Hello My Dear Friends,
I must apologize for my absence since last 2 months. I fought a health scare and was out of action for a month. All is getting well now and hence I am back.
In this world where negativity is offered for free; infact is spread charitably and where positivity cannot even be bought, I wanted to share a series on positivity with you. It will be a mix of stories from books I read or my own experiences. So be ready for a full dose of positivity.
REMEMBER: A glass which is not 100% filled with water is said to be half full and not half empty.
Let me tell you one of the sweetest story I have read till date. Can you imagine? It is not on a human being but on an animal, a bird call Jonathan Livingston Seagull. A Seagull????? Ha Ha Ha , you may say, can a seagull story be sweet and inspiring? Above all, you must be wondering, how can it anyway relate to positivity!!!!!!!!!
Friends, Friends!!!!! my father always says that learning can happen from anything, living or non living, human or animal. The author, Richard Bach, has beautifully crafted this one around a bird. Here is how it goes..........
Seagulls are species of bird who fly low on the surface of sea in search of food. Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight- how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, its not flying that matters but eating. Their day starts with the search for breakfast, post which they take a nap, search for lunch and take another nap along with their flock, search dinner and they then sleep. They spend their life doing this. This, they believe, is the life every gull should live.
There was a gull in this flock named Jonathan. He was different. For this gull, it was not eating which mattered but flying. Jonathan, loved to fly and loved it more than anything else.
For hours and hours together this gull will practice new ways of flight. He used to daily challenge his limits to fly high and fly fast. It will not come easy. Seagulls are limited by nature to fly low and to fly only for their living. But Jonathan was different. He did not want to while away his time sleeping, gossiping and more importantly he did not want to dedicate his life only for food.
But soon he felt like an outcast. His flock thought he is crazy and is not amongst them. They could not see a gull doing something different than what's conventional and what has been taught to them. They could not see a gull being different.
Jonathan, will often be found alone practicing his art of flying. He will make multiple attempts to fly high in sky, fly fast and then dive back low. He will challenge his abilities. It became tough and often he will fail experimenting and hence be laughed at. During these times, thoughts of giving up, thoughts of returning back to the flock will come to his mind. He will feel that, may be, these other gulls are right, seagulls are limited by nature and I should hence be content and accept the fact.
He felt better for his acceptance of being just another gull of the flock. There would be no force driving him to learn, there would be no challenges and there would be no failures. Life would be painless, normal with no thinking required.
Jonathan will wake up again, on a new day along with rising sun and will again go back to practicing. He was different. He knew that he cannot simply waste his life by being limited, by being part of flock and by being negative about his abilities. He wanted to master his love for flying. He wanted to challenge nature that any bird with a feather can fly and can fly high.
I must apologize for my absence since last 2 months. I fought a health scare and was out of action for a month. All is getting well now and hence I am back.
In this world where negativity is offered for free; infact is spread charitably and where positivity cannot even be bought, I wanted to share a series on positivity with you. It will be a mix of stories from books I read or my own experiences. So be ready for a full dose of positivity.
REMEMBER: A glass which is not 100% filled with water is said to be half full and not half empty.
Let me tell you one of the sweetest story I have read till date. Can you imagine? It is not on a human being but on an animal, a bird call Jonathan Livingston Seagull. A Seagull????? Ha Ha Ha , you may say, can a seagull story be sweet and inspiring? Above all, you must be wondering, how can it anyway relate to positivity!!!!!!!!!
Friends, Friends!!!!! my father always says that learning can happen from anything, living or non living, human or animal. The author, Richard Bach, has beautifully crafted this one around a bird. Here is how it goes..........
Seagulls are species of bird who fly low on the surface of sea in search of food. Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight- how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, its not flying that matters but eating. Their day starts with the search for breakfast, post which they take a nap, search for lunch and take another nap along with their flock, search dinner and they then sleep. They spend their life doing this. This, they believe, is the life every gull should live.
There was a gull in this flock named Jonathan. He was different. For this gull, it was not eating which mattered but flying. Jonathan, loved to fly and loved it more than anything else.
For hours and hours together this gull will practice new ways of flight. He used to daily challenge his limits to fly high and fly fast. It will not come easy. Seagulls are limited by nature to fly low and to fly only for their living. But Jonathan was different. He did not want to while away his time sleeping, gossiping and more importantly he did not want to dedicate his life only for food.
But soon he felt like an outcast. His flock thought he is crazy and is not amongst them. They could not see a gull doing something different than what's conventional and what has been taught to them. They could not see a gull being different.
Jonathan, will often be found alone practicing his art of flying. He will make multiple attempts to fly high in sky, fly fast and then dive back low. He will challenge his abilities. It became tough and often he will fail experimenting and hence be laughed at. During these times, thoughts of giving up, thoughts of returning back to the flock will come to his mind. He will feel that, may be, these other gulls are right, seagulls are limited by nature and I should hence be content and accept the fact.
He felt better for his acceptance of being just another gull of the flock. There would be no force driving him to learn, there would be no challenges and there would be no failures. Life would be painless, normal with no thinking required.
Jonathan will wake up again, on a new day along with rising sun and will again go back to practicing. He was different. He knew that he cannot simply waste his life by being limited, by being part of flock and by being negative about his abilities. He wanted to master his love for flying. He wanted to challenge nature that any bird with a feather can fly and can fly high.
After months of practice and experiencing embarrassing failures, Jonathan achieved what is known to be impossible for a seagull flock. He could achieve a velocity of 200 odd miles per hour and could go extremely high in sky and then dive down. A feet which used to be considered as fatal was now within his reach. He found that there could more meaning to his life then just flying to get food. He also thought that he now has purpose in life, learning different and techniques of flying and outperforming his abilities. A bored life became meaningful and purposeful.
He got excited and went to his flock to share this. He was very confident that after he conveys his achievements, his flock will be inspired. Opposite happened!!!! In a community meeting, he was yelled at and was embarrassed. He was told that he is being utter irresponsible by violating the dignity and tradition of gull flock.....
He responded which was again taken as a sin and he was tagged as an out cast. Jonathan did not loose hope ...he knew that his fellow gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them and they refused to open their eyes and see
He continued his practice ....and achieved new heights .... He now learnt to sleep high in the air ......
One fine day he was practicing and sleeping very high in air ... He saw two guess right on his side ...one on his left and other on his right ..... He was surprised ...he knew no other gull from his flock who can do so... He tried two test them by practicing flying tricks he has learnt and he found the two gulls match him on all his moves ....... He got pleasantly surprised ... Who are you ? asked Jonathan.
We are your brothers from your flock and we have come to take you home ...they replied.
Jonathan: I am an outcast, I have no brothers ...I have no home ...
Two gulls: there exists a higher plane of existence .....another home ... Higher then where we are now ....
Jonathan : this is the highest I could fly ... My old body can fly no higher ......
Gulls: you can,Jonathan .... One school has finished and time has come for another to begin....
Being different and being Jonathan, he has always challenged his traditions, his limits and his flock..... Understanding for life lighted the moment for Jonathan and he got ready to go higher to his new home ....a new and a higher plane of existence.
His months of dedication, efforts and his strong will paid off ... He stood against odds ..stood out of his flock only to find a new home ...full with gulls having higher purpose of life .... Greater meaning to life .....once an out cast ..he felt like a star amongst other stars ......
What he finds in new home and what is his new goal? Can he continue to challenge his life, boredome and convention ..... Stay tuned ......I will reveal the story in the next part ....
For now, this much dose of positivity is enough for you to stir up you heart and mind ..... To challenge your flock and to stand out ......
By the time, I write next blog in the series .... I should find you in another plane of existence .....
Will See you higher,
Umesh :)
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