The seventies: the social context of his works.

Following the social cataclysm of the 1960s and the Vietnam War, Americans turned inward − initiating a decade of “self-help” and healing that some critics have called the “Me decade.” Richard Bach’s popular inspirational literature, such as Jonathan Livingston Seagull, is characteristic of this cultural moment and the associated rise of “New Age” spirituality. A loss of faith in the ability of technocrats to solve the world’s problems was accompanied by an increase in non-traditional forms of faith.

The New Age (also known as the New Age Movement, New Age spirituality, and Cosmic Humanism) is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks “Universal Truth” and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It combines aspects of cosmology, astrology, esotericism, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature. New Age spirituality is characterized by an individual approach to spiritual practices and philosophies, while rejecting religious doctrine and dogma.