Chapter 7: Voices From the River
The river speaks to all of us if we are willing to listen. It softly and quietly communicates with our very being. If we listen to the river with our hearts, we will hear it reflecting the essence of how we should be as lawyers. If we listen carefully, we can hear the yearnings of generations of lawyers who had visions that were not fulfilled, who had dreams that were not realized. If we listen to the river with our hearts, we will feel the pain and the joy of those who touched its sacred waters and tried to change their lives and their practices. Listen to the river. Hear the voices, spirits and dreams that flow subtly between the ripples. Listen to the river and you will hear yourself. You may not hear or see what you and the profession are today, but you will feel what you and the profession are becoming.
The voices from the river let us know that we are not mere cogs in someone’s wheel; we are dream weavers assisting someone’s quest for a better life. We have been placed at the center of the lives of people, close to their aspirations and hopes for the future. If we touch them with our hearts and not just our hands we can help weave their dreams. We can turn despair and disappointment into hope. As lawyers we have been given the keys to their locked-up dreams. The river allows us to unleash the power of possibilities in impossible lives and situations. The river will guide us if we are unsure or lack direction, and it will calm us when we are caught in whirlwinds of uncertainty and chaos. The voices from the river will give us insights when we have nothing left in the recesses of our minds. The river is our ultimate source of creativity if only we would listen and yield.