Jonathan Livingston Seagull: The Complete Edition

This is one of those classic books that’s short but surprisingly meaningful. It’s about independence, pushing limits, and not being afraid to do things differently. It’s a quick read but the message sticks with you long after you finish it. Definitely one of those books that’s worth having on the shelf.

A periodic read of this brings back memories and teaches me new things or reminds me of past lessons from this great author. One of his many great books!!

This is my all-time favorite book. It contains the most important truths I have ever learned. This book certainly could be viewed as Eastern Religion / New Age, and considering Bach's other books perhaps that is his main meaning. However, JLS also contains important non-religious truths which apply to everyday life. For example, based on one of the most quoted parts of the book, "Jonathan" might answer everyday questions like this: Are you saying I can lose weight and be thin, even though I've been fat my whole life? I say you are free. Are you saying that even though I finished near the bottom this year, with hard work I could finish near the top 3 or 4 years from now? I say you are free. Are you saying that even though the aptitude test showed I'm bad in math, that I could be successful in my dream job, engineering, if I try hard enough? I say you are free. Those answers are very, very different from the prevailing paradigm / meme within our society, which says that nearly everything is determined at birth, so that we are born either "fat" or "thin" people, born "smart" or "bad at math", born as "great athletes" or "losers". Society then tells us that we shouldn't try to change anything about ourselves (since it supposedly won't work), but should spend our lives happy or bitter because of the gifts that were handed out at the birth lottery. A key turning point is when Jonathan rejects the "strange hollow voice" in his mind which tells him: "There's no way around it. I am a seagull. I am limited by nature. If I were meant to learn so much about flying, I'd have charts for brains. If I were meant to fly at speed, I'd have a falcon's short wings... I must... be content as I am, as a poor limited seagull." Jonathan rejects this when he realizes that by tucking his wings close to his body he can simulate the falcon's short wings and fly fast even though he wasn't born with short wings. After he tries this and is able to fly faster than any gull could with extended wings, Jonathan realizes: "We can be free! We can learn to fly!" JLS says that mental restrictions are the biggest factor keeping us from reaching our potential. Some of those restrictions come from society, and some are self-created mental straitjackets. All of those mental limits are false and unnecessary. The truth according to Jonathan is: "Your whole body... is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your mind, and you break the chains of your body, too..." (That can be seen as a totally non-religious statement. Our bodies today are the result of how hard we worked in the past and the mental limitations we didn't shed, and "our thought" = our mind is what determined that.) This leads Jonathan to answer these questions very differently from society: Who am I? What is my purpose in life? Should I be egotistical? Society tells us that we should conform, and we specifically are what the birth lottery gave us, like someone might be "heavy set, average intelligence but good in math". Society says that we should be immensely proud of everything we (supposedly) were born with, and of every victory, and should be intensely ashamed of anything we were born without, and of every defeat. Jonathan however, believing we are not limited by birth, sees each of us as being unique and of unlimited potential. Our goal and purpose in life is simply to be ourselves. This is not the limited self we are at the start of adult life, but everything which hard work could make us: "you have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way. Are you saying I can fly? I say you are free." "Each of us in truth is an idea... , an unlimited idea of freedom, and precision flying is a step towards expressing our real nature. Everything that limits us we have to put aside." This means that ego is meaningless, because what we are today is simply the result of yesterday's hard work, and whatever races we lose today could be won in the future if we work hard enough. Today's ranking and abilities are just the starting point for the rest of our lives, not something to get egotistical about. As one of Jonathan's students thought with a smile once he began teaching his own students, "No limits, Jonathan? Well, then, the time's not too distant when I'm going to appear out of thin air on YOUR beach, and show you a thing or two about flying!..." The reason why I discussed this in length is to disagree with reviews which say that JLS must be seen as a religious book, and that it teaches only "common sense" truths. It is rare, not common, to meet anyone who believes what JLS teaches.

I prefer the original without the added content.

I came by Jonathan Livingston Seagull by means of my father who often spoke highly of the book and how it had left a great impact on him in high school. Despite these frequent references to the text I never sought out a copy of the book until now. Recently I (age 20) went to the beach with my father where upon looking at the gulls he began reminiscing on the text one more. This time when he brought the book up something inside me ticked and that was all the motivation I needed to pick up my own copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The novella tells the story of Jonathan Livingston, a young, brash seagull who constantly defies his flock's traditions in a quest to become the fastest seagull who ever lived. He is expelled from the flock for his behavior, but this doesn't break his spirits. Jonathan ascends to a higher state of being to join the few other gulls who sought speed same as he did. From here Jonathan returns to the gulls yet to achieve this state of nirvana and helps guide them on the path to self-perfection. Keep in mind that all of this happens over the course of a mere 111 pages (a good portion of which happen to be pictures). From the moment I opened the book I was in love. As a college student I can see why Bach's novel took the world by storm when it was first published. The story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull is contagiously inspirational, easily winning me over. It is a fable for the modern era that overwhelms the senses with its high-soaring optimism and the idea that any barrier --even death-- is only one imagined by the individual on the road to self-perfection. So profound was the impact of this short little novella that when I finished the text I set it down and thought. For almost an hour I just sat on my bed and thought over the ideas I'd just been presented to; how the tale of a seagull had touched something deep within me. It was pure magic the likes of which few books have kindled within me. Reading the book once turned out not to be enough, and I found myself downloading a copy to my Kindle so that I'd have continued access to it on-the-go. I sincerely believe everyone could learn from this modern fable. Same as with most books that can be categorized as spiritual or inspirational not everyone will likely be impacted the same way. Some may write it off as childish, but If you strive for more, and constantly wish to break your limits than the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull will no doubt touch you. If you allow yourself to be carried away by the high-flying optimism of Jonathan Livingston Seagull you're in for a magical journey of heart and mind.

A great read for that young teenager starting to ask the biggest questions of all: Why are we here? It is not a manual instead it opens the imagination to possibilities. It is for any age but I first read it in high school and it had a positive effect on my life direction.

If you are like me, you feel out of place in the world, often unable to achieve your dreams and desires because you are held down by insert-everything-that-holds-you-down-here... It is a great uplifting story that instills a desire to push through the blocks and be who you are and achieve your dreams regardless of those people/situations/etc. around you. The original (published) story was just 3 parts, which is sufficient for me. The extra/added part is fine, but I didn't get anything out of it that wasn't in the original 3 parts. I'm glad I read the extra part, but for me, the true story is parts 1-3. Mind you that this story isn't for everyone. Gave it to others in the family to read, and they didn't get much out of it or were inspired to make a change -- the topic of this book is very applicable to certain personality types, and shunned by others. If you are held down in life, this book is for you -- read it and realize that you have so much more potential if you don't let life's blocks keep you down. Remember, that you have to be willing to make the change -- at the end of the day, your success is entirely dependent on --- you!

I've read many reviews on this book. I'm not satisfied with most. Most both negative and positive have poor reasons. Most negatives I read just don't like mindless hippy-ness and empty new age philosophy (neither do I); they think the book propagates these things so they condemn it. It only propagates mindlessness if you are short-sited enough to assume that is its message. Don't be. Most positives I read just demonstrate the mindlessness that the negatives dislike. There is more to get out of this book than the "feel-good" aspect. To those who think the subject matter is thoughtless: look deeper. This is a much more accurate view of heaven than what most people have discerned from the Bible. If you want evidence of this, read Mark 12:34 in context. Heaven is not a place. It also indicates some of Bach's suspicions about the true nature of messiahs (Muhammad, Buddah, Jesus) that the world upholds and a possiblity of their true nature. It is clear that Bach meant flying for seagulls to represent learning for humans. I am in agreement with him that this is what we do best and what life is about: learning, growing. In fact this is (ironically) the same viewpoint that the negative spotlight reviewer, dbsholes, seems to have (go read new books; don't become stagnant). I like that the highest rung on Bach's "learning ladder" seemed to be love. This parallels biblical teaching (1 Jn 4:16; 1 Co 13). The most important idea (in my opinion) that the book hints at is the possiblity that God is not a being, but a mind of which we are a part. If this sounds like foolishness, read the first chapter of Swarm Intelligence (SI) by James Kennedy and Russel C. Eberhart, a graduate level discussion of minds (with a focus on artificial intelligence). The first chapter of SI is a discourse on the nature of minds (and how much of a misunderstanding most people have about what they really are). I wouldn't immediately buy it unless you are a Computer Science graduate focusing on AI or a Psychology major, but it is definately worth a check-out from the library, although I doubt a non-collegiate library would have it. We don't have to overcome the laws of nature. Never does the book state that the seagulls are overcoming the laws of nature. They are simply coming to realize that the laws of nature don't limit them, that the only thing limiting them is themselves. We assume the laws limit us when in fact they are the tools set up to help us. I don't know if Bach thought he was just making this stuff up, but the reality is he has hit the nail right on the head. There is more to the book than I have listed here. I'll leave the rest for you to discover.

A beautifully written book. That will have your soul soaring along with Jonathan. As he flexed his feathers and takes to the skies. Love, love, LOVE this book!

It's a very inspiring book for all but for kids it's great to make them understand the importance of hard work

My favorite book and excellent read. Highly recommend! Everyone should read it. Arrived in great condition as paperback. Looking forward to buy it in hardcover.

A must read, many levels of mind blowing information...

Lovely - such a beautiful read.