Book Review: Jonathan Livingston Seagull

WOW, I haven’t read this book in fifteen years and somehow I forgot how amazing a thirty minute book can be.

This book has been read by millions of people, and I’m sure very few learn the same lesson from it. To me the book had very little to do with flying or seagulls, and everything to do with the origin of God, and the potential in each of us.

[I intended this to be a fun book report about a fun book, but when I read it, all I could think of was its religious aspects - so this is a much more spiritual book report than I ever expected]

Jonathan is a seagull who wants to do more than scrounge for food every day. He doesn’t see the point in fighting with the other seagulls over morsels of food, and he certainly doesn’t see flight only as a means to get to food.

He enjoys flying, he spends his days trying to attain faster speeds, lower flights, faster dives, better turns, and how to do it all using the least amount of energy possible. He analyzes other birds, how they succeed in these maneuvers, and how he can mimic them.

For all this, he is cast out of his flock, he causes too much trouble, he’s too different, he’s not a good seagull.

Eventually he is found by two other outcasts, who can fly as well as he does, and better. He follows them to “heaven” where all the seagulls care about is flight, and getting better at it. They still eat, but they eat much better than the regular seagulls because their flight allows them to catch better food.

He then meets one who is the oldest, and the wisest; some call him the “Great Gull.” Jon learns from him that the physical body Jon has mastered, is just a projection of Jon’s own thoughts. He could fly instantaneously to any place or any planet he wanted, just by already knowing he was there. Jon eventually learns how to “teleport” and to do any number of seemingly miraculous things. His mentor eventually leaves this world forever, and Jon goes back to teach his old flock what he has learned. He is at first rejected. He practices his miraculous flying in front of them and eventually gains a large following. He first teaches them the basics of flight, how to fly faster, use less energy etc. Any time he mentions thoughts, or the greater power inside them, they are lost, confused, and wonder what that has to do with flying faster and higher?

Eventually one pupil shines through (Fletcher), and over time Jon teaches him the greater truth, it isn’t about physical ability, that was just a means to get him to realize his mental capabilities. Jon teaches him until he can “teleport” on his own, then Jon says he is leaving, going on to other worlds, not to return. He tells his pupil “Don’t let them spread silly rumors about me, or make me a God. O.K. Fletch? I’m a seagull. I like to fly.”

Then Jonathan Seagull was gone. Fletcher goes back to the other pupils and starts teaching them “You’ve got to understand that a seagull is an unlimited idea of freedom, an image of the Great Gull, and your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip, is nothing more than your thought itself.”

The young gulls look at him quizzically and wonder what on earth that has to do with flying a loop in the air?

Fletcher sighs and says “Hm, Ah…very well, let’s begin with level flight.” The young gulls saw Jon as the great gull, and Fletcher as his pupil. Fletcher realized that Jonathan had been no more divine than Fletcher himself.

- To me this book shows one possibility of the Origin of God, and of the potential of Man.

God was once a man, built like the rest of us with the same ability and opportunity. He was determined to learn, to advance. He wanted something more than the daily grind. He found eternal truths, discovered abilities that were available to all, but were ignored because they were simply unbelievable to common minds. Now he has reached the point of perfection, of all knowledge, all power. He understands all laws, and man’s true potential. He makes us his pupils, and tries to teach us. He offers all of us the same ability and knowledge that he has. He tries to teach us, but few understand such great truths because they simply don’t make sense to our infant minds. So he has to start with simpler ideas. He starts by teaching us things we can do here and now that make life better, He starts with the basics or “level flight.” As we progress we can understand greater and simpler truths until eventually, we are so different from our former selves, that those who have not progressed see us as outcasts.. We seek different things, we believe our life’s goal to be completely different from theirs. We wish to teach them, to help them, but we are rejected. We don’t resent them, we simply have to go back to basics and show them the joy of “level flight” and eventually progress to the greater things.