Why resonance is the key to connection
Rethinking Resonance: Exploring the connection between acceleration, disconnection and resonance
Dear Rethinkers,
What makes something resonate with you? It could be a book, a song, a film, or even a place. I've long been fascinated by the concept of resonance. If you’ve ever seen an opera singer shatter a glass with their voice (I have, once!), that's resonance. Or less extreme is that feeling of reverberation you get when you bang a drum or pluck a guitar string. Resonance underlies many aspects of our lives, including music, dying stars and viral videos.
I've realised that resonance is a powerful way to think differently about receptivity and responses – to an idea, a political message, or an image.
Why do some ideas and moments seem like an echo and leave a long-lasting trace?
And why do some people have an infectious reverberation, for better or worse?
Resonance manifests itself in such varied settings in our lives: art and culture are shaped by images, words and sounds resonating with us; politics by the opinions, policies, biases and world views that have resonance; our social media feeds are full of the content and personas resonating with millions of swipes (and algorithms); and brands, in many ways, are consumer culture promises of resonance.
So, what does it mean to live in resonance with the world, ourselves and other people? And why could answering this question help us address feeling disconnected? Whether that is to our workplaces, the environment, democracy or each other.
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