The last three years of the pandemic have strained the mental health of all and tested the mental health of our democracies, perhaps beyond breaking point. How do we make sense of of the shared emotional experience of the pandemic, and what does it mean for the health of democracy. How can the history of emotions help us understand the experience better than 'collective psychosis', 'totalitarianism' or 'misinformation.' Listen to this rare, sober insight of a historian and former government official, who worked on the pandemic response. I reflect on the meaning of the pandemic for our minds, our hearts and our lives after pandemic democracy.

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