The Starfish Story
(adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley)
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”I made a difference for that one.”
I decided to carry on with the charity work that I have been involved in since 2003 – picking up bread from the designated confectionary outlets and send them to the old folks home. I made this decision after visiting the website of the charity organization a few days ago. At that time, I did not know why I made that decision, I just knew that I have to continue. Two days ago, I found the answer. It was the Starfish story.
For many years, together with a friend, we help to deliver bread to the old folks home. This is a routine on Friday evenings. Other than when we were overseas, we had never failed in fulfilling this commitment. I am indeed proud that I am able to stick to this routine, week in and week out. But, things change in the recent months. Somehow, I no longer find meaning in this routine anymore and the thought of quitting crossed my mind.
Since 2003 when I first started my voluntary work, I have never visited the website of this charity organization. A few evenings ago, while surfing the net, I just decided to take a look, and that few minutes of browsing prompted me to reconsider my decision to quit.
I first came across the starfish story 16 years ago. Since then it has guided me, in many things that I do and in many decisions that I make. The story is a constant reminder to me that we have the power within us to make a difference in this world, no matter how small or how insignificant it may seem to be. Just like in my job, because of the belief that I can make a difference in my organization, I had been able to keep my passion flying high, sustain my enthusiasm, go against all odds at times and deliver many difficult projects … unfortunately I have lost this belief in the recent 1-2 years.
Visiting the website of the charity organization gave me a different perspective of my involvement. I saw the big picture, the vision of the organization, what other volunteers are doing and how I fit in – I found the meaning of my “bread delivery routine”. I am the starfish thrower in the story, and there are many starfish throwers helping in this charity organization. Every starfish that we save make a difference, and all these small efforts eventually add up to make a big difference in this world.
Therefore I have decided not to quit but to continue … when we become throwers of the starfish, we have the power to change the world.
I decided to carry on with the charity work that I have been involved in since 2003 – picking up bread from the designated confectionary outlets and send them to the old folks home. I made this decision after visiting the website of the charity organization a few days ago. At that time, I did not know why I made that decision, I just knew that I have to continue. Two days ago, I found the answer. It was the Starfish story.
For many years, together with a friend, we help to deliver bread to the old folks home. This is a routine on Friday evenings. Other than when we were overseas, we had never failed in fulfilling this commitment. I am indeed proud that I am able to stick to this routine, week in and week out. But, things change in the recent months. Somehow, I no longer find meaning in this routine anymore and the thought of quitting crossed my mind.
Since 2003 when I first started my voluntary work, I have never visited the website of this charity organization. A few evenings ago, while surfing the net, I just decided to take a look, and that few minutes of browsing prompted me to reconsider my decision to quit.
I first came across the starfish story 16 years ago. Since then it has guided me, in many things that I do and in many decisions that I make. The story is a constant reminder to me that we have the power within us to make a difference in this world, no matter how small or how insignificant it may seem to be. Just like in my job, because of the belief that I can make a difference in my organization, I had been able to keep my passion flying high, sustain my enthusiasm, go against all odds at times and deliver many difficult projects … unfortunately I have lost this belief in the recent 1-2 years.
Visiting the website of the charity organization gave me a different perspective of my involvement. I saw the big picture, the vision of the organization, what other volunteers are doing and how I fit in – I found the meaning of my “bread delivery routine”. I am the starfish thrower in the story, and there are many starfish throwers helping in this charity organization. Every starfish that we save make a difference, and all these small efforts eventually add up to make a big difference in this world.
Therefore I have decided not to quit but to continue … when we become throwers of the starfish, we have the power to change the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment