I am a big fan of life, and quite fond of fungi for many reasons. They do some amazing things, and some of them are very tasty.

Some scientists have remarked that the unique genetic structure of some fungi seem to indicate an extraterrestrial origin. I dunno about that, but 'Omnivore' was one of my favorite books growing up. If I see a mushroom hopping about on one leg and peering at me voraciously with it's solitary eye, I will be sure to see if I have mixed my mushroom harvest up with LBMs on accident, rather than suspect alien fungal assault, however.

Mushrooms and I have an equitable arrangement: they want their spores spread and fertilized, and I want to make fertilizer out their delicious and sporulant fruiting bodies. Some folks consider predation a savage and one-sided affair, but it's mutually profitable for concerned parties at the species level. In this vein, I note the huge increase in population of species most amenable to domestication and consumption by H. sapiens.

Predators are essential to the prosperity of their prey, and most folks are unaware of this. As intelligent predators on all three kingdoms of living things, plants, animals, and fungi, we have potential ability to bless those species we find tasty with vastly increased population. Sadly, we have too often been merely mercenary in that act, and our rational capacity to deliver blessings to our prey has far to go before I would consider it truly beneficial.

At least by hunting and foraging wild foods I am certain of my beneficence towards the species on which I prey. I fulfill a natural role, and also a societal duty towards our environment, as I will defend to the death those environments on which I so enjoy depending, and the species that live there. After all my quality of life is utterly dependent on them, so they had better be able to depend on me in turn.