Islamic Poetry and Other Literature

The Starfish

-- Anonymous --
There was a young man walking
down a deserted beach just
before dawn. In the distance he saw
a frail old man. As he approached the
old man, he saw him picking up
stranded starfish and throwing them
back into the sea. The young man
gazed in wonder as the old man again
and again threw the small starfish
from the sand to the water. He asked
"Old man, why do you spend so much
energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?"

The old man explained that the
stranded starfish would die if left in
the morning sun.

"But there must be thousands of
beaches and millions of starfish!"
exclaimed the young man. "How can
you make a difference?"

The old man looked down at the small
starfish in his hand, and as he threw
it to the safety of the sea, he said,
"I make a difference to this one."


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