At school, I was taught to acquire knowledge as a means to an end. I studied history to write a paper; I practiced math problems to pass an exam. My experiences in nature were different. Curiosity didn’t lead to knowledge in pursuit of some kind of end point. There was no destination to be reached. Curiosity just led to more questions, which led to more curiosity. The more I learned, the more complicated, nuanced, and interconnected the world seemed to become—like exploring a house with endless rooms. Even without the satisfaction of a letter grade, I found that infinite trail of curiosity to
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