Jerry --

Then again, sometimes the happiness comes from the pursuit itself -- doing something, anything, often fights off dispair. Especially when the dispair comes from feeling powerless.

I truely believe that the purpose of life is to experience joy (whether that purpose is granted by a Divine being, or arose out of the evolutionary process is irrevelent, as far as I'm concerned). But that doesn't mean we ever come by joy easily.

After all, the purpose of a cactus's roots is to find water in the desert. But even so, keeping joy as the focal point of my thoughts and actions is a big help, even when that focal point is on the distant horizen.