Starfish, Revisited

My most popular post, based on what types of searches bring new people to this blog, is one I wrote when I just started this site, over four years ago, referencing the Starfish story. 

(If you don't know it, the gist of the original story is that one person can make a difference through their seemingly small actions.  My own take on this in my blog post was: yes, and, how can we still look for points of leverage to make impact on a larger scale?)

Of all the posts I've written over the past 4 1/2 years, what makes this post so popular, I've wondered?  What are people looking for when they Google "starfish story" and wind up here?

To me, it seems that there is a hunger for meaning and purpose in our world.  Economic downturn, global warming, ethnic violence, or war: it can all feel overwhelming and out of any individual's control.  How can I, Joe Schmo, impact any of these trends?  I see many people alternating between apathy, overwhelm and a sense of victimization as they consider what they can do.

Without downplaying what is true or real about these seemingly daunting issues — the economy is down, the seas are warming, people are killing each other — I think that we, individually and collectively, have more impact that we think.  We have more individual and collective power than we could possibly imagine. 

To quote Marianne Williamson: 

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us."

She goes on:

"There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do… It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

My sense from this quote, and the yearning for the messages of the Starfish story, is that it is time — high time — for us to individually and collectively wake up from our fears, our dream state of inadequacy, powerlessness and smallness, and harness our birthright of power and impact.  

The starfish, the oceans, the children, me — we all need you to do so.

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How does the Starfish story speak to you?

How will you step further into your light, your power, your purpose, your liberation from fear, today?