Celebrating The Arch
Tomorrow, we will have the honour of hosting a Civic lunch for Archbishop Desmond Tutu who, amongst his many other accolades, is a Freeman of the City of Cape Town.
It will be our chance to celebrate a man who has given so much to our city, our country and the world. It is easy to feel caught up in the forces of history. The great tides that sweep us all up in events. Sometimes, however, there are those who stand apart.
There are those who, through sheer force of will and armed only with the power of the truth, emerge as figures above the great events that encircle us all. It is a strange paradox. They become giants above the very fray that created them. They become the shapers of a destiny of which they were part.
In times of conflict and difficulty, there are many acts of individual heroism. There are countless unsung heroes who give everything for a greater justice even if there sacrifice occurs, as it almost always does, at a personal level. But when times are darkest, it can be lonely to stand up and be counted.
You cannot always see those who stand around you, driven by the same yearning to be free. In that silence, you need, more than ever, to know that you do not stand alone.