I was born in a Catholic family and was raised as such. I was quite curious and had an exploratory mind. I was fascinated by Nature, reality and truth. I even went to seminar to become a priest (I dodged a few bullets since a bunch of priests over there were accused and condemned for sexually abusing children while I was there!). However, I've always loved science and around 13 or 14, I really got into it and, realizing that science was bringing way better answers to my questioning mind than religion was, I quit the seminar (against my parents' will - but I was so firm in my determination that they eventualy had to let it go). I studied mathematics and physics and I took the decision that I would become an astrophysicist to emcompass as much physics as possible. Few years later, I graduated with a Ph.D. in astrophysics, had my own family, and a job. Still didn't know about humanism.

  I few short years later, our two-years old daughter died fron a myocarditis. and, fulfilling the statistics prophesy in such a situation, went through a divorce. This has been by far the darkest period of my life. I was going through some sort of Saint John of the Cross's dark night of the soul I guess. I read everything to try to find a meaning, a reason, or something for what I was goint through - boudhism, mytics' biographies, new age, philosophies... After a few years of erring between chaos, turmoil and exploration, I completed the loop and went back to science, rationality and secularity as the most solid pillars of my life. I basically came back to who I was deep within; I bridged back to my childwood's passions and dreams but with an experienced adult view on life. This created the proper conditions to discover secular humanism and recognized myself in it.

  I now realize that my meaning is self-defined and in the relations with others. I try to work on projects bigger than myself. And, most of all, I found out that, sometime, !%* just happens. And I am at peace with that.