The Source of Joy and Happiness
By Chaplain William Stewart

Hello Yokosuka, I have a quick question for you! Is there anyone out there who absolutely detests the thought of being happy?

If there really is anyone out there who prefers to be unhappy,

PLEASE see a chaplain immediately!

It seems like a silly question doesn’t it, because I have to believe that everyone in this world (with a healthy mind) prefers to be happy and full of joy.

And it didn’t just start yesterday; it has been a part of human existence since the very beginning of time.

Even the forefathers of our great nation believed in its pursuit so much that they included it in our Declaration of Independence as an actual, human right!

Close to the beginning of this incredible document, it says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The difficult question then is not whether we want to be happy or not, but how exactly we find the sustained source of this coveted emotion.

Interestingly, happiness has become a big research topic in the world of academia these past few decades.

Oftentimes masked in the term, “Positive Psychology,” great minds like Albert Bandura, Martin Seligman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and many others have been exploring just what it is that brings a smile to people’s faces and the beautiful feeling and perception that life is truly great.

It goes without saying, that if someone could just crack the code to finding out how people can be happy and stay that way, then surely the world would be a brighter place to live for all.

I guess it goes without saying that whoever cracks this code would also be very wealthy and happy indeed… well, sort of.

Sadly, the truth of the matter is, many people are not happy.

In fact, the increasing frequency of suicide in our country and military, as well as even that of our host nation, is sad evidence that many people are so unhappy; they would prefer death, rather than life.

This baffles my mind, but we simply cannot ignore the statistics and reality of those stats.

Maybe you are like me, asking the very simple, but sincere question… why?

Could life really become so bad for some people that the incredible gift of life is no longer seen as a gift, but a curse?

Although it is a simple question, we need to understand that the complexity of suicide’s nature and drive is very deep.

When I myself face difficult questions such as this, I usually go to the source of my faith and the greatest encyclopedia of life I have ever known… the Bible.

It is not surprising to me, but the answers non-religious researchers are coming up with in regards to happiness are the very same that my faith and Bible reveal to me.

Summed up, the single most important aspect in regards to joy and happiness in life are relationships.

When people feel loved and cared for, and they themselves love and care for others, a miraculous dynamic occurs which was actually planned out from the beginning of time.

Life becomes full of joy and is amazingly resistant to the things most people in this world would call joy breakers!

That life and the pursuit of happiness then becomes not dependent on anything this world has to offer in materialism, prestige or power, but that true happiness comes from God and the beautiful gift of relationships, love and sharing life with everyone who is created as equals on this earth.

Perhaps the problem then with happiness and its fruition, is not so much finding the source, but whether people will believe in it enough to actually accept it and live it out, once it is discovered.

For me, my time at Commander, Fleet Activities, Yokosuka (CFAY), has come to a close, but my joy and happiness has not.

That is because my joy never came from the abundance of never ending work (wink)!

But it also did not come from anything that many would call prestigious, nor any materialistic gain.

My joy and happiness has come from you; my relationships and love that has been felt from an incredible group of people who serve each other and our great nation in the cause of freedom and pursuit of happiness.

Scriptures like John 15:9-17 affirm for me, that caring for others and being cared for by others makes joy in life, complete.

Folks, I am happy because life is truly good, and it is good because of God and people like you.
 
It is up to us now, to share our joy with others through showing them that they too are cared for and loved.

I would be remiss if I did not say a special thank you to certain people here at Yokosuka.

First, my colleagues and staff who work at the Chapel of Hope right now have been nothing short of incredible.

Their professionalism and love for people in the maritime services has been deeply inspiring to say the least. Gambatte (good luck) Religious Ministry Team!

As always, you have your hands full, but will always shine because you are just that good!

To the CFAY leadership, wardroom, chiefs, staff and shipmates, God bless you!

It is no easy task you have, but you do it day in and day out with so much pride and professionalism, it makes our base shine as the greatest the Navy has to offer.

And finally, I want to say a very special thank you to the folks who produce the Seahawk-Umitaka newspaper.

To Michelle Stewart, Jeffrey Doepp and the other editors and staff who make this paper happen, I can honestly say, you make the Seahawk newspaper the number one (Ichiban) military base newspaper I have ever seen in my 26 years of serving in Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club!

God bless you all and may joy and happiness always fill your hearts and lives as you share that same joy with others!