Let me tell a story that is simple. This story is not about animals or kings and queens. It is not about the fulfillment of somebody’s fantasy. This story is about you and me , as we exist, as we are. It’s not a story about aspirations, because people’s aspirations depend so much on where they find themselves in this world. If somebody lost their child, they wouldn’t pray for money. They would pray for one thing and one thing only: "God, can you please have my child returned to me?” That’s it. If somebody has been told by a doctor, "You have cancer, you’re dying,” what do they pray for? Do they pray for higher education? Do they pray for another child? No. They say, "God, either make this as painless as possible or take away my cancer.” And if somebody finds themselves poor? They pray for money. Where we find ourselves in our lives dramatically changes our viewpoint on what our needs are, what the world is all about, what religion is all about, what God is all about , what everything is all about? However ‘ there is a reality:

 

The reality that you are alive. This is the most beautiful reality there is. Whether you are poor or you are rich . what do you really want in this story, this story about you and me? we have a chance to fulfill our real want. If we want this story to be nice, to have a happy ending, it can be so. So the question becomes, "What is our want?” Do you know what you want, what you have always wanted, what you will always want?. Remember’ that other people’s opinions and your own needs are two different things. If you have not looked at your real need, your want, all the opinions in the world are not going to take care of it. They are just opinions. (What do you want?) Let me tell you about a possibility as one human being to another. I propose that what you want in your life does not need a name. You can call it happiness, you can call it peace, you can call it freedom, you can call it joy, not a problem. Why? Because these are just different names for the same thing. When the heart is content, there will be joy. When the heart is content, there will be peace. What is the difference between darkness and light? In darkness, you cannot see. When you cannot see, you cannot avoid the obstacles. All of the stumbling blocks, all of the obstacles on the road do not disappear when the sun rises in the morning. But you can see them, and, because you can see, you can avoid them. Light doesn’t take away obstacles; light illuminates them. What do I give?

 

Igive an umbrella. I do not take away the rain. Rain cannot be taken away . it will rain. But that’s not a problem if you have an umbrella. Without one, you will become wet, and you don’t want to get wet. This life, in a way, is too short. It would be nice if you could make all your mistakes, get it all together, show up somewhere, and say, "Okay, I’ve figured it out, and I’m ready.” But it doesn’t work like that. We’re given some time, but we don’t know how much. In the beginning, we just want to be happy. That’s all we know. We don’t know about responsibilities. We don’t know about right and wrong. We don’t know about being human. But we know that we have the thirst to be happy, whatever that means. Good things happen; bad things happen. As a child, the level of optimism is at an all time high. Whatever happened yesterday happened, but today is today. No memories are kept, no blame. Whatever we did in that state was not pre-planned. We call this innocence, and to each one of us, this state of being is very beautiful and then we go through the period of learning—the grinding, pounding of information into our heads. The alphabet A, B, Cs. You don’t know why A is A. It just is. You don’t know why one is one. It just is. And you are tested on it. This keeps on going; you are being prepped for this world. What does that mean? It means that you have given up on your ideas, and you are now ready, willing, and able to take on the ideas that the world will give you, including how you believe in God. This is defined as responsibility. I call it "the giant leap of faith. And then an amazing thing happens. It doesn’t happen to everybody; it happens to some people. They meet someone who says, "No giant leap of faith necessary, you don’t have to jump. Just feel, feel your own thirst.” "The happiness, the joy, that you want in your life is within you, and the thirst for that feeling has to be within you, too.” Then they ask, "Could something really be so simple?” Yes, it could. Because you need to hear, you have ears. Because you need to breathe, you have a nose. You need to be able to see, and eyes have been provided for you. If you need this fulfillment , not want, but need, the thirst for it has been provided for you as well.

 

Find the thirst. That is recognizing, understanding your own innocence and not by concept, thought, ideas, or prompting from someone else. The need for fulfillment is embedded within your logic, but in the innocence of the heart. That’s where you will find it. And that’s where you have to begin. Likewise, If we are thirsty and go looking for water, we won’t get distracted: "Did you see that bird? Did you see that rock? Oh, look at that contrail in the sky.” No, No, the only word is water, water, water. It is a need, a passion. A human being’s true passion is to be fulfilled. And that passion has survived all our discoveries, turmoil, successes, failures, disasters, catastrophes. However fragile it may seem, it has survived. As human beings have become busier and busier with weapons of destruction, going to the moon, mapping the earth, inventions, discoveries—you might have thought this would have been forgotten. Languages have been forgotten; customs that survived for thousands of years have been forgotten. But somehow, the quest to be fulfilled has survived. Why am I telling you this? It is a bigger need than you realize. It’s huge. And you get to try every day, consciously, to be fulfilled, to be happy. There is no rewind button. When I have come home to this moment called now, I feel my heart dancing with gratitude. Perhaps tears come, but they are of joy, not sorrow. Every fiber in my being rejoices to be alive. I have no quest for tomorrow, or even the moment yet to come. And that’s good, because it is a moment that I could live in forever.