The Uncontrollability of the World

by Hartmut Rosa

I describe this as the uncontrollability of resonance, which means, first, that there is no method, no seven- or nine-step guide that can guarantee that we will be able to resonate with people or things. Even if we attempt to adjust and arrange all subjective, social, spatial, temporal, and atmospheric background conditions so as to facilitate an experience of resonance, it may yet turn out that our romantic date, the view of the mountains at first light, the music heard from the most expensive seats in the house, all leave us “completely cold,” that we will find ourselves unaffected and unable to make a connection. We experience this on Christmas Eve, for example, when we try to shake off the pre-holiday stress, to flip the switch, to be entirely there for our loved ones, to let ourselves be moved by the biblical story, the solemn carols, the Christmas spirit—in short, when we try to listen and respond. The risk of alienation is never so great as on this night, although we may have a very similar experience at that candlelight dinner with our beloved or at that concert by our favorite star. We can never predict whether or not resonance will transpire and, if it does, how long it will last. Resonance is inherently uncontrollable. Just as with falling asleep, the harder we try to make it happen, the less we succeed.