I'd throw it all away.
Tomoya is tricked by Nagisa's parents into taking Ushio on a father-daughter vacation. He is short with her, doesn't look at her much, and rejects her overall existence. That is until he learned the truth about his father's struggle in raising him alone. Tomoya then realizes he has become the father he thought he hated and becomes a true father himself.
This is the moment I knew what I wanted to be. There's no desire in my heart greater than being a good father. Most neglectful fathers can never regain the trust and love of their children, and truly become a part of their lives. But, Tomoya did just that. From this moment forward, she comes to live with him and he becomes a model father. Tomoya has inspired me to be a loving, caring father so that I never reach the low point that he had to.
What makes this even more inspiring to me is Tomoya's ability to not only go back to live with Ushio, but also make up with his father.
Tomoya's character becomes even more righteous as he apologizes to his father for not understanding what he had to go through. This taught me that even the most broken of relationships are fixable. I live in a broken household. I'm not part of the brokenness, but Tomoya has given me the hope and the knowledge needed to keep moving. To keep trying.
I have to make the most of who I am. I can't let my experiences wear down on what makes me a good person (or a good father). I will forever cherish this character and his story. Above all, family is the most important thing in the world. I'll never forget that.
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