The Royal Tennis Court (1686), Rue du Jeu de Paume, Versailles, France, 2025

On the morning of the 20th of June 1789, 578 deputies of the Estates General of France (which consisted of 1118 members) were shocked to find the door to the Salle des Menus-Plaisir in Versailles locked and guarded by soldiers. The representatives of the people officially assembled in the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs since the 5th of May 1789. They feared the worst and were anxious that an attack was imminent from King Louis XVI, so upon the suggestion of one of their members Joseph-Ignace Guillotin and on the initiative of Jean Joseph Mounier, the deputies congregated in a nearby indoor tennis court near the Palace of Versailles, tucked away in a narrow street. Their vow “not to separate and to reassemble wherever necessary until the constitution of the kingdom is established” became a pivotal moment in western society and indeed western history. This modest building and it’s indoor tennis court became the birthplace of modern western democracy. Indeed, big things have small beginnings. This small beginning reminds us of how fragile our democracy actually is. Democracy isn’t about pompous powerplay in a classical white building with an oval office overdecorated with golden ornaments by its President. Instead, it’s about simplicity and modesty because all men are equal.

In this day and age apparently many of us have once again become estranged to the idea of democracy and equality. Billionaires like Musk and Zuckerberg are hailed for their succes and thus we grant them political powers without even being elected. We’ve come to accept that their financial position of unlimited wealth automatically implies unlimited political power. We allow them to rule like kings. I seriously doubt this is what the deputies of the Estates General had in mind back in 1789…

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"Die drei warmen Brüder" - Über den Dächern von Hannover
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Canon EOS M50, EF-M 55-200mm IS STM
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