Yesterday, Sunday 13^th, Cape Town once again hosted the Big Walk. This has to be one of the biggest sporting events we get to see each year. Over 35 000 people get up early and equipped with walking shoes of various shapes and colours to challenge themselves to walk one of ten routes ranging from 5 km to 80 km. The organizing committee from Rotary and Spartan Harriers get up a lot earlier to marshal, pour drinks, massage and manage the participants and the event. So much energy goes into making this day a success. People cooperate, collaborate and work together. Different income groups, cultures, ages and religions all come together for the greater good of walking.

Yesterday was no exception, even through rain, hail and thunder the event was a huge success. I walked 13 km from Retreat to Mowbray and finished in a good time. (pat on my back) This all got me thinking about how much we could achieve if we as a city, or nation worked together for a single purpose. The amount of energy and gees we could generate would be exponential. Yet even after such a successful event, this morning so many of the people who walked side by side yesterday are once again competing against each other in traffic, business and ego. We changed overnight back into the ‘what’s in it for me’ mode again and all the cooperation and collaboration gets left behind in a distant memory.

What needs to be done to find that common thread that sports does so well on Saturday and Sunday and bring it into the business arena on Monday to Friday? How different our world would be if, even in rain and hail we could walk together as one for a common purpose with enough energy and enthusiasm to stop traffic at every intersection.