Hey Julian! Thank you for reading through and leaving a thoughtful comment. I agree with what you said about Thomas's statement being a bit overboard. I am not a Buddist myself either, but I do appreciate the principles and pillars of Buddhism (and I admit that I have learned a lot from then over the past six years or so). If you are familiar with Alan de Botton's work, who is a Swiss philosopher (also an atheist), he has written a wonderful book called, Religion for Atheists, in which he examines the idea of "borrowing from religions" without having to conform into the the doctrines of these organized religions 100 percent. Sort of like what philosophy offers as well.

Life is equally exhilirating and ripping, and this duality is not discussed in secular schools of thoughts as often, but are discussed extensively in Hidu, Buddhist, and even Daoist philosophies. The idea that things exist because of their polar opposites (day and night, sun and moon, women and men, darkness and light, good and evil), etc, and I think there's so much wisdom and often acceptance than can come from embracing that notion. - Rasha, editor at Elephant Journal.