A community is a group of people united through a common struggle with the same stories.
In Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and surrounding areas our struggle is against poverty and injustice. In many places we have visited the struggle underneath the poverty line is a difficult one and that is only what we have seen on the surface. The same stories just with different faces are brought to our attention during our visits and this can get disconcerting but it makes me think of the following story...
Once 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 girl, and that what she was doing was not dancing at all. The young girl 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 girl 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 girl, 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 girl bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, she said, "It made a difference for that one."
Thnaks to Loren Eiseley
