A while back, Daven wrote in one of his blog entries, “Recently Mike Nichols and I wrote articles taking opposite sides of the same argument, the semantics of Witchcraft and Wicca….

“At no time did he and I get into any kind of debate or argument. He and I are friends (at least on my side) and if there was any competition, it was friendly. I’m happy his article is getting the response it is, and I’m gratified to see that others are understanding where I am coming from as well.”

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank Daven for his continued friendship and echo the same sentiments, that he and I are friends “on my side”, too. In today’s world, it is critical to understand that people may have differing opinions on various subjects, and still maintain mutual respect and friendship.

For myself (and I suspect the same is true of Daven), I often tell people that I don’t give a “tinker’s darn” about whether readers agree with my views or not. But if I can merely stimulate them to *think* about the reasons they do the things they do, then I have done my job as a writer. A critical thinker like Daven does me an enormous service when he points out passages in my writing which strike him as flawed in some respect, thus allowing me to fine tune them. I may not end up answering all his (or anyone else’s) objections, but the fact that someone has taken the time to read and *think about* what I’ve written is the highest compliment any writer can be paid.

Bright Blessings,
Mike Nichols