How to be happy in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The topic of war and military service is relevant for many Ukrainians. Many men and young men who had many plans for life and were moving in their own direction in life were mobilized to defend the country from the aggressor Russia. P. S.: many people already write "Russia" with a small letter, which reflects how low the moral state of this country has fallen, which went to encroach on lands that are foreign to it. But my article is not exactly about that. I would like to move to the level of a military person and express my thoughts on how, from my relatively short military experience, it is possible to truly live life, being in a military unit 6 or even 7 days a week and depending on the rules of the Armed Forces Charter.

I have been serving since the spring of 2024, and the first period was really psychologically difficult and incomprehensible for me, because it so happened that I did not go into service myself, although I had planned to voluntarily join the Armed Forces of Ukraine for some position as an IT specialist. However, the army is usually the first to dictates its conditions and expectations from a person: from small everyday things to those related to career/service growth. And one way or another, you are forced to adapt to these conditions.

You will probably say that happiness is a rather individual concept, and you will be right. What does happiness depend on? From the realization that you are valuable and important to someone, from something that God gives or gave you, sometimes from success and self-realization, from a sense of personal freedom and opportunities... In the end, from the fact that you are satisfied with where you are moving in life, because if you are not sure where your life path will lead you, then there is no point in getting happiness. Even when this path is full of trials and pain, if you know what you are fighting for, if intangible values ​​are embedded in this struggle, and if you are not alone in this struggle, you will surely be happy. But does suffering (including from health problems related to service) and when brothers die, and when life is at constant risk, bring happiness? I will write my thoughts about this below in the section "The ability to find happiness in a combat zone". When I thought about what we are fighting for, first of all, for freedom: the freedom to think and speak freely, to build a life and your own independent projects, the freedom to go to church regardless of denomination (and freedom of religion in general). Russia is trying to spread its influence on the world and turn the territories it has captured into slave societies, where other values ​​will prevail, pleasing not to God but to the Kremlin. Will such a society be happy? Most likely not. Understanding this, you invest in building the good for your native country, protecting the rights of society in the way that you can now, and the happiness of the country as a whole. We become happier when we share happiness or provide it to others. If you are a military man and doubt this, think about it more on a local level: how you can support a comrade, somehow improve the lives of yourself and others to the extent that is possible for you. It is no secret that many of them can catch up with the influx of the necessary hormones of joy through alcohol. And you can replace this with good, pleasant conversations with them, do art with them in their free time, buy chocolates for friends, dream together.

When you realize the importance of the work you do, this also causes a feeling of happiness, albeit at a minimal level. I realize the importance of my work in the military structure. Why? Isn't it more important for me to personally grow in my field as a developer, build my own career and my own life? From my hundreds of thoughts on this, I would say that to some extent yes, but if you look at my place in this world from another perspective - more global - it becomes clear that I am doing some useful work not only for my cell, my country, but also for peace and justice and the spread of the Kingdom of God in the world. Poles and other Western neightbours of my country are scary of the attack of Russia. These citizens are also afraid that their freedom will be stolen by a great empire that stands on the side of evil. This makes me think about how important my work as a military man, as a local unit, is. In one way or another, I join in the defense of human rights. I have a rear service, but that also counts :) Other military men directly serve, repelling enemy attacks, protecting national values, building a material and spiritual shield against the enemy.

The happiness of a soldier is the happiness of any other person. And the truth is that a person's resource is finite. He cannot constantly put himself at risk, constantly be under stress, or even simply do the same job in the backcountry. Someone must replace him. Unfortunately, our state has not yet managed to ensure such mutual assistance, when some serve for 5 years and are dismissed for two years after that, while others take their positions. Most soldiers serve without a term, because the war continues and it is not known when it will end. This is a good reason for high-ranking officials and officials to think about introducing the necessary changes in legislation and making society and families happier, because in this we become more invincible and ready to continue the joint struggle. But this can also be a small call to think, to those who are not yet serving.

A good way to be happy in the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to serve while also taking care of your personal life: take annual leave, see your loved ones, go for walks and do horizontal bars whenever possible, play tennis or the guitar, make new good friends, move towards your long-awaited marriage (if you are not yet married, although, in my opinion, you need to be happy even before marriage), get to know the city near your military unit by taking local excursions, join a conference on your professional direction, listen to music that fills you spiritually, etc. If you have the opportunity (your working hours are 5 and a half days a week, as in the unit where I serve) and your health allows, join a group in some kind of art, or a community service, or a church team in something. It is not for nothing that they say that rest is a change of activity. The main thing is that the community you choose should lead you to your God-given calling, and on the other hand, that you feel that you are a significant part of this community. I will not write about trips to relatives on weekends, since few people manage to do them, and not every leadership can give permission. If you stay in the unit for the weekend, buy a good book, learn something new and exciting, listen to a Sunday sermon that will build you up spiritually. Some psychologists recommend doing something you have not done before, or, for example, walking new roads. If you love animals, get a pet for yourself - in my experience, the military leadership should not be against it.

Why was the first period difficult for me?

When I was taken into service, I did not know what to expect next. I was not satisfied with the position I was given at the beginning, and I did everything possible to change it, and I succeeded. Words of apostle Mathew 7:7-8: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Insist on what you consider valuable and fair, and eventually someone will respond to you. So, if you also feel that you are in the wrong place for you, and your service does not bring you any moral satisfaction – let your military leadership know about it. If there is no position in your military unit where you could serve, or senior commanders cannot offer you anything, find a position for yourself in another military unit. Today, this is easy to do through the "Army+" mobile application (you can apply for a new position once every six months after serving in the current military unit). First, look for a unit with good command, which is not indifferent to its subordinates and their fate. Try to choose a good position for yourself, where you could grow. I understand that not all commanders are responsive commanders, there are many with whom you would not want to deal, but fate brought them together. In this case, call for help from a military lawyer, try to insist but with wisdom and with a balanced, not hot-tempered mind, knowing that the commander is also accountable to his superiors.

The ability to find happiness in a combat zone