"Army fosters sincerity over theatrics" – philosopher on finding happiness in military service and general life

hromadske: What is happiness from the point of view of philosophy and how to achieve it?

Volodymyr Yermolenko: Ancient concepts of happiness, even pre-Christian ones, associated this phenomenon with virtue. That is, a person who realizes a certain virtue is happy. This concept has been somewhat forgotten in modern times, as happiness has become identified with hedonism, pleasure, and the satisfaction of needs.

So, if you are naturally good, you have to develop it?

Yes. Happiness is the realization of something greater than yourself. This is an ancient Greek and Roman stoic concept. It is, in principle, in our tradition. For example, Skovoroda draws a clear parallel between happiness and feeling part of something.

It is also present in other interesting thinkers of the 20th century, for example, Abraham Maslow. Everyone knows his Pyramid. But few people see him as a philosopher of happiness. He was a psychologist, and he came to the conclusion that a person becomes happy when they realize a certain virtue that unites many people.

The closer the connection with something that started earlier and will last longer than you and your life, the more you feel fulfilled and happy. That is, there is a certain connection between ancient ethics, our Skovoroda, and modern research.

Both Maslow and Skovoroda and his concept of “kindred labor” also reflect on our self-expression. It's not about what a person wants to do now, but about expressing their inner essence, and realizing their potential. I also believe that this completeness is a component of happiness.

Happiness is undoubtedly connected with the future. That is, with the feeling that you have a tomorrow, you have somewhere to go. And this is a problem. Nowadays, many Western societies are experiencing disillusionment. They do not feel that tomorrow will be better.

So for me, these three elements – the realization of virtue, the expression of inner essence, and the understanding that you have a future – are the definition of happiness.

It sounds cool, but I think it's a kind of higher matter. And what is happiness for people who are not interested in spiritual development but in more mundane things: going to work, eating, and having fun?

I don't think this is a "high matter". Every person wants to be recognized for their personality and qualities, especially in our individualistic times. We feel good when we are the best at something or just good workers when we feel needed. Everyone wants to be needed.

And when are we needed? When we realize what we are most inclined to do, our inner inclinations, abilities, and a certain virtue. And even mundane professions like mechanics or tire workers are needed by everyone.

When he has a line of cars waiting him and he thinks, "Oh, what a great mechanic I am?

Yes, people will not come to him if he does his job poorly. I have seen many people working at tire shops who work hard. Sometimes for longer than necessary, and sometimes losing subsequent customers, but they don't slack off. They understand that if they do a bad job, they will not live up to the quality of their work.

Of course, this is the realization of the virtue you develop. But this is more about the professional context. In a personal context, we want to be needed for no reason, not for being the best at something. We want to be loved and accepted for who we are.

For the most part, love for no reason is only within the family. Maybe in some friendships. But you're right that this is probably also an important element of happiness – intersubjectivity. That is, a certain emotional connection, the presence of those people who accept us as we are.

What can one do to become a happy person?

It is very important to look for one's purpose, one's path, from a young age. That is, to feel the kindred labor that Skovoroda spoke of.  This is the main thing – your own unique path, which is the realization of your inner essence: what your heart is in.

Try different things until you realize that this is what brings you pleasure, joy and happiness. And once you find it, develop in it.

And if a person is just groping for the path or is still far from finding it, it doesn't mean that he or she is unhappy, right?

No, it doesn't. However, let me reiterate: happiness lies in going beyond oneself. Caring for others brings happiness. You care about someone, someone cares about you. All this intersects, becomes a network of care.

You need to find a balance between the individual and serving something big, so that you don't dissolve in it, burn out, or lose your health.

I have a question about the war. A friend wrote from the army and said that he suddenly realized that he was happier than ever before. He saved someone, was successful in battle somewhere. Does this mean that his best qualities were revealed in the war? 

I think there are several reasons for this. Firstly, in war, the relationships between people become different, there is more brotherhood and emotional connection, and less selfish individualism. That is, a person goes beyond himself to a greater extent. When they save someone's life or when someone saves their life, this is the highest manifestation of this phenomenon. The bond between soldiers becomes more valuable and stronger.

It seems to me that there is more sincerity and authenticity in the army, while there is less theatrics and narcissism. Perhaps this is what gives you a sense of happiness.

But I wouldn't generalize: there are a lot of unhappy people in the army, so we shouldn't romanticize war.

Of course. This is one of the options. Has the notion of happiness changed for Ukrainians before the war and now? Has it not been reduced to simpler things: surviving the night, hearing the voice of a loved one, knowing that someone has not died?

I think that our situation is the perception of life at the point when it can disappear. And, accordingly, we value these things much more than the people for whom they are guaranteed.

When you know that your city may disappear, or has already disappeared, or you are forced to leave it, you will love it much more than when you just live there and feel irritated by the bad architecture and utilities. That is, the sense of the fragility of life makes you appreciate it much more, and therefore be content with less, much less.

The problems with happiness in the modern world are often related to the fact that people demand much more from life than they used to. And the more they demand, the more frustrated and dissatisfied they become.

It seems that war generally ignores the problem of happiness. I talk to people who have been through terrible things. I don't ask them if they are happy, but I see that they smile and are happy. They explain that they have passed the point where all this could have disappeared.

Can they be called happy now? I don't think so, because they lost their homes. But the very fact that they and their families are alive is more important than some ideal of happiness.

That is, happiness is a luxury, and it is possible in societies that live in prosperity. Can I put it this way?

I think you can.

What advice would you give to readers who want to become happy?

First, to pay attention to the little things and imagine what would happen if they weren't there. You go out in the morning and feel the freshness of the wind. What would happen if you didn't feel this wind? I remember in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Barbossa, who was a dead man, could not feel the wind hitting his face. It was a great suffering for him.

The feeling of fragility, finitude, and limitation tells us that we need to appreciate it here and now, which gives us a sense of happiness. This is a great art — the feeling of the moment. This is the place to start.

The next thing is to go deeper into yourself and analyze what you do best, and do it every day. If you work in a supermarket or sell something and have a penchant for music, you need to practice music every day. Without practicing the things you're good at, you won't become the best. Then maybe you'll record your music, perform, or teach children.

Just like people train their bodies when they go to the gym, they have to train their essence, i.e. grow it. Each of us has this embryo in us. Paradoxically, we are born as a body first, and then we have to give birth to our essence. And this requires daily work.

Does this essence age like the body? Or is it a constant development?

It can grow old if you stop doing it, if you take the path of inertia. When it seems that you have already grown it, degradation immediately begins.

It's a classic phrase that you have to constantly develop. Once you stop, it's over. What else?

Start with sensory experience, with bodily pleasures, and gradually move on to the essentials—to what is inside you. In my opinion, the highest level is to go to this virtue—to its realization in your own life.

You mean talent, right?

No, it's a virtue, like courage, intelligence, or empathy. In other words, it's a talent that benefits other people.

You just made me contemplate this. I've been in journalism all my life, maybe not because I'm good at writing, but because it's how I realize the empathy I have by nature?

Yes, it is. Every profession is associated with a certain value, a virtue. Justice should be behind the profession of judges, and ideally, people with a keen sense of justice should go there. Unfortunately, this is not the case now, but it should be.

For journalists, it can be empathy, a desire for honesty, or a desire to explore and solve mysteries. Every profession undoubtedly has some kind of virtue behind it.