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.)
Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com
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