I believe in law of averages. I personally think an author will eventually write at least one good book in his/her life. Sadly, Richard Bach too is one of them. He is probably the only author whose every work I have devoured only to hate them more than the other. But what drives me to read his book is the feeling that he has the potential to write well; only thing, his ideas always too hackneyed. While The Bridge Across Forever was a miserable novel, his One was horrifying sequel to it. Illusions was a better novel but what saved that novel were the great quotes of the messiah rather than the sorry storyline and even sorrier Richard in it. After several top recommendations and hearing everywhere that Jonathan Livingston Seagull is his best book, I once again plunged into the dark jungles of Amazon and found the book. So Did I finally like him? Read on!
You don’t need to scroll down for the answer – Yes I did love this book!! Simple eh?!
You are never given a without also being given the power to make it true.
You may have to work for it however.
--Richard Bach in Illusions
The flight of the Seagull
This story is as simple as it can ever get. It is a story about a certain Seagull Jonathan Livingston who aims not to be the ordinary, but to be the ordinary extraordinary. He is not satisfied with his restricted norm of life, but aims higher. He wants to fly, fly the perfect drop, fly at great heights and master it. Of course being different is a sin to his flock. He becomes the outcast, but that doesn’t let down his moral. In his quest for the flight he attains heavens and he meets his guru who teaches him the essence of flying. However he is still not at peace. He meets his equals, and yet within time overcomes all of them because of his desire to fly perfect.
However it is his friend, an old friend who is considered to be the one who explains the philosophy of life to him. To his friend and himself, flying perfect was not about flying, but knowing it. Once Jonathan overcomes his physical self, he realizes that nothing was impossible for him; however in that he finds that his journey has not ended; for down on earth lay several others who may want to fly high. In his quest for the supreme learning and perfection, he flies back to the flock
Ridiculed this time around, he sees that there are several Seagulls who now want to fly like him. He becomes their teacher and promptly all of them become outcast again. However more Seagulls follow him – he is their teacher, they his students; He becomes a messiah for those students, however hard he tries to fight it saying he is only a learner. In due course of time when he feels that his time to serve his friends had ended, and he had succeeded in making at least some Seagulls see the possibilities of life, and that his subordinate friend could take up the job, he decides to fly back to his old friend. The reluctant friend doesn’t like the idea of taking up God’s job, but the moment he utters his first sentence to his students on flying, does realize – Jonathan was no more a student than he was.
The original sin is to limit the IS. Don’t.
-- Richard Bach, Illusions
The lesson of the Seagull
What sets this book apart is its simplicity in conveying the thoughts on life. Like the author says in the beginning that the book is to the real Jonathan living within us, it does force you to introspect. Limiting ourselves is the worst thing in the world we can do. But the one who challenges limits is the one whom the society rejects – and yet it turns out that the one is one whom others follow.
A beautiful example of this book is of Jesus Christ and his similar story as that of the Seagull. For that matter, Mahatma Gandhi who was no less than the Seagull who dreamed far. Who were they? They were ordinary people with extraordinary capacities. Jesus was a man after all, but just like other Seagulls, we too accept him as a God, the messiah; what we don’t realize he too was as much a teacher and a learner as we are. Mohammad was as much a learner and teacher as we are today. What sets us apart from them is the limiting of possibilities.
We are too scared to let ourselves go. We are too scared to challenge ourselves. Most of the time we need that secluded cloud of society on us to feel safe. Out of society we are most likely to cripple down and break. Only the brave few make it and they become the next messiah. Messiah need not be god, but messiah could be anyone who inspires you to look beyond the possibilities. The messiah needs faith in his capacities, and its only faith which stops us too from being one.
The final flight
This is an extraordinary book. What makes it apart is it is so ordinary. Just 100 pages long, you could probably finish this book even before you ate your sandwich, but the inspiration of the book is immense. More than anything else it’s a story of daring to be different, and the faith to become it all. It’s a story of extraordinary ordinary.
Learning is finding out what you already know
Doing is demonstrating that you know it
Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as
you.
You are all learners, doers, teachers.
-- Richard Bach, Illusions