Jonathan Livingston Seagull-Story of a true leader

Richard Bach, a former pilot, a gipsy barnstormer and aeroplane mechanic, in his book ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’, says his story is for the people who follow their hearts and make their own rules...

“You’ve got to understand that a seagull is an unlimited idea of freedom, an image of Great Gull, and your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip, is nothing more than your thought itself”.

 Jonathan became a divine Gull among his community on account of his passion for doing the better and better in quality acrobatics. He did not do it for becoming the God among his community; neither had he known that he would become one.

The most exciting book I have ever read to demonstrate my contention, “To be successful, you’re MIND BODY AND SOUL should work in harmony” is none other than the story of Jonathan. I use this story frequently to demonstrate various Quality concepts.

His passion for doing better in acrobatics won his mind to take the brunt of ridicule from his community which eventually made him an outcast in his earlier part of his life.

Jesus had the same fate, when he said, “I am the son of GOD”

Lord Anjaneya had also said in the same line “when I think in terms of my spirit, I am you”. But he said to the wise Rama, therefore he got blessed. For Jesus, unfortunately, he said it to an ignorant and met with death punishment. Therefore you need to realise in advance what you are talking to whom.

This story reminds me of what Swami Vivekananda had said, whenever you try to do differently against conventional norms, you are faced with ridicule, then resistance followed by acceptance.

The story of Jonathan Livingston Sea Gull narrates exactly what Swamy had said.

“Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, said the Elder, “… for his reckless irresponsibility, “the solemn voice intoned, “violating the dignity and tradition of the Gull Family…” To be centred for shame meant that he would be cast out of gull society, banished to a solitary life on the Far Cliffs.

“… One day, Jonathan, you shall learn that irresponsibility does not pay. Life is the unknown and the unknowable, except that we are put into this world to eat, to stay alive as long as we possibly can”.

He pleaded, “who is responsible than a gull who finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose of life”? “Give me a chance to find a reason to live – to learn, to discover, to be free”.

Needless to mention, his community were not ready for change and was firm on their conventional beliefs and declared him as an outcast.

Jonathan Seagull was not just like any others in his community. He had a sense of patriotism… He had the LOVE for his community. He saw a purpose for his life—liberate his community to total freedom by making each one in his community realize the happiness of freedom not by words but by his actions. He is a seagull with immense confidence in God in him. He believed that duty, dedication, determination, discipline can take him beyond the imagination of his fellow men. He is a seagull with self-respect that for him there is nothing impossible. It just a matter of constant practice!

“Jonathan Seagull spent the rest of his days alone, but he flew away out beyond the Far Cliffs, His one sorrow was not solitude, it was that other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them; they refused to open and see.

He learned more each day. He learned that a streamlined high-speed dive could bring him to find the rare and tasty fish that schooled ten feet below the surface of the ocean: he no longer needed fishing boats and stale bread for survival. He learned to sleep in the air, setting a course at night across the offshore of wind, covering a hundred miles from sunset to sunrise. With the same inner control, he flew through heavy sea fogs and climbed above them into dazzling clear skies….in the very time when other gull stood on the ground, knowing nothing but mist and rain. He learned to ride the high winds far inland, to dine there on delicate insects.

What he had once hoped for his Flock, he now gained for himself alone; he learned to fly and was not sorry for the price he had paid. Jonathan seagull discovered the boredom and fear and anger are reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed”.

See for yourself how the mind-body-and soul works in harmony when you have identified the purpose of life! Put into a PLAN-DO- CHECK-ACT, quality framework and implemented with dedication, determination and discipline.

Jonathan Sea Gull’s life was miserable in isolation. There was no one from his flock to encourage him in distress.

“…The instant he began his pullout, the instant he changed the angle of his wings, he snapped into… terrible uncontrolled disaster, and at ninety miles per hour, it hit him like dynamite. Jonathan Seagull exploded in midair and smashed down into a brick-hard sea…”

“As he sank low in the water, a strange hollow voice sounded within him. There is no way around it. I am a seagull”.

Jonathan agreed to his inner voice and many times he had such inner voice sounding at the time of failure and had decided to join back as a normal seagull whose place in the night is on the shore”. But his inner SELF kept on pushing him forward…

The absorbing story takes us further to the slow changes in the attitude of ridicule to resistance and then to acceptance among his fellow gulls observing the amazing acrobatics of one among their community. A God is born for other gulls to worship.

Jonathan Sea Gull- The true Leader

 When he came to know about his enviable position among his community, he never accepted himself that he is divine neither he projected himself as one. Instead, he went on to educate & train his fellow being that the divinity they are talking about is nothing but is the result of constantly practising on my passion for doing better acrobatics. He demonstrated his art of perfecting his inherited quality of acrobatics. Soon he got a disciple in Fletcher, another seagull.

After the graduation in acrobatics see how Fletcher was conclusively convinced about the divinity.

(I am reproducing his words as it is to avoid any dilution in his thoughts.)

A moment later, Jonathan’s body wavered in the air, shimmering, and began to go transparent. “Don’t let them spread silly rumours about me or make me a God, .O.K., Fletch?

“I am a seagull, I like to fly, maybe…”

“JONATHAN!”

“Poor Fletch. Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they know is the limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you will see the way to fly”.

The shimmering stopped. Jonathan Seagull had vanished into empty air.

After ait me, Fletcher gull dragged him into the sky and faced a brand new group of students, eager for their first lesson.

“To begin with”, he said heavily, “you’ve got to understand that a seagull is an unlimited idea of freedom, an image of Great Gull, and your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip, is nothing more than your thought itself”.

By saying that, he understood all at once that his friend had quite honestly been no more divine than Fletcher himself.

You may find it difficult to believe Jonathan Seagull, but you can’t refuse BIBLE. Here are some quotes from the Bible, which you can observe from the tale of Jonathan Livingstone seagull. Rather from the creativity of grate soul called RICHARD BACH.

“Where there is no leadership the people fall, but in an abundance of counsellors, there is safety. (Proverbs 11:14)” Bible quotes

From the perception of Elder of the seagulls “Life is the unknown and the unknowable, except that we are put into this world to eat, to stay alive as long as we possibly can”.

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”- Bible quotes

“Great men are not always wise” Bible quotes

The elder of the gulls must be the most respected among the community, but it does not reflect that he is wise.

“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult” Bible quotes

Do you agree with me on my perception about Jonathan Seagull that he is prudent?

“Give and it shall be given to you. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt with you in return.” Bible quotes

Jonathan Seagull an outcast once, by accomplishing his purpose of life came to be called as a God by his fellow gulls

“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” Warren G. Bennis quotes

As a leader Jonathan resorted to educating & training his fellow gulls on what he has learned such that his vision to find a reason to live – to learn, to discover, to be free” translated into reality”

A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength. [Proverbs 24:5]” Bible quotes

It is self-explanatory about Jonathan Livingston Seagull when compared to the Elder of the gulls.

“Leadership is action, not position.” Donald H. McGannon quotes

Example: Jonathan Livingston seagull.

“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” Ralph Nader quotes

Example: Jonathan Livingston seagull.

“A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.” Jim Rohn quotes

Example: Jonathan Livingston seagull.