When I first started working in Asia as a travel photographer, over twenty years ago, I heard about the starfish parable. Since then I've heard many renditions of the same story. The premise is about a novice monk and his mentor who are walking along the beach after a storm. Starfish have been dislodged from the reef and washed ashore in their hundreds.
The mentor bends down to pick up a single starfish and carries it back to water, carefully and with intention. The novice is a little confused, as he surveys the rest of the beach and the hundreds of starfish remaining. He asks the mentor, "There are so many starfish here, you cannot save them all. What difference does it make, to only save the one starfish?"
The reply is simple enough, "Well it makes all the difference to that starfish."
The parable of the starfish is important when faced with overwhelming need. We often want to change the whole world, but in truth we have to start with our own world. Focusing on the good things we can do around us helps us to feel that change is possible.
I don't think any of our team are under the delusion that our production will change the world. But if we're very lucky, maybe it'll change the world for a few really special people.
– Ewen
Joy of Tashi
The story of a young monk in Nepal, on a journey to discover where photography and Buddhism come together.
Meet Tashi
