Tell people the truth, says , a Christian Science teacher and practitioner in New York City. He doesn't care if they agree with him. He just wants to make people think, because, as he says, the stakes are high: Your health and safety depend on thinking correctly.
Martin Sirota and I meet at his office in midtown Manhattan on a rainy afternoon. A thin, exhilarating view of the city cuts through two windows into the small space. Look up, and you see the Chrysler Building spear into the clouds. Look down, and you see people and traffic crisscross in front of Grand Central Station. Like an Edward Hopper painting, the windows harmonize interior and exterior scenes. Noise and motion outside fuse with serenity and quiet inside. I pull up a chair in front of Mr. Sirota's desk. We talk. I begin ...
I was struck by what you said in our recent phone call, "I believe it's important to challenge people metaphysically—to challenge their thinking. Just saying nice things doesn't do it." Tell me more.
