Jonathan transcends into a society where all the gulls enjoy flying. He is then met by two radiant, loving seagulls who explain to him that he has learned much, and that they are there now to teach him more. Not deterred by this, Jonathan continues his efforts to reach higher and higher flight goals, finding he is often successful but eventually he can fly no higher. Eventually, his lack of conformity to the limited seagull life leads him into conflict with his flock, and they turn their backs on him, casting him out of their society and exiling him. He is seized with a passion for flight of all kinds, and his soul soars as he experiments with exhilarating challenges of daring aerial feats. Part One of the book finds young Jonathan Livingston frustrated with the meaningless materialism, conformity, and limitation of the seagull life. The first of his students, Fletcher Lynd Seagull, ultimately becomes a teacher in his own right, and Jonathan leaves to teach other flocks. His mission is successful, and Jonathan gathers around himself a flock of other gulls who have been outlawed for not conforming. The secret, Chiang says, is to 'begin by knowing that you have already arrived.'īut, unsatisfied with his new life, Jonathan returns to Earth to find others like himself to tell them what he'd learned and to spread his love for flight. He discovers that his sheer tenacity and desire to learn make him 'pretty well a one-in-a-million bird.' In this new place, Jonathan befriends the wisest gull, Chiang, who takes him beyond his previous self-education, and teaches him how to move instantaneously to anywhere else in the Universe. There he meets another seagull who loves to fly. One day Jonathan meets two gulls who take him to a 'higher plane of existence' in which there is no heaven, but a better world found through perfection of knowledge. Now an outcast, he continues to learn, becoming increasingly pleased with his abilities while leading a peaceful and happy life.

His increasing unwillingness to conform finally results in his expulsion from the flock. Seized by a passion for flight, he pushes himself and learns everything he can about flying.

The book tells the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a seagull who is bored with daily squabbles over food.

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