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I'd like to start this talk with one of my favorite little stories.

It's called The Parable of the Prickly Porcupine.

It was the coldest winter ever, so-called that many animals froze to death.

In an effort to save themselves from this icy fate,

the porcupines decided to gather together to fend off the chill.

They huddled close to each other, covered and protected from the elements

and warmed by their collective body heat.

But their prickly quills proved to be a bit of a problem in close proximity.

They poked and stabbed each other, wounding their closest companions.

The warmth was comfortable, but the mutual needling became increasingly uncomfortable.

Eventually, they began to distance themselves, one from the other, scattering in the forest,

only to end up alone and frozen.

Many died.

It soon became clear that they would have to choose between solitary deaths and the frigid wilderness

and the discomfort of being needled by their companions' quills when they banded together.

Wisely, they decided to return to the huddle.

They learned to live with little wounds caused by the close relationship with their fellows

in order to benefit from the collective heat they generated as a group.

...