Extract of the day: "Making a difference"

Taken from Buddhism for Busy People page 155 *:

I once heard a story about a woman who was rescuing starfish stranded on a beach. A whole shoal of them had washed up, and as she took her regular morning walk, she'd bend down, pick one up and throw it back into the ocean.

'What's the point?' she was challenged by fellow walkers, overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem. 'You can only save a handful.'

'Yes,' she agreed. 'But for the handful I save, it really matters.'

None of us can solve all the world's problems, but that shouldn't make us give up doing what we can to help. The amazing paradox of developing compassion and practising generosity is the experience of just how much happiness we create for ourselves.

* Page references comes from the 2nd edition soft cover version of the book.