Tensions and Resolutions

(The stuff of life expressed through harmony)

By Mehry Lalezarian

Tension is everywhere. It exists in every step we take as we move against gravity. It's in our

muscles as we carry bags of retail therapy (😉 ) and in our minds as we contemplate critical

choices. It's part of our relationships with one another when our opinions or actions conflict.

Over time, we become desensitized to the emotional and physical effects of the stress we

encounter. Our reactions are automatic and can sometimes create even more tension—like

holding our breath when lifting weights or responding with a smart remark when we feel unseen

or hurt. Yet when we learn to resolve these tensions in healthy ways, we begin to discover the

wonder and meaning that surround us. Whether we are stuck in gridlock traffic or navigating a

strenuous relationship, challenging truths coexist with the immense potential for calm. There's a

hidden parallel between these realities of our life journey and their counterparts in the realm of

music. Bear with me as I take you through the depths of this concept.

Considering our interpersonal relationships, it is simple to see that our connections are inevitably

prone to lack in one way or another: a lack of perspective or understanding, a lack of confidence

or respect, or an imbalance in the love we give and receive. In the absence of a well-balanced

connection, a yearning for resolution is born. It’s much like turning page after page of a

captivating novel, eager to discover how the story unfolds.

Think Arabian Nights: a woman creates stories of irresistible suspense and intrigue, night after

night, in order to save her own life. For one thousand and one nights, she tells an ongoing story

to keep the king captivated and eager for more. Eventually, the king—who, following his wife's

infidelity, had come to believe that no woman could be trusted and had ordered the execution of

each new wife at dawn—abandoned his destructive ways in favor of peace and harmony. It took

just one brave woman, Shahrzad, to navigate the situation and bring about relief. The king's lack

of a broader perspective on women, in fact, created the possibility for resolution. By the end of

their journey, the king had fallen in love with Shahrzad, fathered children with her, and cultivated

a relationship rooted in love and mutual understanding.

Resolution acts as a conductor for a sense of joyful elevation.

So it also goes with how we encounter music. The beauty of music involves a great deal of

interplay between tension and release. Each piece intrigues us because of its own signature

character. We get hooked by a beautifully bespoke banter between consonance and dissonance

(peaceful versus tense sounds), much like a flirtatious foxtrot or a love-hate romance. For the

listener, the interplay of tension and resolution operates behind the scenes, quietly shaping the

emotional experience of the music. This oscillation between opposing forces continues

throughout each piece. Powered by the composer's inspiration, this interplay continues all the

way until the descent of the final cadence brings the music to rest.

It may be impossible to determine without a doubt why we so enjoy this interplay of sounds.

However, if we consider the prevalence of tension and resolution all around us as earthly beings,

literally from the moment of conception, we can recognize something uncannily similar in the

phenomenon of music. Seemingly, this carefully orchestrated convergence of sounds mirrors our

deepest human desire for resolution. As we listen, there's a harmony so marvelous and flowing

that we lose track of which parts are tension and which are resolution. We simply experience the

back and forth as something viscerally wonderful.

Just as the ebb and flow of ocean waves creates a soothing rhythm for those listening from the

shore, music reflects a similar movement between discord and peace. The natural flow of music

has a way of soothing us that is difficult to articulate, much like the ethereal experience of love.

Indescribable, often unattainable, yet we crave love always—through conflict, through tension,

through reaching, through feeling, ultimately through contraction for expansion. Living and

loving, along with all the trials and tribulations, is where we feel our existence to the fullest. And

isn't that what we are all here to experience, after all—elevation and advancement through the

feeling of love?

Art forms never fail to speak to us because it is through them that we catch a reflection of our

deepest desires.

Our intrigue with art is an ode to the joys of life itself.