Sabbath Thoughts: Tension as Sacred Space

Beauty withstanding the test of Time, Glastonbury Abbey, 10th Century

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV)

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live . . ."

Angst? Or tension?

I've been thinking a lot about the difference between these two since yesterday’s post....

TENSION:

A balance maintained in an artistic work (such as a poem, painting, or musical composition) between opposing forces or elements; a controlled dramatic or dynamic quality.

ANGST: 

A feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general

The poet and critic Allen Tate used the term “tension” to refer to the balance needed between the literal and the metaphorical meanings in a poem, and it refers to a mutually dependent relationship between these different forms of meaning.  Although the existence of both kinds of meaning in a poem creates a conflict, they are both necessary because it is this conflict or tension that gives poetry its meaning. 

So I pondered this as I was working around yesterday, and have some half-formed thoughts.

First is this idea of tension as "a balance maintained in an artistic work between opposing forces or elements; a controlled dramatic or dynamic quality."

If as Tate says, tension gives poetry its meaning, what can be extrapolated from that idea which can be applied to the "artistic work" of living one's life artfully or creatively, and then of course to the products of one's living creatively such as one's art or poetry or music, but also, and equally important,  in one’s relationships or work life, etc.   This idea or possible connection is especially meaningful if you are seeking to live your life in a different direction than the popular culture offers, 

I have more questions than answers about this right now I think . . . such as (and these questions are in no particular order):

What does it mean that most people, even many people of Faith, live their lives nowadays without much attention to the art of living it, with little interest in achieving a balance or harmony between their inner world and the outer world. It is the surface of their lives and the world around them that engages them . . . the material world.

How does that lack of proper understanding of creative tension relate to the modern claim that lesser poetry or art lacks the requisite angst, or rather they are lesser because they lack it, and lacking this "angst" the poems or paintings cannot make "profound" observations about the human condition or nature, or for that matter they cannot even be "good" poems or art?

That without challenge and pain and angst there is no real meaning . . . that in the celebration of the beauty, joy, and mystery of being alive nothing can be said of any real interest or value to the "thinking person"? (This is not to discount human suffering, which is quite another topic.)

That clarity is banal, and that obscurity to the point of meaninglessness is "thoughtful"?

That skill and craft are lesser tools for the poet or artist, if even necessary at all. That anything one calls a poem is Poetry, and everything one says is art is Art?

I want to understand this kind of tension more fully, and I want to understand how being more aware of it in my life and spirit can add depth and meaning and joy to my existence.

And I want to understand if possible what is the attraction of people today to angst, and this almost rage they have against meaning, and purposefulness, and Beauty.

art |ärt|

noun

the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power; works produced by such skill and imagination

Hmmmm........ nothing here in this dictionary definition about angst . . . .

Lots of pondering on my part and probably not much coherence at this point.

I just know that Life was not intended to be a conflict-free zone.

I also know that I want to celebrate the "tension" of being alive in this world, but I know that I must do that by making the right choices.

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV)

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live . . ."

And what shape or form do those life-giving choices take?   I suspect the most important choices of this type are the ones often most easily overlooked or discounted.

As for the great masters of literature, art, and music of the past, I don't think expressing their personal angst was foremost in their intentions for their works at all.
Indeed a kind of tension was there for them . . . the tension between whatever else was going on in their lives, such as ill health, or their awareness of the fleeting nature of time, or death and loss in war, and their desire or need to exercise their God-gift of creativity.  However, they did not lace their works with whatever angst they might have been feeling, inflicting it on future generations who would read or view their work, as though their personal angst was of primary significance.

Instead they celebrated the beauty and purpose they saw around them, even in the mundane, and tried to communicate, to pass on to those who would follow after, what they had discovered that was of meaning and worth.  That is not to say that all great poems or paintings were pretty or pleasant, but even so they were beautiful in their desire to be life-affirming and transcendent in some way.
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