You Made A Difference For That One

He who passively accepts evil
is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
He who accepts evil without protesting against it
is really cooperating with it.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Any time we speak out about the atrocities facing babies around us, we may face some backlash from those who refuse to acknowledge the damage they do to little ones by parenting in a detached, unprotective, or unloving manner. This may come in the form of violent birth, denying human babies human milk, leaving an infant to cry-it-out and sleep alone or 'sleep train'. Abuse may surface as genital cutting, or unresponsive parenting, leaving a child to sit as a "bucket baby" or be caged in a crib for the majority of their day, or simple refusal to learn why love matters. We cannot save all the babies and children (and future adults and society) out there from the pains and heartache and developmental problems that result from non-peaceful parenting. But whenever we share accurate information, whenever we speak up, whenever we defend those who do not yet have a voice for themselves and cannot yet defend themselves, we DO empower and equip and enable parents to make wise, conscious choices. And it is for this *one* who listens and invests in their innate mothering or fathering instincts that we continue to do the work we do.

Today, as I have been unable to save a newborn baby from the trauma that is genital mutilation in the United States, I encourage you to not become discouraged in your own work toward a healthier, happier, wiser, more peaceful world. Every single one makes a difference. And through each of YOU lives are changed every moment, of every day.

So don't be silent. And don't be discouraged.

Be brave. Be bold. Be smart. Be gentle.

And go love your little ones like you've never loved before! Because each one matters.

From The Star Thrower by anthropologist and writer, Loren Eiseley (1907-1977)


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 man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man 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 man 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 will die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, 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 man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."




Note: This is a true story that Eiseley wrote about. He was the 'wise man' walking the beach before his morning writing session. He encountered this young man throwing starfish back into the ocean and was forever impacted by the experience. His story is told in many forms, in many places - but rarely is credit given to Eiseley as the original author and subject of the narrative.