Back on the topic of hope and aspirations, I take much of my lead on this from Carl Sagan, especially in Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot, and Billions and Billions.
If we choose to turn away from the wishful thinking that is our heritage (where we take everything we don't know about the universe, dress it up as a person or persons, and give it a name), then the alternative is the ongoing pursuit of expanding the boundaries of our knowledge.
I don't pursue that directly myself - I'm still playing catch-up on the many fascinating things we already know as a species. However, I do enjoy contributing in some small way to the toolset used by those who are exploring the boundaries of human knowledge.
In Babylon 5, there's a beautiful description of the Minbari religion seeing individuals as "pieces of the universe attempting to understand itself".
That's a lovely description of the way I see the world - once our basic needs for sustenance, shelter, companionship, relaxation and encouraging the growth of the next generation are dealt with, then I can think of no pastime more worthwhile than learning more about the way the universe really works.