You might be surprised by my response. Instead of patting her on the shoulder and comforting her, I shouted at her, “Are you worried about your husband, or are you worried about how many lives he may be able to save in that disaster area?”

      It was natural for her to be concerned for her husband’s safety. But because she was the wife of a missionary, her concerns should have been of a higher order. Rather than pray for her husband’s safety, she should have prayed that her husband could save as many lives as possible.

       Nothing exists for its own sake. That is not how God created the world. Man exists for the sake of woman, and woman exists for the sake of man. Nature exists for the sake of humanity, and humanity exists for the sake of nature. All created beings in this world exist for the sake of their counterparts. It is an axiom of Heaven that every being lives for the sake of its partner.

       Happiness is possible only in a relationship with a partner. Imagine that some fellow who has lived his life as a singer goes to an uninhabited island and sings as loudly as possible. If there is no one there to hear him, he will not be happy. To realize that we exist for the sake of others is the great achievement that changes our lives. When we realize that our life is not ours alone but is meant to be for the sake of the other, we begin to follow a path different from the one we were on.

       Just as singing to yourself will not make you happy, there is no joy without a partner. Even the smallest and most trivial thing can bring you happiness when you do it for another.