The Boy and the Starfish
After reading Hans' latest post, my mother sent me the following story. I've heard variants of the tale before - at DGS and elsewhere - and it really underlines what grassroots development is all about.
The Boy and the Starfish
A stressed out city bloke takes a two week break on a remote Greek Island. He rises each morning to look out across the bay and enjoys a healthy breakfast. After several days he comes to recognise a local boy whose morning ritual, of walking along the beach and every few feet reaching down for something to fling into the sea, intrigues him.
One morning he wakes extra early and pulling on his Armani tracksuit he heads out to give the boy's antics a closer look. On reaching the beach he finds the boy, no older than 13 years, meandering along the water's edge in his usual fashion. Every few feet he comes across a starfish that has been washed up on the shore he pickes it up and flings it back into the ocean.
The man follows for a while, and after admiring this exercise in its futility, decides to share his superior knowledge with the young boy. "Hey Kid" he says. "Do you know how many miles of beach this bay has? Do you know how many thousands of starfish are washed up every day, and that it will all happen again tomorrow? Can't you see how pointless what you are doing is? It won't make a bit of difference!"
Looking at the starfish in his hand, the boy flings it out across the glistening bay. He pauses and humbly he mumbles ... "It made a difference to that one."
The Boy and the Starfish
A stressed out city bloke takes a two week break on a remote Greek Island. He rises each morning to look out across the bay and enjoys a healthy breakfast. After several days he comes to recognise a local boy whose morning ritual, of walking along the beach and every few feet reaching down for something to fling into the sea, intrigues him.
One morning he wakes extra early and pulling on his Armani tracksuit he heads out to give the boy's antics a closer look. On reaching the beach he finds the boy, no older than 13 years, meandering along the water's edge in his usual fashion. Every few feet he comes across a starfish that has been washed up on the shore he pickes it up and flings it back into the ocean.
The man follows for a while, and after admiring this exercise in its futility, decides to share his superior knowledge with the young boy. "Hey Kid" he says. "Do you know how many miles of beach this bay has? Do you know how many thousands of starfish are washed up every day, and that it will all happen again tomorrow? Can't you see how pointless what you are doing is? It won't make a bit of difference!"
Looking at the starfish in his hand, the boy flings it out across the glistening bay. He pauses and humbly he mumbles ... "It made a difference to that one."
posted by Paul Heron at 11:04 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home