“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer still and called out, "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man 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 man, 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!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one.”
― Loren Eiseley
In an industry riddled with challenges, competing interests and seemingly endless uphill battles, we should always remember "the starfish story." As insurance professionals, we are given the opportunity to apply our expertise and experience to positively influence the lives of others-- to help an employer retain an employee despite their work restrictions, to help an injured worker return to wellness through productive, meaningful work, to prevent injuries from occurring. We have the knowledge and skills to help guide our insured employers and their injured workers through the workers' compensation system. A system that is rife with black holes -- one in which an injured worker can, far too easily, slip through the cracks. We can't convince every employer to offer modified duty work, nor can we convince every injured worker to take the steps to get off of their narcotic pain medications, nor prevent every injury from happening, but we can help in this case...and the next one...and the next one...
It may not always feel like it, but everyday we are presented with a unique opportunity to make a difference in our employers' worlds, our injured workers' worlds, and our own. What we do on a day to day basis may prevent us from seeing the impact we can have on the lives of thousands of injured workers and employers each year. Within the confines of our system, we can have a positive impact and successfully fulfill our promise to deliver a better outcome.
There will always be another starfish to toss back into the water, and with each one we have the responsibility to help them get back into the ocean.
