Nature's Symmetry

 A trip to the Aquarium can often yield very interesting insights into the way nature is. Looking at even something as simple as an archerfish using water to squirt its prey into the water, I am lead to think that it's a kind of miracle. How can the fish have even been designed in such a way that it could detect what's above the water, much less find a way to use water to shoot something back into the water? Even more interesting is how an archerfish can shoot something down to the water, and then allow its fellows to eat the prey instead of claiming it for itself. I believe that this kind of hunting works along the inexorable rules of connection. That is, the more one fish does its part in the hunt, the more it will be rewarded in turn by a strong school of healthy fish, which in turn increases its chances to survive and have food for itself. I wonder if perhaps this group dynamic helps each fish to survive better than it would have if it were strictly on its own.
     Somehow, I get a sense that reflecting on the wonders of nature can help people to trust in the ways of life, much more than they would when left to their own devices. I have found that nature actually has a kind of symmetry: there is a lot of symbiosis between creatures, and unexpected relationships as well. An example might be how the hermit crab has evolved in a way that it gathers discarded shells of mollusks and uses these to make its temporary shelter. Nature doesn't seem to waste anything, and this is truly what is amazing about it. But there is also a sense that nature provides certain grounding principles which allow organisms of very different genetic blueprints to thrive. For example, the circular shape of certain mollusks can allow hermit crabs to create a viable shell, without having to hide away in crevasses or rocky surfaces. It is as though the hermit crab is able to take the relative immobility of a shell and innovate it by using it to enhance its hunting or foraging abilities. Not only does this build on what the natural world has already left behind, but also uses the existing abilities of a creature to enhance those designs.
      When I visit the aquarium, I recognize that nature has so many interesting designs, and it makes me realize how miraculous the living world can be. But it also gives one a sense of humility. When so many species of fish, for example, are being endangered due to the obstructions created by human technologies, I wonder what we stand to lose if we allow these creations to die out. There is so much that we owe to nature in terms of our current technologies and designs--and so much we can learn in the future.