Think Pad

It Makes a Difference



Two roads diverged in a wood, and I... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. - Robert Frost



An early morning, a wise old man was standing on the beach throwing back the fish that had washed ashore in the night. The man was old and weak. Each throw took a little more energy out of the man, but he kept on throwing. The beach was covered with many fish and so one could hardly take a step and not find another dying fish. A young man approached the shoreline and asked the old man, "what are you doing?" He replied, "I'm making a difference." The young man looked around and laughed. "A difference? There are probably thousands of fish on this beach; you can't possibly think you will make a difference." The old man picked up another fish and said "It makes a difference to this one..." and threw it back into the sea.

If one wishes to make a change, the commitment should go deeper than volunteering. We should have the guts to leave the secure and stable havens of the established arena, courage to break the rules and challenge the stereotypes. It may be a big leap, but we should go ahead. Throughout the centuries there are men who took their first steps, down new roads armed with nothing but their own new vision. The saying 'amateurs build the ark and professionals build the titanic' should be borne in mind. Then we can work wonders.

- Nagamani