The Boy and the Starfish

A man was walking his dog along a quiet sunny beach. As he continued his journey around the corner of a rocky outcrop, he saw thousands of starfish washed up on the sand. The sun was very hot and it was plain that they would dry up and die in the heat. Further along the beach, a small boy was frantically picking them up and returning them into the water.

The man watched for a moment, while placing his dog on its lead. Back and forward went the boy, one or two starfish at a time. His hard work making little effect on the vastness of the problem. The man continued his walk, being careful not to walk on the stranded animals, until he reached the busy child.

"You cannot save them all you know." said the man, "There are thousands of them. What you are doing is not even making the slightest difference."

The little boy looked around, with a frown on his face. "Maybe," he said, placing yet another starfish in the water, "but I did make a difference for this one!" 

I am only one,

But still I am one. 

I cannot do everything, 

But still I can do something; 

And because I cannot do everything, 

I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

- Edward Everett Hale