Dear Dr. Shermer,
I don't know if you'll have time to read this because I know you're a very busy man, but here I go. I'm currently reading The Believing Brain and absolutely loving it, and I'm really looking forward to reading The Moral Arc next. I suffer from a serious condition which I'm sure you're probably familiar with called depersonalization-derealization disorder. It can at times be a terrifying ordeal, and it makes up the backbone of my depression, but I'm delighted to say that your work is helping me feel a lot better about life and is helping me cope through better understanding my own brain.
I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, and I believed in the paranormal as well as every conspiracy theory under the sun up until about seven years ago, when I discovered the wonderful Penn & Teller, James Randi, and Derren Brown. Through their wonderful illusions and promotion of the skeptic mindset I was able to gradually completely abandon my once strongly-held beliefs and negative ideologies. I started reading the likes of Dawkins, Dennet, Harris, Hitchens and yourself, and reading every article and watching every video I could find relating to the skeptic community.
I'd like to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for the inspiration and insight you've given me over the years, (and still today,) by helping me better understand and appreciate the scientific method and also to better understand my own belief system, and use said knowledge to better myself as a person by trying to act less judgmentally to those who believe in all things pseudo. I honestly don't know how you're so brilliantly polite to cranks 'n' quacks in interviews, but your patience and kindness are certainly qualities that I strive to emulate in my daily life.
It's people like you who are making the world a better place through your wonderful motivational and life-changing work, and I look forward to what's yet to come. Wishing you all the best,
Sincerely,
Fionn C.
