The implementation of the early stages of the peace plan to end two years of war in the Middle East has me thinking about an old story.
If you are like me and the following parable brings back unpleasant memories of preachers trying to guilt you into “saving souls,” I apologize. Thankfully, the story that has been told in countless ways carries different meanings than just a call to rescue people from eternal damnation.
An old man was walking along a beach and came across a young girl throwing starfish that had washed up on the shore back into the ocean. When he asked her why she was doing it, she replied, “The sun is up and the tide is out. If I don’t throw them back in, they’ll die.”
The man responded, “There’s too much beach and too many starfish. You can’t possibly make a difference.”
When she heard this, she picked up another starfish, looked at it, threw it in the ocean, and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
Most tellings of that parable focus on the dogged determination of the girl and the virtue of her singular focus, seeing one creature at a time as worthy of life. The old man usually comes off as cynical and demeaning of what he perceives as her naivete. But perhaps both characters deserve the praise we typically reserve for one.
Maybe this is really a story of someone who sees micro solutions and another who sees macro solutions to challenges.
Could it be that, outside the frame of “once upon a time” and “the end” of this story, the old man actually wanted to save as many starfish as possible? Is it possible that his interaction with the young girl reminded him of the importance of each individual, but also suggested to her the problem was broader than the one starfish?
A Parable for This Moment
Among the numerous ways social media has eroded our discourse, one of the most harmful is the distrust it has sown among neighbors who see the world like the little girl and others who see it like the old man. Point out a singular act of injustice somewhere and in no time at all, you’ll be accused of not caring about an injustice somewhere else. Celebrate a singular moment of liberation and just wait to be told you are ignoring all the injustices that made it necessary.
In the Middle East, the old man is right. There’s still too much to do.
Palestinians are still not free, living under the fist of a state that doesn’t afford them the rights of citizens, a state that has convinced much of the world that they are not even human.
According to the Associated Press: “Out of every 10 people, one has been killed or injured in an Israeli strike. Nine are displaced. At least three have not eaten for days. Out of every 100 children, four have lost either one or both parents. Out of every 10 buildings that stood in Gaza prewar, eight are either damaged or flattened. Out of every 10 homes, nine are wrecked. Out of every 10 acres of cropland, eight are razed (more than three out of every four hectares).”
Israel’s decades-long actions in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem have made its own citizens unsafe as well. In addition to the threat of blowback, they now live in a nation considered a pariah by most of the world. State-sanctioned violence and dispossession can both benefit and harm the residents of the country that enacts such violence.
And yet, in this moment, the little girl is right as well. Hostages and political prisoners are being returned to their families. The bombs have stopped falling.
Acknowledging what a blessing and relief this moment is doesn’t require naively turning a blind eye to all the other starfish washed up on the shore. It is simply a human and humane recognition that, at least for now, some are breathing at least a little easier.
For each of the lives lost, may their memory be a blessing.
For every family reunited with a loved one, may the celebration be sweet.
For all of us, may we learn to lay down our weapons of war and pick up the garden tools of peace.
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Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.
