The Starfish

In Maine, they tell of an old man walking along the beach with his grandson. The boy picked up each starfish they passed and threw it back in the ocean. "If I left them here", said the boy, "they would dry up and die. I'm saving their lives."

The old man said, "But the beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish. What you're doing won't make any difference."

The boy looked at the starfish in his hand, threw it in the water, and answered: "It makes a difference to this one."


Adapted from Loren C. Eiseley's, The Star Thrower