You Have This Freedom (If You Take It)

You have this freedom (if you take it). The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, the most powerful man in the world, could not take an anonymous stroll through the city. Safety concerns prevented it. His schedule was not his own. The closest he could come was a hidden three-hundred-yard passageway of zigzagging ramps that carried him from the palace on the Palatine down to the forum, safely separated from the streets. Or the Palatine Stadium, a private walking track used only by the emperor. We, on the other hand, have this freedom. And what do we do with it? We sit on our phones. We sit at our desks. We drive even short distances. And in the process we deprive ourselves of a bit of nature, a bit of exercise, a better sense of our neighborhood, and one of the most basic forms of movement available.

The freedom we take for granted