Book Review - ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’, a fable by Richard Bach

‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’, a fable written by Richard Bach, happens to be one of my all-time favorites. It's the story of freedom, perseverance, courage, altruism, love, dreams, and giving back to society. It is about finding your true nature. It serves as an inspiration to anyone who wants to succeed beyond the limitations imposed by the social norms.

A seagull bird wants to learn flying for the sake of flying, takes flight in the sky, tries to break his own boundaries and limits, goes through various ups and downs, gets outcast from the flock for violating the accepted norms of the group, finds a teacher who directs him towards perfection, in that process understands his own self, understands the true meaning of love and compassion, goes back to the flock that had out-casted him, shares his understanding with love and compassion. This remarkable book talks about the true love and friendship that goes beyond the boundaries of time and space. 

This is a story for people who follow their hearts and make their own rules, people who get special pleasure out of doing something well, people who know there's more to this living than meets the eye: they’ll be right there with Jonathan, flying higher and faster than ever they dreamed.

Some of the great quotes from the book include:

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding."

"The only true law is that which leads to freedom. There is no other.”

 “We choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, with all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome.”

 “Do you have any idea how many lives we must have gone through before we even got the first idea that there is more to life than eating, or fighting, or power in the Flock? A thousand lives, ten thousand?”

“Your whole body is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body, too…”

“Why is it,” Jonathan puzzled, “that the hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free, and that he can prove it for himself if he’d spend a little time practicing? Why should that be so hard?”

Author	Richard Back
Category	Literature / Classic Fiction
Rating	An inspiring read, a must have for everyone

पिंज-यातील पक्षी गातच होता

पिंज-यातील पक्षी गातच होता

बंधनात असूनही गात होता
दु:खात असूनही गात होता

पारतंत्र्यात असूनही गात होता
आठवणींना उजाळा न देता गात होता

कोणाचीही पर्वा न करता गात होता
अडचणींचा विचार न करता गात होता

गाण्यासाठीच त्याचा जन्म होता
कशाचाही विचार न करता तो गात होता

तू ही मित्रा ओळख स्वत:ला
जाणून घे तुझे स्वत्व, तुझ्या क्षमता
झुगारुन दे काळाची आणि वेळेची बंधनं
नको सांगूस ती स्वत:लाही न पटणारी कारणं
सदैव गात रहा तुझं स्वत:चंच गाणं

Spirituality is not for the weak minded !

Why would a well-established, well educated person, someone having a wife and two daughters to take care of, commit suicide in his forties. 

But somebody did it … raising too many questions … answering none. 

The most shocking part of the whole episode was that he was associated with a well-known spiritual group.

He was friend of one of my closest friends, and what you will see here is a series of thoughts that went through my mind, as part of unwinding the mystery, not just this episode, but the mystery of life.

Spirituality… what is it exactly?

Contrary to the popular belief, spirituality is not for the weak minded, it’s for those who are strong enough to deal with the daily grind that one has to go through, and still be able to maintain inner peace, walk the path that leads to detachment and self realization. 

Look at the life of any thought leader, or a messiah or a master. Almost all of them have gone through extreme struggle on various fronts.

Many people like to tell others they are a 'spiritual' person probably to let them know they are not materialistic or superficial and that they 'get it'. That's fine if we all understand and agree on what we're talking about.

Traditionally being spiritual signified having an attachment to religious values, or matters of the spirit, rather than material or worldly interests.

More recently it has also taken on to mean reaching higher levels of consciousness using meditation, yoga or similar practices.

I consider spirituality to be a state in which we are connected to God, Nature, each other, and the deepest part of ourselves. 

In order for us to function fully, all aspects of ourselves must be balanced. Our mind, body and spirit have to be in harmony with each other. 

We cannot focus on the material and neglect the spiritual. And vice versa. 

When we are in tune with God, Nature, each other, and ourselves, we are being spiritual. There are so many wonderful ways that we can make, and take the time, to "connect".

Take time for yourself. Rejuvenate your spirit and nurture yourself. 

Help those in need of your assistance. When you help others, you automatically connect better with the rest of humanity. Volunteer as a big brother or sister, coach little league, donate to the food shelter. Every little bit helps.

Practice gratitude. There are so many things to be grateful for in life. Take time to reflect on them and acknowledge how fortunate we all are for family, friends, and endless opportunities.

Practice mindfulness. Become aware of your environment. Be aware of yourself within your environment. Enjoy the colors and smells of nature around you. Enjoy the feel of rain falling on your nose and the wind blowing on your face. It will put you in a revitalizing, fresh state of awareness.

Express yourself. If you don't already engage in artistic or expressive activities, learn to dance, sing, play a musical instrument, or take art lessons. Doing so puts you in touch with your creative, right brain side. We all need to balance the logical, linear aspects of ourselves. 

Being aware of, and cultivating spirituality greatly contributes to our overall joy and happiness. It's never too late to develop it further and enjoy the benefits it brings.

Last but not the least, be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

कधी कधी वाटतं भूतकाळात जावं

कधी कधी वाटतं भूतकाळात जावं

मनाची निरागसता अनुभवावी
काही स्वप्नं पुन्हा पहावी

कधी कधी वाटतं भूतकाळात जावं

मनाचा मोहोर पहावा
आठवणींना स्पर्श करावा

काही सांगायचं राहीलं होतं
काही ऐकायचं राहीलं होतं
काही शिकायचं राहीलं होतं
काही अनुभवायचं राहीलं होतं

पण त्या साठी नाही
काही बदलण्यासाठी नक्कीच नाही
फक्त पुन्हा तेच क्षण अनुभवण्यासाठी
हो, मोकळ्या मनानं अनुभवण्यासाठी

...... भूतकाळात जावं