WAR AS AN EXISTENTIAL CHALLENGE: EXISTENTIAL FEAR

Abstract

This article examines war as a socio-existential phenomenon that profoundly affects all aspects of individual existence, raising questions about the meaning of life, moral and ethical values, and self-identity. The methodological foundation for analyzing war is based on existentialist principles, particularly the concept of «limit situations», which compel individuals to reassess their established ways of living.
The study explores how the circumstances brought about by war act as both a driving and transformative force. On the one hand, war dismantles the familiar world; on the other, it creates opportunities for self-discovery and a reevaluation of life. The author argues that war is not merely a historical or sociocultural phenomenon but also a unique existential challenge that pushes individuals beyond their everyday existence in search of new internal motives and meanings amid crisis.
The central focus of the research is the phenomenon of fear, which is one of the fundamental existential forces forming an individual's behavior in wartime conditions. The author observes that fear can, on the one hand, mobilize a person's internal resources, yet on the other, it can incapacitate them, leading to a diminished belief in life's values and heightened anxiety about the future. The article analyzes different facets of existential fear, including the fear of death, the fear of losing loved ones, and the fear of the unknown, all of which intensify in wartime. Furthermore, the study explores the temporal gap in human existence during the war, which fractures the sequence of past, present, and future, leading to a loss of personal subjectivity and identity. The author examines the «trap» effect within each temporal phase and its role in shaping different dimensions of transcendent fear in individual existence.