Johannesburg 1

Rosebank is a privileged enclave north of the Central Business District in Johannesburg. I was up at 5am this morning and snuck into the hotel gym which technically didn’t open for another hour. I had the place to myself and watched the sun rise from my perch on the stationery bike.

A small group of men gathered outside a gate across the street. I later learned that they were waiting for the morning meal at the Catholic shelter. I’d witnessed a similar scene outside a hotel in Paris. How strange it was to hear homeless men speaking French.

I still had more energy to burn so I asked the concierge about a good route for a walk. She pointed me toward the side door and a small street busy with morning traffic. I walked north on a cobbled sidewalk toward a mall. People on foot were headed to the office and I passed dozens of men working on construction projects that seemed to be happening everywhere.

Halfway through my assigned path, I found a wealthy neighborhood tucked behind a school. The sky was bright blue, the air crisp, and I felt lucky to trade the smell of car exhaust for jasmine along the beautifully landscaped residential road.

Though the environment seemed welcoming, it was hard not to notice the security walls with prominently displayed signs, cameras, and barbed wire around every house. I said hello to several private security guards along the way and silently wondered just how out of place I appeared. I took a deep breath in a block or two when I heard peals of laughter and came upon a preschool just starting up for the day. After a long stroll the sun warmed up. I rounded back toward the hotel and stopped to chat with the homeless guys for a few moments.

Going out for a walk, taking a turn in a different direction, greeting both the happiness and the fear I feel — it all reminds me that freedom requires that we exercise it. Places become truly secure when people go outside, mill about and smile at each other. I know so much more about my own personal liberty from these walks. It’s easy for me to distinguish between the worries my mind produces and the instinctual responses that tell me when it’s time to turn back. It has also helped to feel more confident in my body — to actually feel the powerful rush that comes with danger and to learn how to manage it well. I find that I trust both myself and other people far more because of the exposure.

Of course, it’s true of speech as well. It’s not enough to have the freedom of one’s own thoughts. Democracies thrive when people say what they think out loud and it is the role of culture to give those cues. I’m off this afternoon to visit a place dedicated to such ideals. The Constitutional Court of South Africa — the building itself and its astounding art collection — was created specifically to ensure that people feel free and equal under the law when they enter the court. I fell in love with the project when I first heard about it and have tracked its progress ever since. As I was reminded again this morning, there’s a big difference between the idea and the actual experience. I’m excited to see for myself.