A Single Starfish

Building a legacy one small step at a time

We all know the story.

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance on the beach during the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out ‘Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?’

The young man paused, looked up, and replied ‘Throwing starfish into the ocean.’

‘I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?’ he asked.

To this, the young man replied, ‘The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.’

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, ‘But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!’

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, ‘It made a difference for that one.”’

I’m not usually one for quaint parables, but this one has always inspired me. Working to reduce poverty on a large scale is hard. It takes massive resources. On occasion it requires you to cooperate with truly horrible people. People who could care less about the poor, but through whom you must operate if you hope to get aid to those who need it most.

It is ethically challenging. It is maddening. It is worth it. It is not what I want to write about on Medium.

Oh, I imagine I will write about it at some point. But what I really want to do is brainstorm.

I want to discuss smaller ideas, little things that we can do (or build) that can make a difference to others. I want ideas to sit here — in words and in thought. I want us to talk about what others are doing to alleviate suffering and what we think should be done.

Maybe someone will be inspired enough to think of something new. Maybe someone will have enough time for a side project to put an idea into action. Maybe someone will just come to a place of acceptance that they are not powerless. Who knows?

None of that matters. It’s the dialog that is important.