STARFISH POEM
One day an old man was walking down the beach just before dawn. In the distance he saw a young man picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. As the old man approached the young man, he asked, “Why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?” The young man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. The old man exclaimed, “But there must be thousands of starfish. How can your efforts make any difference?” The young man looked down at the starfish in his hand and as he threw it to safety in the sea, he said,” It makes a difference to this one!”
(I love this poem because, as Philip Kocisko observed, we are all at times a bit like the starfish who needs a little help,the old man who doesn’t see the purpose to his actions, and the young man who believes he is making a difference.} There are many versions, the author is unknown, but the poem is inspired by the writing of Loren Eiseley
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