Where are we really going? What gives meaning and brings happiness? Why get up each morning? Why take in another breath? It's not enough to fear death - we need positive and passionate reasons to motivate our existence. Today, Kurt will discuss a journey to Mexico, and to sources of inspiration on his path as a theist. However like many UUs, I am an atheist. What then, you may ask, inspires me on my journey?

In my travels, I have been moved by nature. I have seen the rays of the morning sun slowly climb down the walls of the Grand Canyon, gazed upon wildflowers of infinite variety that filled an alpine valley, witnessed a sky so blue it hurt my eyes to look upon it and a quiet so complete that my heartbeat disturbed it. I have felt the rush of white water about me, shared wilderness with moose and deer, and stood on a mountaintop, all alone in the universe. My journey has also yielded knowledge and wisdom. There is always more to learn and in learning there is joy. The result for me has been self-respect and affirmation to supplant the uncertain approval of others. I believe that as long as we remain flexible and open to change, finding joy in seeking, rather than achieving, we never grow old. Yet nothing along the way has compared with human interaction. I have known true friendship, felt love and the warm acceptance of family and community, reveled in the innocent happiness of a child, and shared the tears of loss. I have known only snippets of passionate love, but have learned that connecting meaningfully with other human beings is a more lasting and certain road to happiness than ecstasy. Friendship outlasts passion and is much easier to find. This community has been a wonderful source of friendship for me and many of you are my good friends.

Life is a strange gift. It seems at once both perpetual and instantaneous. We live each day timelessly, just as the one before it. Yet without warning, youth, health, even hope for the future can quickly slip away. We get only one shot at living and the directions aren't included. Given this unjust state of affairs, what wisdom do I have to offer you on your journeys? What have I learned that I can recommend to inspire you, to help you find happiness? Just this: Experience deliberately in each moment the wonder of being, savoring the pain along with the joy. Share your life with others. Of all my experiences, I have found people to be the richest, most complex, and most difficult to comprehend. I recommend you treat others well, letting them know often how important they are to you. Don't let them slip away as I have all too often. Don't expect perfection and give more than you receive. It's all so easy to say and so hard to do. Along the way, celebrate the good times and don't pass up the nectar: inhale sunsets and be at one with beauty, exercise wit and logic, run like the wind, be exhilarated, and when you can in this frenetic world, experience infinite peace. Appreciate the diversity of life around you. Smile often and feel deeply, crave intimacy but realize that permanence is illusion and that solitude has its virtues. Be constantly surprised, never grow up, be aware of reality but don't accept it, and never lose hope. Above all, don't take life too seriously; laugh at it and you will be happy.

Do I myself follow these dictates? Not very often I'm afraid. Most of the time, I find myself bogged down in the trivia and minutia of daily existence, cursing my own imperfection and that of my circumstances. Yet here, in the warmth of this community, I can ask for forgiveness and a second chance. I vow to do better in the future, because in those rare moments when I do listen to my heart, I find the inspiration I need to face the world yet another day. May you also be inspired toward meaning and happiness on your journey.