n. 1. inharmonious or harsh sound; discord; cacophony. 2. an unresolved, discordant musical cord or interval. 3. lack of harmony or agreement; incongruity.
All of us live with a level of dissonance in our jobs, relationships, church lives, etc. What we hold as convictions or values are not in exact accord with what we hear or what we must do, say, and represent. Dissonance can be as basic as who we are as a person not matching the personality or ethos of a family member, group, or organization. We will not agree with everyone on everything all the time, so dissonance is part of life. We learn to cope with or adapt to it.