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Pope Benedict XVI called on people to never be satisfied with their earthly achievements because true happiness entails seeking out the greater good. He said people should "not be discouraged by fatigue or by obstacles born of our sins," because striving for the greater good is demanding and cannot be built or provided by mere human effort. During his general audience talk to some 20,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pope spoke about "the mysterious desire for God," which lies deep in every human heart. Despite rampant secularization and people's claims of being indifferent to God, an innate yearning for God "has not completely disappeared and still today, in many ways, appears in the heart of mankind." People always strive for happiness and a well-being that is "often far from spiritual," and yet they are also aware there still remains a deeper yearning for something that could truly satisfy their "restless heart," he said. "Every wish that arises in the human heart is echoed by a fundamental desire that is never fully satisfied," he said. True love pushes people to think beyond themselves, to be at the service of the other up to the point of self-sacrifice, he said.
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