By Tanya M. Petrokov

From The Lanark Animal Welfare Society (LAWS) P.O. Box 256, Lanark, Ontario, K0G 1K0:

The Starfish

Once upon a time there was a wise man who had a habit of walking on the beach each morning. One day, while walking along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man who was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer, he called out, “Good Morning, What are you doing?” The young man paused and replied “I am throwing starfish in the ocean.” “I guess I realized that, but why are your throwing starfish in the ocean” said the wise man. The young man replied, “the sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in they will die.” The wise man said “But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference.” The young many politely listened. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said “It made a difference for that one.”

Author unknown.