A Paperless Book

There is a way the average person can fly. There is an art, or more of a knack, to flying.
The knack lies in learing how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
I suggest, pick a nice day, and try it.
The first part is easy:
All it requires is simply the ability to throw yourself forward with all your weight, and the willingness not to mind that it's going to hurt.
That is, it's going to hurt if you fail to miss the ground.
Most people fail to miss the ground, and will fail to miss it faily hard.
Clearly, it is this second part, the missing, which presents the difficulties.
One problem is that you have to miss the ground accidentally. It's no good deliberately intending to miss the ground because you won't. You have to have your attention suddenly distracted by something else when you're halfway there, so that you are no longer thinking about falling, or about the ground, or about how much it's going to hurt if you fail to miss it.
It is notoriously difficult to prize your attention away from these three things during the split second you have at your disposal. Hence most people's failure, and their eventual disillusionment with this exhilarating and spectacular sport.
If, however you are lucky enough to have your attention momentarily distracted at the crucial moment by, say, a gorgeous pair of legs, or a bomb going off in your vicinity, or by suddenly spotting an extremely rare species of beetle crawling along a nearby twig, then in your astonishment you will miss the ground completely and remain bobbing just a few inches above it in what might seem to be a slightly foolish manner.
This is a moment for superb and delicate concentration.
Bob and float, float and bob.
Ignore all considerations of your own weight and simply let yourself waft higher.
Do not listen to what anybody says to you at this point because they are unlikely to say anything helpful.
They are most likely to say something along the lines of "Good God, you can't possibly be flying!"
It is vitally important not to believe them or they will suddenly be right.
Waft higher and higher.
Try a few swoops, gentle ones at first, then drift above the treetops breathing regularly.
DO NOT WAVE AT ANYBODY
When you have done this a few times you will find the moment of distraction rapidly becomes easier and easier to achieve.
You will the learn all sorts of things about how to control your flight, your speed, your manuverability, and the trick usaully lies in not thinking too hard about whatever you want to do, but just allowing it to happen as if it were going to anyway.
You will also learn about how to land properly, which is something you will almost certainly screw up, and screw up badly, on your first attempt.
Good luck.
I have managed to achieve the all important moment of distraction once, while jumping into a pool. Upon nearly touching the water, I noticed a dead bat floating out of the filter. This of course made me think of my little sister, who was currently in the pool and hadn't noticed the bat yet. My mind was set on not freaking her out while simultaneously getting her out of the pool. It was then I realized I had yet to splash into the water but was simply hovering there, without any cats or toast in sight! Once I realized this, I hit the water...
My sister and I were fine, by the way.
Information on this section is based on theories of Douglas Adams