The Book
Starfish has been inspired by the book: The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom.
Their book describes how the most sustainable creators of change in human history have been ‘starfish’ ~ being self-sustaining groups working in collaboration with large networks of others. Alcoholics Anonymous and Apache Indians are two case studies presented.
In contrast, the term ‘spider’ refers to traditional centralised and hierarchical organisation structures which rely on control and command. History has shown how this system of organising is grossly unsustainable, with empires rising and declining plus having massive negative impacts.
Starfish highly recommends The Starfish and the Spider to all who aspire to play a part in the shift to sustainability.
“Cut off the leg of a spider, and you have a seven-legged creature on your hands; cut off its head and you have a dead spider. But cut off the arm of a starfish and it will grow a new one. Not only that, but the severed arm can grow an entirely new body. Starfish can achieve this feat because, unlike spiders, they are decentralized; every major organ is replicated across each arm.
~ The Starfish and the Spider”
Starfish Regeneration
The Star Thrower
This story has been widely adapted, drawing upon the original work by Loren Eiseley, as a metaphor about how we all can make a difference.
The story is about a person walking along a beach and throwing starfish back into the sea. The starfish had been washed high up on the shore from a great storm and were drying out in the sun, sure to die. At that moment, another person came walking along. They watched the star thrower in action and stared at the thousands more starfish washed up on the sand.
They asked the star thrower why they were bothering. In reply, the star thrower simply picked up another starfish, and while gently throwing it back into the sea simply replied: “Well I’ve made a difference to that one.”
Heavenly Stars on Earth
There are also traditional indigenous stories of starfish being created from a grain of sand falling in love with a star. This speaks of earthly beings finding love in the heavens as a powerful metaphor for the greatest mystery and love of all things ~ the spirit of life itself.
