PROFILES IN COURAGE: THE MISSION

Once upon a time a very wise man was walking along the beach; the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a stunning woman dancing … well, it looked like she was dancing. As this wise gentleman came a little closer, he noticed that the figure in question was not dancing at all … she was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the sea.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The lady paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

To this, the young lady replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young lady, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

As she bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean … she said: "Hello Wise Man … It matters to this one.”

Profiles in Courage, a KBTVonline Productions web series, puts faces on people who are making a difference—one starfish at a time.

So often we look at the despair and suffering and great need all around us, and—overwhelmed—we look away, feeling helpless, powerless to help change “the way things are.” More often, busy in our own lives, we are not even aware of the terrible things happening to the people who share our world – half of the people in our world … live on less than one dollar a day.

Through this series of profiles, we hope to raise awareness of the great need for people to become involved in changing their world. We hope to encourage people to be courageous and, like Rigoberto Perez, to take the most difficult step of all—the very first one.