"This is not a fairy tale" but the title of a speech
This speech was delivered on 22 January 2018 by Ms Sarah Ben Messaoud at the time of the 2018 entry of the French Brussels Bar.
A speech imbued with fantasy:
“Mountains of gold coins, expensive carpets, silk fabrics, diamonds, rubies, silverware. The cave is bursting with treasures. I am Ali Baba. I have a house made of gingerbread. I am Scheherazade. I have golden hair, a blue beard and glass slippers. I am Tom Thumb and Little Red Riding Hood. I have a magic wand. I have come across ogres, fairies, goblins and sorcerers. I have an enchanted Castle. I am the Little Prince and Puss in Boots. I have swords, a horse-drawn carriage, a flying carpet and the key to a treasure-laden cave.”
… and with reality!
“Heroes create, travel and explore according to their desires. Anything is possible. Years have gone by and my daily life has changed somewhat. Case files have replaced treasures, conclusions hold no magic formula and clients are rarely Prince Charmings.”
A committed and ambitious speech:
Sarah took us on a walk like no other, “the walk of alternatives”. On the way: an urban garden, cooperatives such as Bees Coop, repair cafés, local exchange trading systems (L.E.T.S.) or knowledge-sharing networks (K.S.N.), couch surfing, wwooffing, and many others!
Then, she depicted the sad finding that our current business model was out of breath, and that more precisely, “the society as a whole is in an economic, social and environmental crisis and more fundamentally in a crisis of meaning.” And yet, “crisis is a driving force for reinvention,” she exclaimed in this old law courthouse we call ours. Faced with the threat of a world heading towards ruin, she pointed to “these citizens, associations and businesses who have decided to have an impact at their level”, according to her, “desires are born to devise innovative and promising ways forward”. The return “to sobriety and frugality” is advocated from a perspective of “living better”.
The heroes of her story are therefore “these citizens, these associations, these businesses: ‘a sentimental crowd (that) is thirsty for ideals’”. This thirst for ideals is “a need for action that is guiding the current transition to a new model of co-operation and sharing which is gradually replacing that of selfishness and individualism”.
In conclusion, her deepest wish was to offer one last reflection to those in attendance at the assembly for the re-entry of the Bar in 2018: “What is the lawyer’s role in this world in transition to greater sharing?”
A lawyer intervenes “at the heart of human relations and strives at any time, at all times, under any circumstances to live it together”. Their mission is to “promote good human relations”. Sarah challenged her colleagues: “It is essential that, in this transition to a more collaborative way of life, we play a driving role”. Precisely because “living it together is at the heart of our mission”.
A lawyer not only has “the task of ensuring – like a stationary lookout in their watchtower – compliance with rights and freedoms. We are also responsible, in this current citizen movement, for being a pioneer and visionary.”
And we will close by using her words: “there are many paths to progress”.
Associated areas of specialisation: Day-to-day life at EQUAL