The Warning of Dissonance
A couple of months ago, while visiting my first grandchild's soon to be post-secondary home-away-from-home, we wrapped up the day by attending the Iowa State Symphony Orchestra's performance of “Pictures at an Exhibition” by M. Mussorgsky.
Discussing the event on the way home, I mentioned that one of the 10 movements was still gnawing at my nerves. I suspect this piece was difficult for the orchestra to play but for me, listening was intolerable. My research suggests that this piece might be “Catacombs.” Ear attention will be adamantly refused should I cross paths with this piece again.
The problem? Dissonance. The music just never resolved the clashing notes. Unfinished business had left me rattled.
Musicians use dissonance effectively (in my opinion) when introduced but then resolved forthwith. There is a satisfying relief when sounds move back into a blessed consonance. All is well with my soul as the sounds are harmoniously and peacefully resolved.
There is an unsettling harshness in daily life as well. Called cognitive dissonance, this arises when tension exists between our beliefs and actions. For instance, a salesperson's core belief is honesty. But truth might get in the way of a needed sale. Lying to the customer could provide a commission check to feed a family while staying honest may serve to initiate food insecurity. Tension.
I listen to committed Christians. I accept their proclamations. But lately, dissonance thrives as actions seem to reflect a polar opposite of professed words. My heart has become strained in this painful, unresolved dissonance. I cannot rest. All is not well.
This past week, I read an article that dovetailed with my frequent and bothersome thoughts and the forever abandoned movement discussed earlier. I could not look away from, “Stop Talking About Jesus.”
The author references a statement by Charley Crocket comparing two recent Grammy speeches. The takeaway? “Stop talking about Jesus and start talking like Jesus."
It does seem completely incongruent that many of us easily talk about Jesus but then have little to say regarding the illegal and brutal activities of ICE, the horrific conditions of warehoused captives snatched from the streets of our occupied cities, the persecution of LGTBQ+ citizens, a quietness around pedophilia, the earsplitting enthusiasm of racism, the separation of children from immigrant family members, the angry accusations spit toward purposefully dehumanized people groups, the withdrawal of USAID with its consequences of suffering and death, aggressive and illegal military strikes, and even the justified lies that coverup government murders.
The rationalization and justification for these kinds of activities should create cognitive dissonance for everyone that has ever contemplated good versus evil. This is especially true for self-professed Christians that believe in the self-sacrificial love of Jesus dying on a cross for "all" - no exceptions.
Pain is a warning to our physical being that something is wrong. Something needs intervention. Recovery might take medications, rest, surgery, or perhaps a new approach to diet and exercise.
Dissonance is a warning to our spirit. It tells us that something is wrong, something needs our attention. Our body and soul prefer order and consonance. When we are experiencing disharmony, we need to intervene and apply whatever remedies are needed to reinstate the desired stability. And certainly, in this moment of time, we are called to heed the warning.
Hearing this alarm requires follow through. Believing in a God whose light dispels darkness and whose love overcomes hatred, we rise. We discover that we need not live in this discord. Tensions can be resolved. Harmony can be restored. All can be well with our souls. This happens when we stop talking about Jesus and start talking LIKE Jesus. This requires congruence between our words and our actions.
We are the musicians who choose either a perpetual harshness (e.g. Catacombs) or the stable release of all-is-well consonance.
Our goal of word/action conformity requires us to ask questions. The exercise needs honest, self-reflective answers. It might also require others to help us see our blind spots. Harmony is a lifelong journey which will never be completed and will never end in full restoration while living on this blue orb. But with each small success, we become ever closer toward bringing the Kingdom of God closer to earth, to ourselves, and to others.
Maybe there is dissonance in your life. Maybe decisions, rationalizations, or justifications made do not match your beliefs. Perhaps actions are subverting your words. Listen to the warning. It is never too late to start living in consonance.
"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:17
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23