23 January 2012

JONATHAN LIVINGSTON


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Too windy and i am struggling to light my tobacco, wasted many match sticks in the process, i sat down and watched, smoking.

Have to take pictures
Later, let me watch them first.

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Its been a while. This post is not annoying, let me assure you.
i don't want to get back to the blog with an annoying post.
That will come later.

Strange feeling, i am coming back to talk to my friends

Its dark in there,  and there is no light in Daylight Again, covered by over grown weed,
tall grass surrounding it.
Leave it alone i thought.
But i want to live there without clearing the weed and cutting the grass.

i still have a lot to tell you
will it stop ? Even when no one wants to listen to me ?


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oh !  He's looking at me wondering what i am doing
Two kinds of seagulls here, i am not an expert, they are seagulls i think.
Just flying across, with no apparent purpose. Just flying back and forth, go soaring high and dive all of a sudden. Rising again inches above the water. Go up again, fly across, disappear, come back darting again.
Same routine, just flying for fun.


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i saw nearly all the seagulls behave like Jonathan Livingston. They just fly, darting across, up and down, disappear and reappear. Wonder if they have read the book.
Have you read the book ? i shout
What book ?
Jonathan Livingston.
Oh Richard Bach ?
yes.
We don't have to, we all are Jonathan Livingstons here. He shouts
Yes i see that, i shout back.

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They are so fast. Its like they dart across with near lightning speed. i fail to capture them in the camera most of the time. i get only the tail or part of a wing in the picture.

We all want to be different from others. But can't afford to be too different when we live in a society.
98% of the world population are followers.  They follow something or the other, Myths, religion, philosophy.
humans are programmed to follow by the natural selection. Its safer to live in groups or a society and you can't afford to stay away or be too different from the others.
Only 2% have the courage to be rational.

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34 comments:

Ruth said...

I want to weep for the beauty. Life is so simple. A wing, two feet, two eyes, some play, gather something for food. Quietly you fly in here, rauf, so quietly. I just want to watch you fly awhile. I am touched and moved by the feeling in these images. They are more than pictures; the are the beauty and freedom of life itself.

(Typed with one finger with James asleep on my chest.)

Aamina said...

loving it , thanks for wonderful collection...

mystic rose said...

I can see you relaxing with your tobacco and pipe. We like coming here too and being with you for a while. I read the old posts sometimes or look at the pictures in your other blogs.

So majestic these birds look in flight. But they are so raucous in groups. Sometimes in the summer we see them around here which is quite a ways inland. I don't remember seeing seagulls in Vizag(or India). They remind me of shivani's all time dearest wish. To grow wings and fly.

There is a book that someone recommended to me recently. Its called A Dog's Purpose. I haven't started it yet, so cant give an opinion, but it seems like a wonderful book.

erin said...

i am here by ruth's gentle nudge toward beauty and peace. (yes, can you believe that? peace!) and there is so much to say, but mostly i say thank you. thank you. no one needs to know why.

these birds are your words and they travel.

xo
erin

Cynthia S. said...

I'm glad to see you back. Have wondered if the blog was finished. Eagerly awaiting more posts, whether photographic or "annoying". But I don't find your rational discourse "annoying".

elizabeth said...

So good to see your wonderful, beady-eyed seagulls soaring! Beautiful photos.
When we lived in Morocco we used to sit on the roof every evening and watch the swifts/swallows/housemartins swooping and swooping and then when it got almost dark the BATS would take over.

Once we were at the seaside here and Robert bought a hamburger at the beach stand. He was holding the burger in his hand between plate and mouth
when, lo and behold, a seagull grabbed the whole thing.
He was so astonished and furious. It was pretty funny.
So I went in the hamburger place and said "My husband is the old guy with the limp, and a bird took
his lunch!"
When we had finished laughing, the girl gave me another one.

That is my seagull story for the day.

sandy said...

Wonderful to see a post from you again! Beautiful photos of a graceful bird.

snowflake said...

wow!glad to see u back,Raufeeeee
You are my Jonathan Livingston dee.
I have learnt a lot about life from you.keep updating ur wonderful blog.love ya

monsoon dreams said...

o dee,snowflake is mee,neena

sonia a. mascaro said...

I am so glad to see your update with gorgeous photos of seagulls and amazing words.
The seagull looks so free, so happy flying...

Thank you, Rauf, for your kind words of comfort about Flora. I appreciate it so much.
Warm hugs to you.

Anonymous said...

simply stunning.love all of them. am coming to vedaranyam next time. Ill watch u shoot...
-megha amma

freefalling said...

Hey! Hey!
You're back!
Yay!

"Only 2% have the courage to be rational"
I don't even KNOW what rational is!!
I just stumble around this life bumping into things!

I love the photo of his little feet.
They look like kangaroo paws.

Here - I share with you a photo I saw a couple of weeks ago of a baby gull:
http://annamog.blogspot.com/2012/01/lord-howe-island-chicky-babes.html

Vagabonde said...

Stunning pictures of seagulls. I had never seen their eyes so close – the color looks like my mother’s eyes – kind of greenish turquoise. I did read Jonathan Seagull years ago when it came out and loved it. I have never been a follower Rauf – it would have been easier for me to stay in my country. I cannot say I left organized religion as I never was a member of any. It is harder in a way not to be a follower, but the freedom is worth it.

It is hard to catch birds in flight and you did quite well. In December when we were on the ship near Grenada, West Indies, I spent hours on the deck trying to catch the Frigate birds in flight, and like you sometimes just got the tip of a wing. I’ll have to place them on a post. I did not get any as close as your birds.
Thanks for commenting on my blog. Like you cost has always been a top priority for my travel. I had wished to visit Martinique since I was 12 years old or so and last fall found an 11 day cruise on an Italian ship that was cheaper than just a round trip flight to Martinique.

I am so pleased you came back to your blog. I hope you’ll write more posts – and your type of posts – don’t mince your words – we need to hear what you have to say.

Vishesh said...

Hi Rauf

Nice to see you back here :) Also it was nice meeting you at Kanyakumari(do you have that pic?) :)

What did the gulls have to say about Richard Bach as a person?

Nathalie said...

Rauf, Rauf, welcome back, it's so good to have you around again. Your photos are stunning, n°3 is my absolute favourite, I'd love to have it in large print and I'd think of you every time I see it. I've missed your pervasive sense of fun and beauty, your random thoughts and acute wisdom. I loved the post Ruth dedicated to you recently, I felt so close to all her words. Thanks again for being back and for your visit in Avignon. Things are a bit tough emotionally wise at the moment but I know I have strong support from my family and friends and lots of activities that I enjoy so I'll pull through.

Would you say 98% are followers and 2%have the courage to be rational? I don't know - I don't see myself as sooooo different to others yet I neither see myself as part of the superb 2% nor one of the 98% who follow without querying their own beliefs, religion and myths... I'd say I'm just a very ordinary human being trying to apply her brains to a bit of digging on a number of subjects. Thanks for helping me in this process, I love reading you. Keep posting Rauf, we've missed you for too long.
:)

Alicia M B Ballard StudioGaleria said...

Spectacular selection dearest Raufie.

I must be one of the few people en the world that got annoyed with Johnathan... still.

It was a pleasure to came and visit your blog.
I really miss blogging and bloggers - mostly niiiiiice people.

I don't see the weeds!
Love and hugs!

rauf said...

my friends,
i am traveling again
i'll be back on 1st Feb
i'll respond to all your comments on my return
be silly
be stupid
all my love
rauf

Marie said...

magnifique série !

Claudia said...

So beautiful, rauf. So glad to see you're back blogging (just as I left for good, though...). Your posts are always so moving and visually stunning, I always feel short for words to convey what they make me feel.

I don't like being different but I've learnt to live with it, different is normal to me. I don't really mind what others think, unless it affects my children's wellbeing, then I become "normal". The 2% are the fools that carry the world forward with what others perceive as madness.

Here's to difference.

Nathalie said...

I'm just back to say hello and look at your beautiful images. Kind regards, Nathalie

Nathalie said...

PS - I'm glad you're travelling again. I hope you bring back lots of photos and thoughts...

Cheryl said...

Thank you for the beautiful photos and thank you for sharing your thoughts. I have missed your posts.

Nathalie said...

How are you dear Rauf?
No news, good news?
I hope it won't be another year before we hear from you again. I miss you already.

Dwiti R said...

Brilliant photos...
Nice post !

SG said...

I love that book! I have always felt that it is a book everyone should read, if only to understand what drives the 2 per cent who listen to a different drummer.

Anonymous said...

God lives:
http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html?gclid=CPCZueqKoLICFcLAKgodhhEAVw

sureshwhy said...

Nice title Rauf! Perfect marriage of words and visual. Great pics and wonderful light. I feel the sky had the right amount of blue and not distracting to kill the gull.

Did I say kill the gull? It was like picture captions in our first ever website - "tiger shot in ......" (meaning photographically). This was suitably changed when George pointed it out.

Stagg said...

Love the images-cool photos-I like how the idea was expressed about birds /words within images....

STAGG

Candy Minx said...

Dear Rauf.... How are you? My blog friend it has been too long!!!

I hope you come back to blog soon we all miss your ideas and images

Candy

sandy said...

had a sentimental moment remembering your wonderful blog(s) - came by to say I hope all is well in your life.

freefalling said...

I still think of you and miss you around the traps.
I hope you are well.

sandy said...

revisting here - i see i commented back then. And it seems so long ago but really wasn't. i remember these seagulls and now two years later I have a fascination with them - i live near where the seagulls live and fly.

sandy said...

revisting here - i see i commented back then. And it seems so long ago but really wasn't. i remember these seagulls and now two years later I have a fascination with them - i live near where the seagulls live and fly.

Davoh said...

Rauf .... luv ya. has been a long time between contacts. Yep, age has a tendency toward cynicism.