Once upon a time there was
a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing.
One day he was walking along the shore and as he walked
he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving
like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone
who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster
to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a
young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead
he was reaching down, picking up something and gently
throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer he called out, "Good
morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing
starfish in the ocean."
The curious wise man countered, “Why are you throwing starfish in the
ocean?" "The sun is up and the tide is going out. And
if I don't throw them in they'll die."
Full of frustration, the wise man answered, "But, young man,
don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish
all
along it.
You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened
politely, then bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it
out past the breaking waves, turned back to the wise
man and said, "It made a difference for that one."
---
Paraphrased From: The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley.
