One day, an old man was walking along a beach where thousands of starfish had been washed ashore by a storm. Off in the distance, he noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often, and as he drew closer, the old man could see that the boy was carefully picking up starfish and tossing them back into the sea.
Curious, the old man watched for some time. As the boy came nearer, the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what you are doing?”
The boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. If I don’t, they’ll die.”
The old man shook his head. “Son,” he said gently, “do you not realize there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish? I’m afraid you can’t possibly save them all.”
The boy listened thoughtfully. Then, after a few moments, he bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it splashed into the water, he turned back to the old man with a smile and said “But I saved that one!“
The old man stood silent for a moment. He looked at the countless starfish scattered across the beach, then back at the boy, who was already reaching for another.
The old man then bent down, picked up a starfish, and tossed it into the ocean.
