It makes a difference for that one starfish ...
The Starfish Rescuers
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."
This story has appeared all over the web in various forms, usually with no credit given to Mr. Eiseley. Loren Eiseley was a anthropologist who wrote extensively. He was the 'wise man' in the story, and he was walking along a beach after a storm and encountered the fellow throwing the starfish back. Sometimes it is a little girl throwing the starfish into the ocean, sometimes a young man, once even an elder.
Comments
I feel that too. Mostly
I feel that too. Mostly hopeless and often desperately sad.
But what else is there to do?
I am not a religious person and do not believe in an afterlife, but I do believe the value of our human lives can be measured in pretty simple terms: show up and be helpful. After all, what else is there? Show up for family, friends, community; be helpful in all we do to make whatever small positive contributions we can. Without that simple commitment to show up and be helpful, it would be hard for me to find meaning.
Best, Catherine
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I too would be throwing back
I too would be throwing back the starfish, all day probably, even though like the wise man in the story I knew I couldn't save all the starfish.
I remember one day when i was working in Ottawa for an NGO, contributing to yet another report which served little purpose than to use paper, or go to another conference to talk, just talk, about problems with peace and the environment, I used to get quite frustrated with how little effect we were having. In the end though, I like to believe that we are collectively making a difference.
We have to continue the fight, but I think it is good for people to focus on specific areas to try and make change, that makes the effort more manageable.
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Well, you do not have to
Well, you do not have to throw starfish to sea. You can do this with living a normal life.
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anonymous: will you say more
anonymous: will you say more about this?
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Well, you are missing the
Well, you are missing the point. You can't fix all the world's problems; you can't save everyone and everything.
BUT don't ever think that a positive action doesn't make a difference! It *does* make a difference. To that ONE starfish, that ONE person, that ONE cause. The moral of this story is that doing something to better the world is never in vain. Even if you only helped one being.... you made a difference. And that's all that matters in the end.
I was once the "little girl" version of this story, throwing ocean creatures back into the sea. Now I breed endangered marine species for conservation projects. I won't save the world or the world's oceans, but I did make a difference for that *one* starfish/shrimp/crab...
... and now I make a difference for an entire species that is already extinct in the wild and that only exists because I - and other biologists, breed them.
Futile? Perhaps, in some people's opinion. But I am happier living in a more diverse world, and I do what I can to make it so... one starfish at a time... one species at a time.
Never give up!
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Does this appy to saving the
Does this appy to saving the human babies that are aborted everyday. Imagine the impact of saving just one of those! Hopefully the kind people here that care about saving marine life and making a difference feel as strongly about their fellow human beings! Wonder what difference some of those "lost starfish" could have made in our world...
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A very poignant point to
A very poignant point to bring up. At least starfishes can crawl and save themselves. I wonder if there are 50 million starfishes that die each year. That's the estimated number of abortions worldwide each year. :-(
And I wonder how it feels to have my arm wrenched out of its socket, or to have my brains sucked out...
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Sometimes I feel overwhelmed
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all the challenges we face. I was at a breakfast fundraiser the other morning for Markets Initiative (who do wonderful work to get the publishing industry away from old growth paper and on to more sustainable resources) and I found myself crying into my organic granola - everywhere I look there seems to be some terrible way we are hurting ourselves. The most poignant moment for me that morning was when the keynote speaker made reference to a recent poll, "Nearly three-quarters of British Columbians believe life as we know it will end in another two or three generations unless drastic and immediate action is taken to curb global warming" -Vancouver Sun poll
And while there is an undeniable movement to stop and repair some of the damage we've done, sometimes I find myself honestly wondering, like the old man, how can it possibly make a difference? Yet, I find that I keep moving forward, curiously exploring the world, creating my artwork, loving my dog, loving people, and trying my best to help the starfish that I find in my path.