the more we perfect ourselves by improving and searching the unlimited goodness, the more we participate in His perfection.
We do not acquire love of God: it is in us, His participating images, and we perfect ourselves as we develop it in awareness, as we educate
ourselves to it. So there is something common between him and God, some connaturality by which he naturally knows and loves Him who
completely transcends man, because He is also immanent in him Cronan 111.
Jonathan’s learning in perfection in flying shows that he is aware of His participating images in his rationality and free will that give him freedom to be
what he wants: to learn to perfect himself in flying. Therefore, like what Jonathan says that precision flying is a step toward expressing our real nature: an idea of the
Great Gull Bach 76.
4.1.3 Perfection within Self and Others
In the novelette, after Jonathan achieves some level in flying, Chiang who is the eldest teacher says that the most powerful and the most fun of all in
perfection is to know the meaning of kindness and of love. “We can start working with time if you wish,” Chiang said, “till you can
fly the past and the future. And then you will be ready to begin the most difficult, the most powerful, the most fun of all. You will be ready to
begin to fly up and know the meaning of kindness and of love” Bach 60.
Therefore, all Jonathan’s efforts to perfect himself in flying are directed to and for the sake of kindness and of love. Man’s rationality and free will in
perfecting himself to the goodness of anything as the image of God find its full completeness and actualization by practicing and learning kindness and love to
help others see the good in every one of them. 28
“I don’t understand how you manage to love a mob of birds that has just tried to kill you.”
“Oh, Fletch, you don’t love that You don’t love hatred and evil, of course. You have to practice and see the real gull, the good in every one of
them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I mean by love. It’s fun, when you get the knack of it” Bach 91.
Therefore, perfection meets its full completeness and actualization in loving others to help them see their real goodness as the image of God and by this
sharing of perfection within self and others in reciprocal will complete and perfect oneself. This is also stated by Cronan that human person’s power-values are
actualized only in the person-milieu in which he acts, the stimulant environment which is labeled “society.” In reciprocal actions, a human person “accumulates”
perfections through others, and communicates to them the sharing in his own, or the stimulus to develop their own 125.
In conclusion,
perfection needs
others as
its completeness
and actualization through which he or she can share, learn, and communicate to
perfect and find the unlimited goodness in each other. 29
4.2 The Influences of Learning in Perfection on One’s Achievement as Reflected in the Character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull
At the previous part, the writer has analyzed what perfection is as the content of Jonathan’s learning process to reach his achievement of being perfect
in flying. Cronan states that man is attracted to perfection to make the goodness of anything 21. On the other hand, the motive of achievement is performing in
terms standard of excellent McClelland 99. Making the goodness of anything means that there is a motive to perform or to do something excellent. It shows that
there is a correlation between perfection and achievement. Therefore, in this part, through the main character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the writer analyzes
how and what the effects of learning in perfection influence one’s achievement. According to Atkinson in McClelland’s book there are contingent paths in
achievement motivation. It explains that success in an immediate step is necessary to earn the opportunity to move on the next step 501. Therefore, it can be said
that there is a process of step by step in achieving something. In the novelette, the writer finds three main stages showing Jonathan’s learning process of successful
achievements of being perfect in flying. They are his achievement process on earth, in heaven and his achievement on earth as an instructor. In those three main
stages, the writer analyzes how and what the effects of learning in perfection influence one’s achievement as reflected in the character of Jonathan Livingston
Seagull. 30
4.2.1 Influences on Jonathan’s Achievements on Earth
