Can Clarity Confuse? No, It Is Just Zeitgeist
August 1, 2025
This blog post is the work of an authentic dinobaby. Sorry. No smart software can help this reptilian thinker.
In my newsreader this morning, popped this article “Why Navigating Ongoing Uncertainty Requires Living in the Now, Near, and Next.” I was not familiar with Clarity Global. I think it is a public relations firm. The CEO of the firm is a former actress. I have minimal knowledge of PR and even less about acting.
I plunged into the essay. The purpose of the write up, in my opinion, was to present some key points from a conference called “TNW2025.” Conference often touch upon many subjects. One event at which I spoke this year had a program listing on six pages the speakers. I think 90 percent of the people attending the conference were speakers.
The first ideas in the write up touch upon innovation, technology adoption, funding, and the zeitgeist. Yep, zeitgeist.
As if these topics were not of sufficient scope, the write up identifies three themes. These are:
- “Regulation is a core business competency”
- “Partnership is the engine of progress”
- “Culture is critical”.
Notably absent was making money and generating a profit.
What about the near, now, and next?
The near means having enough cash on hand to pay the bills at the end of the month. The now means having enough credit or money to cover the costs of being in business. Recently a former CIA operative invited me to lunch. When the bill arrived, he said, “Oh, I left my billfold at home.” I paid the bill and decided to delete him from my memory bank. He stiffed me for $11, and he told me quite a bit about his “now.” And the next means that without funding there is a greatly reduced chance of having a meaningful future. I wondered, “Was this ‘professional’ careless, dumb, or unprofessional?” (Maybe all three?)
Now what about these themes. First, regulation means following the rules. I am not sure this is a competency. To me, it is what one does. Second, partnership is a nice word, not as slick as zeitgeist but good. The idea of doing something alone seems untoward. Partnerships have a legal meaning. I am not sure that a pharmaceutical company with a new drug is going to partner up. The company is going to keep a low profile, file paperwork, and get the product out. Paying people and companies to help is not a partnership. It is a fee-for-service relationship. These are good. Partnerships can be “interesting.” And culture is critical. In a market, one has to identify a market. Each market has a profile. It is common sense to match the product or service to each market’s profile. Apple cannot sell an iPhone to a person who cannot afford to pay for connectivity, buy apps or music, or plug the gizmo in. (I am aware that some iPhone users steal them and just pretend, but those are potential customers, not “real” customers.)
Where does technology fit into this conference? It is the problem organizations face. It is also the 10th word in the essay. I learned “… the technology landscape continues to evolve at an accelerating page.” Where’s smart software? Where’s non-democratic innovation? Where’s informed resolution of conflict?
What about smart software, AI, or artificial intelligence? Two mentions: One expert at the conference invests in AI and in this sentence:
As AI, regulation and societal expectations evolve, the winners will be those who anticipate change and act with conviction.
I am not sure regulation, partnership, and coping with culture can do the job. As for AI, I think funding and pushing out products and services capture the zeitgeist.
Stephen E Arnold, August 1, 2025
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