responsibility

So many times we have all heard or thought this ourselves.. what difference would 'my' not throwing trash on the road make.. everyone else is doing it anyway.. or spitting.. or wasting water.. or electricity.. employing under-age children.. encouraging beggary.. unending list.. the explanation always being.. just 'my' doing it differently is not going to change anything.. and don't you ever wonder.. what if each one of us did take that step.. and stopped.. singularly, it would still be one.. but collectively..?

'safety in numbers' seems to have become a 'derogatory' term.. where 'morality'.. 'responsibility'.. 'integrity'.. all the lines seem to fade into one big whole.. decomposing to 'street' justice.. mob attacks.. public humiliation.. frenzied murder.. each mentally exonerating themselves.. like killing someone and saying, it was my left hand that did it..

today with the world becoming literally 'flat'.. maybe it's time we took stock of the repercussions of every individual view.. opinion.. and action.. respect.. see and recognize.. our own 'hand'.. making such a huge difference.. to the world as we know it..

There was a man taking a morning walk at the beach. Along with the tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind.. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive.. The man picked one and threw it into the water.. doing it repeatedly.. another person behind him asked what he was doing.. how many could he help in those hundreds of starfish.. what difference would it make.. The man silently picked another.. threw it into the water and said.. "it makes a difference to this one."