Once
upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean
to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before
he began his work.
One
day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach,
he 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 to the shore,
picking up something and very 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."
"I
guess I should have asked, 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."
"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 listed politely. Then bent down, picked another starfish
and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said,
"It
made a difference for that one."
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