Did you have a particular Sage in mind? LOL... or about half a dozen, since your questions are BIG ones?!? My guess is any sage worth her salt will tell you to go away, to LIVE with integrity and heart & REFLECT till your own answer comes. I say YOUR answer because I don't believe in THE answer. I'm not sure I believe in the concept of the Guru-Sage either. My favourite quote of all time: "The beauty of the Truth is it need not be proclaimed nor believed; it skips from soul to soul, changing form each time it touches, but it is what it is."
Every "sage" will have a different answer and the only one that matters is YOUR answer.
Nice response to an unusual question.
Haha, that's why I said, with my questions the Sage might just ignore me. Yes it is equally true that most of the answers come from within, but our human nature, always seeks validation.