The tortoise or the hair?

[+ purplekow]

My friend is not likely to learn anymore from me than he already has and I have no desire to teach him about the errors of his ways.

[+ FreshFluff]

Rescuing one tortoise is like bailing out an ocean. The more effective solution is to build alternatives to crossing the road, but that generally only happens if roads are threats to species survival.

 

The fact that you weren't far from the salon and that it was a wild animal whose lifespan you have no real control over were factors. Vary those factors, and my response might change. If I'd been by myself and felt I could stop and rescue the tortoise without putting myself in danger, I would have done it, and I commend you for caring enough to do it. My "bailing out the ocean" comment is an explanation of why I wouldn't feel guilty for not stopping right then if the tortoise got itself in trouble in the meantime, not an absolute rejection of rescuing the tortoise.

 

Sorry, but I'm less practical. I couldn't help but feel sorry for a poor little turtle on its back. I'd want to take it home with me and take care of it.

 

I couldn't help but think of this well known story:

 

A man had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.

 

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

 

The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”

 

The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

 

http://eventsforchange.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/starfish11.jpg?w=300&h=210The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977)