Unbelievable. I just wrote the longest post ever and it didn't go through. Maybe it was a sign from god that I was talking too much.
Okay, I will summarize with this (still long, but cut down by half!)
1) It is a good idea to at least know how to drive a stick, for emergencies and unanticipated situations (rental cars, esp. in Europe... they look down on Americans for not knowing how to drive sticks).
2) Sticks make the driver more aware, actually, of what's going on with the engine, speed, torque, etc. But the act of shifting is pretty much unconscious for me... I never take my eyes of the road, and I certainly don't look at the tach. This is something you have to learn over years... just listening and feeling the car as you drive, not shifting when the little arrow lights up. That's why driving a stick actually makes you more conscious of the car, whereas automatics cause you to take it all for granted. Sticks are also much more effective on hills, whereas automatics are only decent for level roads.
3) Good driving is all about knowing the rules, and knowing which of them are more like "guidelines" (thank you Pirates of the Caribbean). Sometimes you have to break a law to make sure you are staying safe, believe it or not. I don't trust people who just know the rules and keep to them... I trust people who know their limits, know their car's limits, and who drive with confidence instead of fear. Healthy fear of driving is good, but not when it intimidates you from making a good, instant decision that may mean life or death, regardless of the rules.
4) I enjoy driving very much, and I see it as a challenge and an art rather than a chore. I always aim to improve my driving (these days I struggle with speed and wanting revenge on tailgaters, though I have reformed my illegal-parking ways, at least). I learned the most about driving from steering crew shells (60 feet long, 9 people's lives at stake, in the pitch-blackness at 5am with life-threatening unlit barges and buoys approaching at any time, in addition to very unpredictable weather and water conditions)... my coach, a Marine, DRILLED it into us: SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, act instad of react, ANTICIPATE EVERYTHING. Never panic, never feel that you've lost control, never be passive... and never refuse to yield. This is my attitude while driving, too... so far, 0 accidents.