No pop culture today, instead just a few words about the collective importance of beauty. Regardless your views on religion and religious organizations, Notre Dame was a thing of beauty. It’s soaring spire and elegant buttresses and breathtaking windows. You don’t have to know anything about architecture to see it was special. I have been lucky enough to visit it twice in my life. And when you see it you are reminded that while humans may be and do terrible, sad, angry, greedy, violent, simple, selfish, wasteful, frivolous, impatient and ignorant things, sometimes we can also make things that transcend even our own infinite sins. So when that something beautiful is destroyed – literally goes up on flames for us to watch on live television – we feel a collective helplessness. No, see, that’s one of the few things we can do, when we really try – build things that inspire. Create things that stand the test of time. Make our world more beautiful. This just reminds us of our impermanence. Still, moments like these challenge us to be our better selves again. To rebuild and remember. We can make beautiful things, if only we try.
It's very sad, but there was another religious icon that caught fire at the same time that is getting next to no media attention:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.newsweek.com/notre-dame-fire-aqsa-mosque-1397259
The reason the Al-Aqsa mosque fire isn't getting any media attention is because it was a very minor fire that caused little damage. Not to be compared with the Notre Dame fire, really. It wouldn't have been reported at all if it wasn't for the peculiar coincidence that it happened at the same time as the Notre Dame fire.
ReplyDeleteLuckily the Rose Windows and the pipe organ seem to have survived
ReplyDeleteYeah, the Al-Aqsa mosque fire was minor. Maria is right, Can’t compare.
ReplyDeletei am so saddened by this, i've visited many times, and i've always wanted to show it to my mom, now i will not get the chance...at least not in its former glory :( so sad
ReplyDelete