About Jonathan Livingston Seagull

by Just_Lin

Recently, our dear Carol wrote a blog about going to the Jersey shore and she showed us a flip video which included scenes of a seagull drinking out of the pool. Some of us had rather uncomplimentary things to say about seagulls but I kept thinking, "But what about Jonathan Livingston Seagull?"

Most of you, if not all, are probably familiar with the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach and with the movie with the score written and sung by Neil Diamond. It's been decades since I read the book or saw the movie but it is a classic that covers many themes, including a spiritual aspect . It is about a seagull who is striving to be more than just another seagull scavenging for food like the rest of his flock. He wants to be the very best he can be and he follows his heart and listens to his own inner voice even though it makes him different from the others. His pursuits to learn how to fly like other types of birds fly, gets him ostracized and kicked out of his flock. He continues to strive for higher and higher levels of learning, even at risk of his own peril, but he perseveres in time, he transcends earthly bounds and achieves a higher level of consciousness. He then strives for wisdom, pure love and how to forgive. He understands that the greatest thing he can do is pass on what he has learned to others that seek knowledge. So, in an act of self-sacrifice, he returns to earth to share all he has learned.

The Neil Diamond songs included in the movie are "Dear Father", "Be", "Lonely Looking Sky", and "Skybird". I love all of these songs and am lucky to have seen them all performed in person.