Just added Firefox to the new computer and one of the extensions stumbled me into your forum. An atheist - yeah! Live in Australia, raised an SDA, but woke up to myself some years ago. Married to a catholic (yeah I know but I have an endless source of intellectual entertainment at the expense of her narrow mindedness). Don't get me wrong, love her with all my heart, poor misguided soul she is. Anyhow, have degrees in education and nursing and run a community welfare organisation supporting people with mental illness. Love my career, and love the perspective my clients give me on life and the universe.
Hope I can make some reasonable contribution to the debate, but please excuse my often simplistic approach to the meaning of life.
Welcome Horatio. Nice to see someone from the other side of the world here. (also nice to see that stumble is actually working, I just added the site to stumble yesterday....fun tool, I've found quite a few good sites that way)
Sounds like you have a very fulfilling career and a lovely wife (I've heard of too many cases where couples break up because the theist can't handle her spouse being an atheist).
No need to apologize for simplicity....we all create our own meaning anyway.