次一个的逐一丢回水中。那男人感到十分疑惑，于是走到那个老人身边问他：「你好!请问你在做什么呢?」那老人回答：「我把这些海星丢回海里。你看，现在已经退潮了。如果我不把它们丢回海里，它们就会缺氧而死在这里。」那男人当然能了解这种情形，但是他仍旧感到疑问：「但是海滩上有成千上万的海星，而你不可能把它们全丢回海里啊!它们有如天上繁星，更何况在这么长的海岸线，这样的情形很多，你这样做并不能改变什么的。」那老人，仍是弯下腰再度拾起另一只海星。当他把海星丢进海中的时候，说：「这只海星的命运改变了」。有时候我们会觉得一己之力实在太小了，在整个大环境里或许是没有改变，但或许这个小改变却改变了小环境的整个生命。
The Miser 守财奴
A MISER sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements. He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it. The Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations. A neighbor, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said, \but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same service; for when the gold
was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it.\有个守财奴变卖了他所有的家产，换回了金块，并秘密地埋在一个地方。他每天走去看看他的宝藏。有个在附近放羊的牧人留心观察，知道了真情，趁他走后，挖出金块拿走了。守财奴再来时，发现洞中的金块没有了，便捶胸痛哭。有个人见他如此悲痛，问明原因后，说道：“喂，朋友，别再难过了，那块金子虽是你买来的，但并不是你真正拥有的。去拿一块石头来，代替金块放在洞里，只要你心里想着那是块金子，你就会很高兴。这样与你拥有真正的金块效果没什么不同。依我之见，你拥有那金块时，也从没用过。”这故事说明，一切财物如不使用等于没有。