A Starfish Story
There was a young man walking down a deserted
beach just before dawn. In the distance, he saw a
frail old man. As he approached the old man, he
saw him picking up stranded starfish and throwing
them back into the sea. The young man gazed in
wonder as the old man again and again threw the
stranded starfish from the sand to the water. He
asked, "Old man, why do you spend so much effort
doing what seems to be a waste of time?"
The old man explained that the stranded starfish
would die if left in the morning sun.
"But there must be thousands of beaches and
millions of starfish," exclaimed the young man.
"How can you make any difference?"
The old man looked down at the stranded starfish
in his hand as he threw it to the safety of the sea.
"I made a difference to this one."
- adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eisley
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