When I think of a free spirit I think of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach, a short novella I read over thirty years ago. Have you read it?
“Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip 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.” _Jonathan
Briefly, Jonathan is not content with a mundane existence. Rather, he wants to soar above the earth and to overcome all of his limitations. Like all people who want to be different, he faces opposition from his flock of gulls who punish him, ridicule him and kick him out of the flock. Jonathan, alone, continues to follow his heart. Eventually, he meets other gulls like him who wish to spend their lives flying and reaching new heights. Finally, Jonathan returns to his flock to teach them that there is more to life than they think. He is aware that he is free and teaches others that they are free too.
“Freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.” _Jonathan
Does Jonathan remind you of anyone you know? As a photographer I usually think of myself as Jonathan, free to soar to new heights, to be different and to continue to learn. As a blogger, on the other hand, I often feel like I am “feeding the beast.” Don’t misunderstand, I love blogging and especially the WordPress community but I often feel like I must “post or perish.” Anyone else?