Theme: Charity

The Starfish

Once a man, visiting a seaside town, woke up very early to walk on the beach. He walked with pleasure, feeling the pleasant breeze on his face and the presence of the exuberant nature around him.

The man walked for a few minutes without meeting anyone. It was still too early. The day had just dawned.

However, one thing caught his attention. The sand on the beach was full of starfish. In some places the man even had to deviate his steps to avoid stepping on them. He was impressed by how many starfish he could see as far as his vision could reach.

The man saw a person in the distance. Getting closer he noticed that it was a boy, who was bending down, picking up a star and throwing it into the sea. Then he bent down again, picked up another one and repeated the gesture over and over again.

Curious, the man approached and asked him:

- Good morning boy! A lot of starfish on the beach, isn't it?

- Good morning, sir - replied the boy - yes, there are many. Last night the tide came in with very strong waves and washed away the starfish. Then the tide went out slowly and they stayed on the sand. But they will die if they stay here, as the sun will heat up in a little while and they won't resist out of the water, poor things.

- Is that why you're returning them to water? asked the man.

- Yes, I feel sorry for them - said the boy.

The man thought for a moment, assessing the situation.

- Oh, I understand - he said, turning his head from side to side - but look around us. There are hundreds, thousands of stars here. Do you think it's worth so much effort? You will probably be throwing one by one in the water for a long time, you will be very tired, and when you stop, you will look around and feel that so much effort hasn't made any difference.

The boy, who had taken another star and was already getting ready to return it to the sea, looked at it and said:

- This one will make a difference!

 And throwing it quite hard he said:

- Good luck, little friend!

The man was surprised by that answer. He was silent for a moment. Then he bent down, picked up a starfish and did as the boy did.

He understood that what matters is doing good. Even if it is not possible for us to benefit everyone who needs it, if someone is helped it will be worth it.

(Adaptation from a folktale from an unknown authorship.)

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