Wednesday

Throwing Starfish


I have mentioned Loren Eiseley in passing on this blog before as being one of my favorite writers. Here he shares a lesson he learned on putting into perspective how one can make a difference.


"While wandering a deserted beach at dawn, stagnant in my work, I saw a man in the distance bending and throwing as he walked the endless stretch toward me. As he came near, I could see that he was throwing starfish, abandoned on the sand by the tide, back into the sea. When he was close enough I asked him why he was working so hard at this strange task. He said that the sun would dry the starfish and they would die. I said to him that I thought he was foolish. There were thousands of starfish on miles and miles of beach. One man alone could never make a difference. He smiled as he picked up the next starfish. Hurling it far into the sea he said, "It makes a difference for this one." I abandoned my writing and spent the morning throwing starfish."

2 comments:

  1. That is a beautiful lesson.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No one of us might be able to change the whole world......

    But any one of us, can change the world for one person.

    Be that person.

    ReplyDelete

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