Overnight, a tempest had washed ashore thousands of starfish on a beach.

The next morning an old man was walking along the beach. He came upon a boy surrounded by the starfish. The lad was picking them up and throwing them back into the ocean. Puzzled, the older man looked at the young boy and asked what he was doing.

The child responded without looking up, "I'm saving these starfish".

The old man laughed and said "There are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you possibly make?"

Holding a starfish in his hand, the boy turned to the man and, gently tossing the starfish into the water, said, "I made a difference to that one!"