User:VisitingPhilosopher/Notepad/Archive 3

The starfish story

An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach. One day,

as he looked along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a

dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young woman and she was

not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up a starfish

and very gently throwing them into the ocean.

"Young lady", he asked, "Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

"The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them

in they will die."

"But young lady, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of

beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a

difference."

The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up

another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breakinng waves,

saying: "It made a difference for that one."

http://www.starfishcharity.org - A South African charity The worldwide 'thousand dinners of hope' event, 25-27 April, 2003.

The has inspired charitable works in

• humanitarian crisis
• providing a compelling vision
• building records of achievement
• unique charitable approaches [dinners ref]

The parable of the starfish

The fable of the starfish