Thank you, for your thoughtful reply, Salman, and the introduction to @wwf. Yes, I, too, believe we are spiritual beings and that we are happiest when we are serving others and promoting peace. _/|\_

Here's a quote that's been on my mind this morning:

"An individual human existence should be like a river: small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being."

—Bertrand Russell