I will show how walking makes us social, by freeing our hands for tools, and for gestures – movements that allow us to signal meaning to others. Walking allows us to hold hands, sending out signals of exclusive romantic involvement; walking allows us to provide physical support to each other; marching in protest is a common feature of our free political lives, which is why the prevention of assembly and of marches is one of the first orders of an autocrat. Walking is good for the body, good for the brain, and good for society at large.
