The Starfish Story

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, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and
saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of
someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.As he
got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he
was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore,
picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.He came closer still
and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"The young
man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean.""I must
ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat
startled wise man.To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is
going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."Upon hearing this, the wise
man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and
miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly
make a difference!"At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another
starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a
difference for that one."