Which starfish will you save?
I’m sure you have come across the “starfish story”. In case you haven’t, it goes something like [this](tab: https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/fun-learning/young-people/eco-anxiety-resources/starfish-story/):
A great storm had caused thousands of starfish to become stranded along a beach. The tide was going out and they didn’t have long before being baked by the sun. A little boy was picking them up, one at a time, and throwing them back to the sea, when he was approached by a man.
The man said to the boy “why are you doing this? There are thousands of starfish – you’re never going to be able to save them all. There’s no point, you won’t make a difference.”
So the little boy paused for a moment in thought, before picking up another starfish and hurling it into the sea.
The little boy looked up at the old man and said, “I made a difference for that one.”
It may very well be a clichéd story but one thing that stays with me is the value of seemingly inconsequential actions. At times when it feels like I’m banging my head against a wall, holding onto the possibility that my actions make a difference somewhere to someone helps me live according to my values.
The Singapore Oceanarium is a popular attraction in Singapore that attracts hordes of visitors. I have always been a fan of aquatic life what with all the Attenborough documentaries I’ve watched. Whales and dolphins fascinate me — one of my core memories is watching a pod of orcas swim near me off the coast of Hokkaido. But I have not nor do I ever intend to patronise the Oceanarium.
Why? The Oceanarium features 24 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (excluding the 3 that died before reaching Singapore) caught off the coast of the Solomon Islands. Imagine confining animals that can travel up to 100km a day within a series of interconnected indoor pools. Add to that stress all the other issues with human interaction and inhibited natural instincts…you get the picture. It’s not as though animal rights groups in Singapore have not brought up this issue, but Resorts World Sentosa (the owner of the Oceanarium) has turned a deaf ear to their pleas.
I’m not going to be able to single-handedly change RWS’s mind but what I can do is to deny it my patronage and discourage those around me from visiting. At times I wonder what difference my actions make, but thinking about the starfish story reminds me that any action does matter.
I hope you continue to throw the starfish you encounter back into the ocean too!