The moment we teach a child that a tree is a tree, they’ll never see a tree again, at least not in the same way they did before the label.

We humans have the ability to name and label the elements of our world. We teach children that a tree is a tree, and in doing so, we provide them with a powerful tool for navigating and understanding the world. However, this act of naming also has a profound consequence: it can change the way they perceive and experience the very things we’ve labeled.