Obscurity, it not only protects, but is cool

The noblest aim in communication may well be incomprehension. To be understood is to be pinned down, catalogued, and filed away like a tax return. To remain opaque is to retain mystery, power and security. After all, consultants thrive not by clarity but by jargon. Politicians survive not by honesty but by ambiguity. The cult of clarity didn't really make it too far. Most folks are more besotted about pronunciation and other nonce optics/acoustics. This, obviously, is a remnant of humbug. We're told to 'say what we mean' and 'mean what we say'. But meaning is so overrated. (Ask any political party spokesperson.) A speech everyone understands is a speech that everyone forgets. A memo that is clear is a memo that is disposable. The misunderstood, by contrast, linger in the imagination. Think of Kafka, whose sentences are long labyrinths. Or central bankers, whose statements are so cryptic that they move markets precisely because no one knows what they mean except by the colour of their tie.

In a world drowning in TED Talks and 'explainers', the truly elite should aspire to bafflement. To be misunderstood is to be quoted, debated and misinterpreted endlessly. It is the secret of immortality. Clarity is mortal, obscurity divine. The next time you open your mouth, aim not for comprehension but for confusion. Trust us, you'll be remembered.