As the old man walked the
beach at dawn, he noticed a
youth ahead of him picking
up starfish and flinging
them into the sea.
Finally, catching up
with the youth, he
asked him why he
was doing this. The
answer was that the
stranded starfish
would die if left in
the morning sun.
"But the beach
goes on for miles
and there are
millions of starfish,"
countered the old man.
"How can your effort
make any difference?"

The young man looked at
the starfish in his hand and
then threw it to the safety of
the waves. "It makes a difference
to this one," he said.

By Brian Cavanaugh