Quid gaudium est

Today I had an interesting epiphony. While at Mass I noticed a young man, a little older than I am, a senior here. In his arms was, as far as I could tell, his infant child. I don't know this young man personally, but I do have friends that know him and his girlfriend.
For the brief moment I saw him, a lot of thought came into my mind. How difficult of a journey has it been for him? How did his girlfriend react when she found out she was pregnant? What bumps did they encounter on the road to where they were? Did the thought of abortion cross their mind? Was it a difficult decision?
And as all these questions emerged, I had a realization: This is what love is. And this is what life is all about. I wondered if what people were really looking for in this world of misery and pain was simply love. What makes a couple with nothing going for them get married? What makes a young man decide to enter the seminary and become a priest?
I think that all humans really want is love. Love of God, love of a spouse, of a significant other. Love is what causes a basketball star to move to a different team for his child's well-being? What makes an adult take in an aging parent to her home? Love is what really drives us, what really makes us happy. This is why so many people who have nothing material going for them can be so happy. And this is also why people who have so much materially can be so miserable. The cliche, "All you need is love" maybe is true. Maybe if we stopped focusing on trying to get ahead in life and shifted our attention to how to love, we would be much more blessed people.