Jonathan Livingston Seagull written by Richard Bach is a fable in novella form about a seagull learning about life and flight.
It is a good motivational book that emphasizes on having freedom in whatever we do. The book was first published in 1970.
A rare sea-gull, Jonathan, aspires to fly in his various misadventures while practicing speed, this leads him to be banished from his flock. Jonathan, as an outcast, then creates his own personal paradise as a lonely seagull passionately following his dream of perfect flight for food.
The sky is the limit once we begin to feel the freedom within us. The book revolves around the word ‘freedom’. There is nothing that is unachievable. Every desire is fulfilled by the will power within us. There should be a higher purpose in life even if your flocks, tribe, neighbourhood finds it threatening.
At one point, Jonathan is faced with a dilemma of whether to continue his personal pursuit for perfection further, or to help those ordinary sea-gulls he had left long ago to discover the ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ in each one of them. He chooses the later and returns to the flock which had banished him. Jonathan’s constant and painstaking attempts at arousing this passion for perfection in his fellow gulls slowly start bearing fruit as one by one, these gulls start seeking out his company and tuition.
The book thus stresses on the teaching and the mentoring aspect of life as well. Life is not just about doing and mastering things on our own, but it is also about helping others being masters. By not compromising the higher vision of life one can achieve the ultimate pay off…..one’s ultimate goal. Success is bound to kiss the feet of the passionate.
The book has got numerous photographs of the seagull in flight taken by Russell Munson. The photographs are indeed very good.
This book is an extremely wonderful creation of Richard Bach.