the starfish story

this is not the first time i saw this story (from MOE - Nurture. Be a Teacher.):

As the old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a boy ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Finally catching up with the boy, he asked why he was doing this. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun. "But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish," said the old man. "How can your effort make any differences?" The boy looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it safely into the waves. "It makes a difference to this one," he said.

rather inspiring har