East of Eden: An existential view of the pandemic

ABSTRACT

In this chapter the author explores the challenges to individuals and communities. Drawing on the existential human givens, introduced earlier, he considers how the pandemic has drawn attention to these existential challenges. In particular, he considers changes in our relationship with our mortality, the importance of the relationship between freedom and responsibility, and how lockdowns and social distancing have changed our relationship with others. He then looks at how the pandemic has called for us to re-examine what is meaningful and how we position ourselves in relation to our pandemic experience. This includes the need to accept the responsibility for creating meaning, and to take on a creator rather than a victim role. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Monica Hanaway;individual chapters, the contributors.