here's the perfect finale to your post SteyrAUG, which I must say is absolutely correct...
7.) The ultimate goal in life is happiness. If you must go so far as to say, when you get older, that your life's worth has only been the sum of its many parts, then make sure you maximize the number of parts that HAVE, DO, and WILL make you happy. Whether it be a wonderful relationship with your husband/wife, exploring your faith and becoming one with your (respective) God, staying healthy, loving, protecting and rearing your children, forming bonds with friends and family, or giving 50% of your income to the Hannah Home every year, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
You may have a particular purpose on this earth (such as our friend's Steyr's is to, I'm sure, one day form his house into a giant armory when Ragnarok and Armageddon come, so that he and his friends may fight evil with extreme prejudice until he runs out of ammo). You may be a believer and subject of fate and destiny. You may find that your position in the world is to become a missionary, live-saving surgeon, world-renowned scientist, or a member of a space colony expedition. Whether it is your intent to make a difference in other people's life or not, the conclusion is that your actions, decisions, and relations to others should be an immediate result of how happy you think they will make you.
I learned this from my grandfather years ago, he is an avid Baptist churchgoer and choir director. He is one of the most loving, caring, thoughtful, and pure people I know of. He has been using this rationale for years, and it has impacted him in many ways. For him, doing responsible and helpful things for others, introducing others to the faith of Jesus, and improving his own moral habits are what make him an honest-to-God HAPPY PERSON. This might just be the one single best thing I have ever learned in my life, and if it makes any sense to you, I hope it changes the way you think about yourself, your loved ones, and the world in general.
Jew~