One of the things that keeps me open to unlearning is the recognition of how little I know. Yesterday, I came across a fascinating article describing the relationship between fig trees and the wasps which pollinate them.
Apparently, there are over 700 different species of fig tree and each has a special relationship with a different type of wasp. More amazing to me was the idea that fig trees sanction those wasps who do not hold up their end of the relationship by pollinating the tree. (They do this by unceremoniously aborting the larvae of free-loading wasps).
This, in turn, got me to thinking about how many other trees there are on this planet and wondering if they, too, have unique relationships with the insects that live on, around, and off them.
The honest answer is that I don't know. I suspect much of society also has little idea of the intricate and wonderful relationships which exist between the countless living creatures of this planet.
This vast sea of yet unknowable knowledge should keep all of us humble and, at a minimum, open to the idea that we may have to unlearn much of what we think we know about the world around us. I suspect it is deeper, richer and more beautiful than anything we can currently imagine.
