Top Three Lessons We Can Learn From Fungi

We can’t deny fungi are fascinating. They communicate amongst themselves, have a symbiotic relationship with trees, and come in various types. Did you know we can also draw a ton of lessons from them? Today we will go over the top three lessons we can learn from fungi. We hope you enjoy it!

It’s Okay To Experiment

There are so many benefits to growing your mushrooms at home. It’s almost like a science project. You go out, forage, and harvest them, but the fun comes with experimentation. You can create new ways to cultivate and breed them to create new strains. The mushroom growth process is difficult and certainly delicate, but that’s part of the fun. Finding new ways to make the process easier and tweaking the mushroom growth process are activities that teach you that it’s okay to strike out on your own and try something new.

Cooperation Is Key

There’s this organism called “lichen,” which is a form of algae mixed with fungi. These two organisms work together on a symbiotic level and take advantage of the other organism’s strengths. Algae harvests energy from sunlight using photosynthesis, and fungi absorb nutrients from the soil. The point is obvious—they’re stronger together. Human beings are the same way. Altruism creates stronger social bonds, and cooperation is necessary to survive. Symbiosis teaches us that. Cooperation is a key lesson we can learn from fungi.

Distributed Authority Solves Deep Problems

You’ll be surprised how effective a system of checks and balances can be in regulating a system. Mycelium grows in a decentralized fashion and spreads for miles. Because there’s no “head of the dragon” to attack, a piece of mycelium can go awry without it taking the entire system of fungal mass with it.

Far from a call to democracy, you can see this in every level on the planet, from neural networks in the brain to a board of directors discussing who to hire for a position. Similar to cooperation, we need to have a system of decentralized authority to survive. If we keep this in mind, we’ll be able to thrive. If one part of the ship goes down, everything else won’t go down.

This has been an excellent foray into the wonderful world of fungi. There are many other cool facts about these organisms, and we hope we have sparked your interest in the topic. Happy foraging!