The
Story of the Starfish
Once
upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing.
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."
You have been given the ability to make a difference in this world and if you follow your heart -- the world will indeed be blessed!
