You may have heard this one, but I find that it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of it every once in a while. First let me tell you the story, and then we can talk about it.
Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.
Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, ”Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”
adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977)
We all have the opportunity to help create positive change, but if you’re like me, you sometimes find yourself thinking, “I’m already really busy, and how much of a difference can I really make?” I think this is especially true when we’re talking about addressing massive social problems like tackling world hunger or finding a cure for cancer, but it pops up all of the time in our everyday lives, as well. So when I catch myself thinking that way, it helps to remember this story. You might not be able to change the entire world, but at least you can change a small part of it, for someone.
They say that one of the most common reasons we procrastinate is because we see the challenge before us as overwhelming, and that a good way to counter that is to break the big challenge down into smaller pieces and then take those one at a time–like one starfish at a time. And to that one starfish, it can make a world of difference.
“A single, ordinary person still can make a difference – and single, ordinary people are doing precisely that every day.”
– Chris Bohjalian, Vermont-based author and speaker
June 5th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Huge sigh. This means so much to me. There are so many things to do! If I break it down to the work projects, then the industry issues, then the ills of the US and world .. I am overwhelmed. I will paste a photo of a starfish on my wall .. or maybe a tatoo on the palm of my hand (ok.. that sounds painful .. so the photo will do) and look at it always and remember. Thank you, Peter, for this perfect story.
June 6th, 2011 at 12:17 am
My pleasure, Joan! This is a nice simple example of the power of a good story, too. Maybe a temporary tattoo?
February 16th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
Very nice story, and nice pic of the star-fish too, wich I have borrowed, since I was wondering if I was a star-fish in a past life. Thankyou for the nice story as well.
March 26th, 2012 at 6:24 pm
In the state of New York, it is actually illegal to return starfish to the water, according to state Environmental Law. Star fish are considered predators to shellfish such as scallops, so the law is meant to preserve shellfish. So the next time you throw starfish back into the water in New York, beware. You could get a ticket..
July 8th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
The aftermath of natural calamities signifies the life we experience on Earth. Little things that we say or do — for those affected, who couldn’t … almost couldn’t and wouldn’t put back there lives on …. makes the difference!