Twilight beautiful

I finally caught one of my must-see movies “The Twilight Samurai”, Tasogare Seibei, on the flight back from Melbourne and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here is a man whose life was marked by misfortune, he was looked down on by many, and yet, he lived life with dignity and integrity, earning the deep love and respect of the women in his life.

Seibei, the protagonist in the film, is a low-ranking samurai married to a woman from a wealthier class who is unused to the humble lifestyle and falls prey to tuberculosis to eventually die, leaving him with two young daughters.

Financially crippled by both the medical and high funeral expenses due to the grand send-off her family insists on, Seibei struggles to support his two daughters and senile mother.

Although poor, he is not unhappy and takes pleasure in watching his young daughters grow up.

Seibei has no time for social networking and is mocked by his fellow samurai for his unkempt appearance and his inability to move up in the world. He is nicknamed Twilight for he is perceived as the classic loser in life.

What most don’t realize is that Seibei does not aspire to get ahead as a samurai and he is content with living peacefully with his family.

His fighting prowess is brought to light when he protects a former childhood playmate Tomoe from her abusive ex-husband and wins the duel with a wooden stick.

As a result, Seibei is asked to “execute” a recalcitrant samurai, an assignment he agrees to most reluctantly, but one with financial gain that finally allows him to hope for marriage with Tomoe whom he has secretly loved since childhood, and who is, likewise, attracted to him.

Seibei marries Tomoe but after only three years of blissful marriage, he dies in battle. Although most mock him as unfortunate and pathetic, his daughter Ito knows better.

She knows her father remained true to himself, parlaying adversity into contentment as a peace-loving individual, a wonderfully nurturing father and a caring husband.

Watching the movie brought home to me that whilst it is never easy marching to the beat of a different drummer as the world sometimes looks on scornfully and laughs, it can be self-fulfilling and rich.

Even when circumstances conspire to bring suffering and loss of control into life, one can remain unbowed, making the best of a bum situation. Even finding joy.

And there is nothing tragic about such a life, brief though it may be, for what matters is what we infuse our time on earth with, making each second, every person we meet, every act of love count so that no matter when we make an exit from life, we will have been like a dazzling fireworks display: beautiful and having brought much pleasure to the many who witnessed it, changing their lives imperceptibly, but irrevocably, for beauty always leaves its mark on the soul.

So don’t wait to live the best life you possibly can, do it today.