The Parable of the Starfish

Years ago I heard a story which I only ever heard once but has always stayed with me.

At the time I thought it was a simple but powerful illustration of the difference that each one of us can make by just doing small good things for people.

With all the bad things we hear about on the news every day, it’s very easy to forget that there is good in the world. Mother Theresa summed it up:

“What we can do is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, the ocean would be less because of that missing drop”

It’s very easy to think “What good can I really do?” but in actual fact you can do a lot.

Do just one small thing every day.

Just one kind word to someone.

Help one person in some small way.

Remember what you think may be small may be a big deal to them.

You can make a difference.

Here’s that story I promised you:-

“Parable of the starfish”, which is adapted from a book by Loren Eiseley…

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? There are thousands of them – 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.”