I heard a story one time about a beach full of starfish that had been washed ashore. There were so many that it was evident they would die. There were too many and not enough time to save them all.
One man picked up a starfish and took it back out in the ocean. He saved it. His friend asked him, “What are you doing? You will never save them all!” The man replied, “No. But I saved that one.”
That story has always stuck with me. I can’t help but think of so many of today’s major challenges that we face. Most seem too overwhelming. It causes great debates about how to best solve the problem and save all the starfish.
It is a worthy endeavor to think about saving them all. For some it may be a passion and a life’s mission to rescue all the starfish. There probably is a way to save them all. There may be a way for someone to tackle some of the biggest challenges that we face today. As good as we have it, there is no shortage of beaches full of starfish that need to be saved.
For most of us who don’t have a grand plan that we are acting on to save them all, perhaps we should just reach down and save the one next to us. That single starfish’s life matters too.
I may have my ideas and opinions about how to save them all like most of us do about the world’s major problems. But maybe the most meaningful thing I can do is save the one within my reach.
Can you save one starfish?
Rich Florence 