Be Like a Seagull by Jaden

Be Like a Seagull by Jaden - June 2022 Scholarship Essay

I remember very vividly, my grandma handing me the book. It had a worn blue cover and many of the pages had folded corners at the top. She told me that it was a book given to her in college and that it changed her life. As I had gone to read it I found that it would change mine too. Jonathan Livingston Seagull was a seagull that was different from all the other birds. He wanted to soar high, and fast because Jonathan loved to fly. But when he did he was faced with banishment from all the other seagulls that lived their lives eating scraps. He was an outcast for looking at the world differently, looking up at life as an open sky while everyone else looked at it as a peer or beach, searching for their next meal. Jonathan tried to fly faster than any seagull ever and even though me failed again and again, he never gave up. He eventually met more seagulls like him and gained a mentor that taught him more about flying. Jonathan knew that at some point he had to return home to his family and so he did. On the way he met another Seagull that reminded him of his younger self. Jonathan mentored him just as he was mentored. Jonathan was asked if he was banished, why would he want to return to face more judgment. Jonathan taught his young apprentice, and me, that you must always show forgiveness, especially to those who hurt you.

This stuck out with me the most. All my life I have been an outcast, I loved rocks and rockets and would study them in my free time. Eventually I got into music and fell in love. Music gives me wings and makes me feel like I am flying. But I was still met with judgment, and told that it was too difficult of a field to get into. This book taught me that in spite of everyones options, I should still do what I love. In addition to this I should always show forgiveness to those who do judge, for they do not know the beauty of a man and his craft. I have my own mentors now and someday I hope to have an apprentice as well so that I can give back just how Jonathan did. Thank you Richard Bach for writing the book that got me through my teenage years. Jonathan Livingston Seagull will always be a book to remember.