A beachcomber is walking along the beach one morning when he sees a young man running up and down by the water's edge throwing something in the water.

Curious, he walks toward the runner and watches him picking up starfish stranded by the tide and tossing them back into the ocean. "Young man," he says, "there are so many starfish on the beach. What difference does it make to save a few?"

Without pausing, the young man picks up another starfish, and flinging it into the sea, replies, "It made a difference for this one."