Recognizing my limits - and knowing why!

I've recently been involved in a tri-cornered email exchange, questioning the ethics of killing living creatures in order to progress up a meaningless league table. My co-correspondents were both, eloquent and, committed to their opinions, based upon years of experience within their hobbies. It was a genuinely enlightening exchange, I learnt much about our quest for knowledge and the complexities of taxonomic study. The outcome being that I was way out of my depth! There are guys out there who are not just able to see a "Gnat's cock" but can id the species of gnat involved.

Haven't got a clue - I won't be reporting it ,so it doesn't matter.

My non-sensicle drivel, of yesterday, being an acceptance that nothing quite adds up (in my opinion!). I have to bow to the superior experience of my fellow man - those who have devoted a massive amount of their lives to these incredibly specialist areas, so much so that they are now experts. Elitist? No - I don't think that does justice to the true passion which can drive an individual to become such an expert. OK - it's a minority pursuit/interest; doesn't mean that it's not still a complex subject, requiring many years of study to approach anything close to mastery.

A different day, a different insect?
There are so many more important things, going on in my world,
why does the id of this creature matter? - I simply enjoyed the encounter.

I've had my doubts, as to the value of this stuff, but find myself in utter admiration of the skills possessed by certain individuals. They have chosen their fields of expertise and become true craftsmen  - many self taught. I now realise that my pathetic efforts are an insult to their endeavours - so it is quite right that I don't attempt to detract from their essential data gathering by submitting my own sightings (all highly dubious).
It is true that I have half an idea when it comes to capturing the, coarse, fish native to the UK. I'd like to think that I can hold my own within a UK birding context, UK moths, dragonflies and butterflies are also within my comfort zone - anything else and I'm clutching at straws! I'll have a bash, but without any confidence - it is not important to me. It is incredibly important to others, so out of respect I will not submit any records of my sightings and I certainly won't kill an invertebrate purely because it might be something new (to me)!
As I said yesterday; anything related to our relationship with the natural world will produce a very emotive response, as many sides of an unknown fence, seek to impose their opinions. My last venture was enough to demonstrate that I'm better off keeping my gob shut!