下面这个故事，是以前一位客户说给我听的。他是也从别人那里听来的。今天我同大家分享一下。希望你们记住它，以后有机会也去同更多的人分享。
这其实是个很有名的故事，也有不同的版本，但情节大同小异，喻意则完全一样。
海星的故事有一个以写作为生的老人家，他每天早上都要到海难上走一走，看了日出之后再开始工作。
有一天早上，他如往常一样在海难上散步，看见远处有一个人影好像在跳舞。他心生好奇，谁会这么早就来沙滩上跳舞呢？于是他快步上前去看个究竟。走到近处他看见了，原来是一个小男孩，他在不停地把沙滩上的海星捡起来往海里扔，远远地看去就像是在跳舞一样。
这个老人家就不明白了，他问小男孩，你这是在做什么呢？
小男孩解释说，太阳就快出来了，潮已经退了，但这些海星还躺在沙滩上，不久它们就会被晒死，所以我要把它们捡起来扔到海里去。
老人家仍然很迷惑，他说，整个沙滩都是海星，就算你捡完了这一片海滩，还有绵延几十里的海滩上的海星会被晒死——your action won’t make a difference（你这样子做没什么意义的）。
小男孩停一停，看了看老人家，然后弯腰捡起一个海星，他把那海星给老人家看了看，然后用力地把它朝海里一扔，完了他说，对于刚才这只海星来说，it makes a lot of differences（我这样做很有意义）。
注：涨潮的时候，海星被冲到沙滩上。退潮的时候，如果没被潮水带回大海，他们就会留在沙滩上，等着太阳出来被晒死。
我也在网上找到了一个英文的版本，同大家分享。
The Starfish StoryOnce upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."
This story has appeared all over the web in various forms, usually with no credit given to Mr. Eiseley. Sometimes it is a little girl throwing the starfish into the ocean, sometimes a young man, once even an elderly Indian. In any form it is a beautiful story and one that makes you think.
Loren Eiseley was a anthropologist who wrote extensively. He was the 'wise man' in the story, and he was walking along a beach after a storm and encountered the fellow throwing the starfish back. I have not had a chance to read the original book yet myself but will post more background info here after I do.
[ 此贴被杨秀春在2008-03-24 15:26重新编辑 ]
