Make a Difference

From the Whimsical Tarot, the King of Pentacles; from the Over the Moon Oracle, "Restriction:"

          Morrison has chosen Robin Hood to represent the King of Pentacles. Legend has it that the outlaw and his band of men robbed the rich to give to the poor (which I imagine included Robin and his men). I recently discovered another Robin Hood, a New York organization founded to improve the lives of those living in poverty by providing food, housing, education and job-training programs. Their goal is to assist folks so they can eventually stand on their own. I think the King of Pents would fully back such an approach.
          When I first saw the Restriction card, I thought the girl was being punished in "time out." But then I noticed the cobweb under the shelf and decided this was self-imposed due to stagnant thinking. Thoughts have great power. If we think something for long enough, it becomes a belief. If we believe something for long enough, it becomes a fact. Yet these "facts" aren't reality, we just operate as if they are. If you've ever volunteered to help the less fortunate (animals, people or environment), I'm sure you've heard the naysayers complain such help is a waste of time and resources. This kind of pessimistic thinking reminds me of the starfish story. A young boy was walking along the beach early one morning, tossing starfish that had been washed up and stranded by the high tide during the night. An older gentleman came along, and seeing the hundreds of dying starfish said, "You know you can't save them all. You can't make a difference - there's just too many." The boy held up a starfish before tossing it into the ocean and said, "But it makes a difference to this one."