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 was reaching down to the shore, picking something up 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 into the ocean." The old man chuckled and said, "I guess I should have asked,why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?" "The sun is up and the tide is going out," replied the young man. "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 and bent down, picking up another starfish. He turned it over in his hand and carefully threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. Looking up at the old man he said, "It made a difference for that one."