An old man was picking up objects off the beach and tossing them
out into the sea.
A young man approached him and saw that the objects were starfish.
"Why in the world are you throwing starfish into the water?"
"If the starfish are still on the beach when the tide goes out and the
sun rises high in the sky, they will die," replied the old man.
"That is ridiculous. There are thousands of miles of beach and
millions of starfish.
You can't really believe that what you're doing could possibly make a
difference!"
The wise old man picked up another starfish,
paused thoughtfully,
and remarked as he tossed it out into the waves,
"It makes a difference to this one."
