I was tempted to include the video, below, as a coda to my opening post because its themes align so nicely with those that drove me to finally publish on Monday, but I decided it was more important to let my words stand alone at the outset.

This excerpt from Sam Harris’ speech to the 2012 Global Atheist Convention, which has been expertly synthesized with background music and images by YouTube user AJ Salas, touches on a poignant, but less obvious, aspect of living “against the grain” — being present in the here and now.   Continue reading →