思想的珍珠篇13：Treasure Starfish珍贵的海星

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 he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"The young man paused¹, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean.""I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?""The sun is up, and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die.""But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach, and
starfish all along it? You can't possibly make a difference!"The young man
listened politely, then bent² down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said,"It made a difference for that one."There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our visions³ the power to shape the future. We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our stars wisely and well, the world will be blessed.
从前有一位哲人常到海边去写作。他有个习惯，就是在开始之前要到海边散步。有一天，他正沿着岸边走。当顺着海边向远处看时，他看到个人，那人的动作看起来像是位舞蹈演员在跳舞。他很高兴，以为今天正好能看到有人跳舞。于是，他加快步伐以免错过。当靠近之后，他才看清这是一个年轻人，他不是在跳舞，而是弯下腰来，从海滩上捡着什么，轻轻地扔到海里。他走近了大声说：“早上好！你在做什么？”这个年轻人停了下来，抬起头回答道：“把海星扔进海里。”“我想我问的是，为什么你要把海星扔进海里？”“太阳升起来了，潮就要退了，如果不把它们扔进海里，它们将会死去。”“但是年轻人，难道你没有看到这长长的海滩上面布满了海星。你起不到什么作用的！”年轻人有礼貌地听着，然后弯下腰，又捡起一只海星扔进了海里，穿过滚涌的波浪走了过来，他说道：“对于那一只就起作用了。”我们身边每一个人都有特别的地方，我们都被赋予了发挥某些作用的能力。如果我们能意识到那种天赋，我们就会通过我们的想象力，获得改变未来的力量。我们必须找到我们的海星，如果我们明智而恰当地把我们的海星扔进了海里，那么这个世界就得到了祝福

1 paused   

v.停顿( pause的过去式和过去分词 )；暂停；（按暂停键）暂停放音；暂停放像

参考例句：

• We paused for the red light at State College Street. 我们在州立大学大街上因遇到红灯而停了一下。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The joggers paused to catch their breath. 慢跑者们暂停下来以便喘口气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 visions   

视力( vision的名词复数 )； 眼力； 想像（力）； 美景

参考例句：

• I had visions of us getting hopelessly lost. 我产生了我们完全迷失了方向的幻觉。
• Finally he strode home reluctantly, with his poor head full of visions. 后来他终于极不情愿地朝家走去，他那可怜的脑瓜子里充满了各种各样的幻想。