The Starfish
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 listened politely. Then bent down,
picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the
breaking waves and said - "It made a difference for that
one."
There is something very special in each and every
one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a
difference. And if we can become aware of that gift, we gain through
the strength of our visions the power to shape the future.
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