The Starfish Poem

One day an old man was walking along a shore.  A huge wave crashed and brought thousands of starfish to shore. The old man noticed a young boy reaching 
down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. 
 

As he got closer he called out, "What are you doing?"  The young man looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean." 

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?" 

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die." 

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!" 
 

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said - "It made a difference for that one."