Nature, rendering a service to others, whatever your understanding of service is, and art are the only substances I know of that are powerful enough and work at a basic enough level to console the despondent. Think about what this excludes. It excludes the pursuit of money. It excludes accolades. It excludes interminable self-analysis. If you seem to find a high functioning service, like contributions to open source projects, or a startup, purposeless, try offering the most basic types of service. Give the hungry food. Give the naked clothing. When you speak with someone next, do not merely interact in a way that leads expressly to your purpose and the conclusion of the encounter, but rather take their present experience into consideration and say something they will remember because it comes from a place of care. Offer care and you will find yourself fluent in the language of caring.