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A friend of ours was walking down A friend of ours was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along, he sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another man in the began to see another man in the distance. distance.

As he grew nearer, he noticed that As he grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, the local native kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things into again he kept hurling things into the ocean.the ocean.

As our friend approached even As our friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.them back into the water.

Our friend was puzzled. He approached the Our friend was puzzled. He approached the man and said, “Good morning, friend. I was man and said, “Good morning, friend. I was wondering… what are you doing?”wondering… what are you doing?”

““I’m throwing these starfish back into the I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it’s low tide right now and all ocean. You see, it’s low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don’t throw them back into the the shore. If I don’t throw them back into the sea, they’ll die up here from lack of oxygen.”sea, they’ll die up here from lack of oxygen.”

““I understand,” my friend replied, “but there must be I understand,” my friend replied, “but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don’t you realize this is probably happening on And don’t you realize this is probably happening on

hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast? hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast?

The local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into

the sea, he replied:

We read that usually governments and armies and wars and great We read that usually governments and armies and wars and great powers, great empires, change history and the face of the Earth. powers, great empires, change history and the face of the Earth.

So sometimes we're discouraged and think, "Well, who am I? So sometimes we're discouraged and think, "Well, who am I? What can I do? It all seems so hopeless and What can I do? It all seems so hopeless and

impossible!”impossible!”"It looks like there's NOTHING that ONE PERSON can "It looks like there's NOTHING that ONE PERSON can do to change things for the better, so what's the use do to change things for the better, so what's the use

of trying, what's the use of doing anything?” of trying, what's the use of doing anything?” --And we're tempted to just give up and --And we're tempted to just give up and let the world go to hell, which it seems to deserve! let the world go to hell, which it seems to deserve!

It is tempting to shift It is tempting to shift responsibility to those who responsibility to those who

have special expertise or are have special expertise or are in positions of authority in positions of authority

instead of doing our part. instead of doing our part. It seems too complicated It seems too complicated and overwhelming for us. and overwhelming for us.

But complexity and difficulty But complexity and difficulty do not excuse us from our do not excuse us from our

own individual efforts. own individual efforts.

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