The zeitgeist is now, so how do you see it coming? If you miss it, does it matter? Is it better to miss it and then say “I told you so” afterwards?
Recognising what will trend is a science known to the wise and the idiots equally. It’s in the realm of spooky. Described but not proscribed. The bra salesman’s nightmare.
At street level, it’s possibly as simple as that brown sweater you just had to have last winter and couldn’t find because no one was selling brown sweaters. Chances are, you will only be able to buy brown sweaters next season. But there’s no guarantee. Zeitgeist – the spirit of our times – is a fickle creature. If you had gone into industrial-scale production with brown sweaters you could be disappointed.
You could grab the bull by the horns and create the zeitgeist yourself. Like Jeremy Corbyn. How could he know? Thirty years in the sand dunes, saying the same thing, and then suddenly, he catches the wave. Or maybe the wave caught up with him. Because let’s face it, he wasn’t the fastest surfer on the beach. And now he needs an industrial-scale surf board. Because if he doesn’t keep up, the Spanish wave of Labour lovers will sweep by him.
But enough of Jeremy. What about the rest of us, still searching for clarity?
Question: Does the refugee crisis constitute a zeitgeist?
Answer: Probably not, because no one could say they didn’t see that coming. And even if we hadn’t, who else would want to join in?
The spirit of the times is todays’ end game. The result of just enough deprivation or excess over just enough time to make us want something else. Either fewer bombs or a bigger sofa.
And tomorrow is another day.
Border Lines 