Existential resilience of human being in the wartime everyday life

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of existential resilience in the everydayness of war. Authors pay attention to the main concepts of everyday life in the philosophy of the 20^th century, especially in phenomenology (E. Husserl, A. Schütz and T. Luckmann, B. Waldenfels, H. Lefebvre). Also, the specific features of everydayness in war times are analyzed. Authors state that the everyday life of war has a certain peculiarity, which can be explained using the concepts of “boundary situation” and “state of exception.” In a certain sense, the appeal to these concepts emphasizes the paradoxical nature of the everydayness of war since here there is a kind of departure from everyday life, the assertion of a state of exception, which is full of existential danger and at the same time a more significant concern for one’s existence. “Existential resilience” can manifest itself in many aspects according to different dimensions of human existence. Authors focus on two aspects of “existential resilience” in the conditions of the everydayness of war, which is full of experiences of the state of exception and boundary situation. The first aspect concerns overcoming the horror of war and anxiety about saving a life; the second is related to maintaining moral sensitivity and avoiding the trap of the banality of evil. Moreover, the existential resilience observed during times of war is intricately intertwined with the sacred and religious dimensions.