COMPASSION WITH INTEREST OR I KNOW A LOT (ABOUT A LITTLE)

Do you ever know something and then assume that everyone else knows it too?

I'm not talking about basic things that we all learn in school-

I'm talking about specific knowledge or wisdom that required effort to acquire
and then you conveniently forget that level of effort
so you can assume every person in the world is on the same playing field 
It's a weird kind of intelligence projection.
I do this a lot and it leads to a lot of suffering.
The interests and experiences that I've had over the course
of my lifetime are very different than every other person.
It can be dangerous territory to assume that a neighbor
sees the world the way I see it.

Here's a silly-ish example.
I know how to do lots and lots of plant related things:

how to grow them,

how to cook and eat them

how to diagnose disease or pest problems

when they bloom (or don't)

how tall they get

whether they like sun or shade, moist or dry conditions

I know many of their names and who they're related to and where they originated.

I know A LOT about plants.

I know them so well it's almost like they speak to me.

This knowledge feels so innate, it's like a part of me.

Sometimes, I forget that not everyone knows how to tell

that a tomato needs picking or a tree needs trimming

or that a rose bush is definitely dying so we should 
all say a prayer and move on.

It feels so obvious.
I don't even think about it anymore.

However, it's an unusual area to focus on and 
I didn't wake up like this.

It's the work of a lifetime of interest.

My grandparents and dad were tenders of green things their whole lives.

In high school, I was very interested in biology-
where I encountered an understanding

of photosynthesis, respiration, and genetics.

I built on this interest in science and took it to NCSU-
where after a few twists I ended up

with a degree in horticulture science.

I worked in labs, greenhouses, fields and backyards for decades-

both professionally and for my own enjoyment.

I wish I were being hyperbolic about this but some part of my
 brain is always interested in plants.

This interest of mine, this place where my attention wanders is a gift.
Because I understand plants, I use it as a baseline 
to connect other things I don't understand.
Like cars, mechanical things, and people.
This interest is being leveraged all the time.

It's also a challenge and an area I have to be careful.

Because this information is so readily accessible to me 
and moves so fluidly through my mind,

I can often assume that everyone else has it available to them as well.

I have to remind myself that my knowledge in this arena is specific, 

specialized and actually unusual in my suburban life.

This acquired focus has benefits to my basic life.

I won't spend time or energy pouring into a plant that is 
infected with a problematic

 disease or searching for the perfect watermelon in December.

I know there are other ways to spend my energy.

This is a dangerous space for a few reasons.

There are so many ways I could take this interest 
and turn it into a weapon-

to be used against myself or others.

For instance, it would be easy to look down my nose at people 

who have less knowledge in this arena;

to decide that I'm better in some way because of this interest.
After all, this information is all around.
If you don't take advantage of it, then
you're less than me.
It's not privilege, I worked hard for it.
Except, every ounce of time I spend on this interest
is a privilege and a choice.
I can use the gift to uplift or hold down.
My decision.

It would also be easy for me to decide that the 
best use of my knowledge is to beat it into everyone-

including those who have zero interest in plants.
I could go on and on-nagging 
my friends and family and complete strangers. 
I could shove the benefits of this interest down everyone's throat.
I could make it my life's work to FIX everyone else
and turn them into little copies of me.
If I did that, how long before we're all bored and sick of each other?
How long until someone else's natural interests are lost
or missing from our landscape?

I could decide that since I know 
a lot about this one area,

that there's nothing left for me to learn about this subject.

I could decide that an expert needs to have a posture 
of a closed heart, a stunted mind.
I could decide I'm only a teacher, never a student.

I could decide that learning about other interests is a waste of time-

after all, I know a lot about something already.
I don't need to learn anything new-
after all, it took a lifetime to learn this thing
and I'm not getting any younger.
I would limit myself and stunt my growth.
I have a lot of other interests-which ones do I give up?

There are so many ways that knowing 
can keep me from growing.

I'm hope you can feel the deeper metaphor here-
I'm not just trying to tell you that I'm a plant lady.

I know a lot about certain things that interest me.

I know next to nothing about other, very important topics.

The most useful attitude I can take when I encounter something new
is to be a student, to seek out the experts in that particular arena.
I have learned so much from my friends who are interested
in things that are different than me.
Politics, social justice, makeup, taxes,
environmental health, human health,
writing, laughing, living.
I know so little about so many things.
I'm enriched by other people's interests daily.

It's also important that I have compassion
and patience with other people's interests
even if it sounds terrible or boring to me.
What draws them to focus on that area?
Is there anything that resonates with me or 
a new perspective I could learn?

We're all connected but we're not all the same.
What are your interests or areas where you're an expert?
What are the areas that you struggle with because you
can't understand how anyone could be interested in that?