Safety third, not first

Boyd Varty has a bit of Bear Grylls about him. He grew up in the eastern part of South Africa, near the famous Kruger National Park on the family game reserve, Londolozi. It’s an amazing-looking place, where Nelson Mandela went to recover after his 27-year imprisonment.

Last month Varty came to the end of a remarkable project. He’d spent 40 days and nights alone, living in a treehouse on a remote part of the Londolozi reserve. On each of those days he posted a short reflection via podcast. I enjoyed these wide-ranging reflections immensely, especially one titled “Safety Third”.

“I think that safety occurs in three phases,” explains Varty. “The first phase—and probably the most important—is a mindset and an awareness that