Starfish - Part 1

 Most have heard one version of the Starfish story.   If you've forgotten, I'll provide one version.

There was a fierce storm on the Oregon coast.   It caused a huge ocean storm surge.   The next morning after the tide had ebbed there were thousands of starfish stranded on the beach far from the water line.  They were all destined to die on the beach.  A young woman came to walk the beach - something she did daily.  As she walked with every step she reached down, picked up a starfish and tossed it into the water where it would now survive.

A man watched her. (In this story the hero is almost always female, and the cynic is almost always male.)  He calls to her "Why bother?  There are thousands of starfish.  You can't help them all.  You can't make a difference."

She called back as she reached down, picked up and tossed another starfish, "I made a difference to that one."

So, this is about individual voluntary acts that are intended to promote some greater good.  The question is whether these acts are like the starfish story or are, indeed, futile.

Let's look at some examples.

We all know the damage to the environment caused by plastic waste.   We've all read and seen pictures of the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.   It's awful.  I refrain from using plastic.  I bring my own bags to the grocery store.  I never buy water in plastic bottles.  When I order water in restaurants, I always make a point to tell the server not to bring a straw.   

Does it matter?  

The answer is clearly no.  No individual volunteer actions will stop the spread of plastic waste.  My actions will have no impact on the plastic waste in all of the oceans.   Even if the action is replicated by thousands of others, it will make essentially no difference.

Another example.

There are lots of folks who go hungry every night.  We've all worked in soup kitchens, donated to food banks, etc.  Does our voluntary action matter?   If the goal is to end systemic hunger the answer once again is clearly no.

Another example.

There are lots of folks who lack decent housing.  I've donated to Habitat for Humanity for decades and worked HFH projects in the past.  Does it matter?  In this case we do have a starfish.  Homes get built one at a time and each time one is completed a family's life is transformed forever.

Getting back to the examples without starfish.  If the voluntary actions have no negative consequences, then even though they don't do anything to solve the systemic issue there are no drawbacks to the actions.   However, if the actions with no starfish and these acts have a cost should they be avoided?   Should we consider these acts without starfish simply vanity efforts?  Are these acts that psychologically benefit the actor while making little or no difference to the issue at hand.    

Put more harshly, are they a waste of time?  If they have no cost it doesn't matter.  The avoidance of plastic presents no dilemma.  The food bank donation is not so easy.  Clearly there are both costs and benefits.  Do the benefits justify the cost or could the resources be used more efficiently elsewhere?