THE POWER OF ONE

"Everyone can do simple things to make a difference, and every little bit really does count." - Stella McCartney

Star Fish

Slowly, two men approached each other, on a desolate beach one morning. One could make out a figure of the other - a local native - who kept picking up, and throwing something back into the water. Time and again he hurled things into the ocean. As the distance between them got shorter, the other man could see that the native was hurling starfish that had been washed upon the beach and, back into the water one at a time. Puzzled, he approached and asked what the native was doing. "I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. These starfish have been washed ashore. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die."

"There must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly get all of them back in." He protested. "There are just too many. And this same thing is probably happening on hundreds of beaches on this coast. Can’t you see that you can’t possibly make a difference?" The native smiled, bent down and picked up another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea he replied, "I just made a difference to that one!"

No doubt we live in a world where too many things have gone, and are going wrong by the minute. To stand idly by, with folded arms doing nothing to salvage the much you can is a crime. There's corruption, adultery, murder and so on going on. It is overwhelming, but you can make a difference in your own little way. Disregard, and ignore those who try to dissuade you from doing your bit. Imagine, how clean our cities will be if everyone will stop throwing dirt out of moving vehicles, or on the street after eating a pack of cheese balls. It starts with one. You.

On the shore of life each of us is but one person. Limited and burdened with our own concerns and worries. There is so much to be done, and we have so little to give. When we leave this shore, there will still be millions of starfish stranded on the beach, but while here, why don't you stop, stoop, pick up and toss as much starfish back into the water as you can? You might not change the whole world at once, but you sure can help change one person. One at a time. We can make a difference. You're an agent of change. Do what is right.