In-between the Narratives: Freedom and Fear through the Pandemic. The Mystery of Health
In-between the Narratives: Freedom and Fear through the Pandemic. The Mystery of Health

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with the concepts of narrative psychology and ethics and aims to clarify the connection between different social actors and their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper explores the two main aspects of these reactions: freedom and fear. Through the Hegelian paradigm of a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, these basic individual and social sentiments will be interpreted in their mutual interconnection and subjectivity. The devil manifests himself hiding in the extremes and God – in the golden middle because love is a union of opposites, so Hegelian dialectics is at its best here. In accordance with public health policies and regulations, their impact on the everyday lives of individuals, groups, and nations will be analysed through the lenses of specific notions of authenticity and globalisation. Describing differences and finding similarities will be useful in recreating new space between the narratives where health will reveal itself as a mystery, involving our emotions, prejudices, trust, and entire multidimensional presence as grounded spiritual beings. The main questions to address here will be whether it is possible to use our capacities and stories to initiate significant social change and transformation, where fear, anger, or freedom may bring us to understand who we are and what our existential purpose is. To approach its objective, the article will evaluate online data collected from Internet pages and forums worldwide, thereby connecting seemingly contradictive positions. Only through rebuilding the collective psyche can traumatic narratives be rewritten and social cohesion restored.

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