In October 2010 I accepted an invitation from Google to attend a meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its name intrigued me from the first moment and then completely captivated me: Zeitgeist.
On YouTube I found a summary of that experience, which in some ways resembles TED and RSA.
(At the bottom of the screen, in CC you can choose subtitles -captions- in Spanish. All the talks are in zeitgeistminds).
Of German origin, zeit (time) and geist (spirit), the concept could define the soul or sense of a particular period in history, as a reflection of the ideas and beliefs of the time. It could be said to refer to the ethics and morals of an era and a place, as well as the collective spirit of a time and space as a reflection of its culture.
If history is the result of the actions of heroes and geniuses, as Thomas Carlyle argued, the zeitgeist could be the influence of a few. In Costa Rica then, it could be that the zeitgeist of our times is influenced by Franklin Chang and Jorge Jiménez Deredia, by Oscar Arias and Laura Chinchilla, as by the scorer of the national championship or the first Tico to reach Everest.
However, if we take art as an expression of culture, as Hegel understood it, we could agree that we all influence to a greater or lesser extent the spirit of the times, particularly in this era of unprecedented interconnection. Thus, Chamuko and Amelia Rueda, my friends on Facebook and every tweet at 140 characters or less, also influence the spirit of the times.
In this video from some time ago, we find the concept eloquently summarized.
We influence each other in a shoal of billions of people. I love it! Particularly since the zeitgeist will always be a complex interpretation and decoding, though less so today than before because of resources like the one we have at keyboard distance, with Google as the prime enabler.
Possibly Google today has the best interpretation of the zeitgeist, not only from the perspective of the moment but of trends and their evolution. From the most basic, because our searches are a reflection of our interests.
Just by discovering the topics of the moment, the most intense conversations, the most sought-after concepts, we find glimpses of the spirit of the times in constant transmutation. These days it is more political and electoral, while tomorrow it will be more about soccer in the World Cup. A natural disaster will always change it, as any reckless or revealing video can do today.
The zeitgeist is a living reflection of our identity in transition and everything we do. For this reason, in whatever activity you find yourself in, it makes sense to understand the zeitgeist and all the opportunities it offers, the clues it sends and the possibilities it points to.
It is the spirit of the times.
