When Charles Dickens wrote the famous introduction “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” to his book A Tale of Two Cities he was, of course, describing the French Revolution era. However, that introductory paragraph could describe the complex world we live in today.
The sight of the Notre-Dame Cathedral being destroyed by flames stirred the emotions of millions of people throughout the world. For devout Catholics, divine intervention saved this iconic cathedral from complete destruction and left hope for its restoration. For non-believers, the loss of such an important work of art represented an irrecoverable loss of a symbol of European civilisation.
There was, as to be expected, the charade of politicians and even church leaders trying to get some publicity by their irrelevant comments about the Notre-Dame tragedy. President Donald Trump – who thinks of himself as an expert in all matters under the sun – said that the French should have water-bombed the whole building with aeroplanes used as tankers.
Others immediately started the blame game by saying that French President Emmanuel Macron should be held responsible for not voting enough money for the maintenance of national monuments like the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
However, in many ways, this incident brought out the best reactions in large sections of society. Big business for once behaved as they should when they pledged hundreds of millions of euros for the expensive restoration of Notre-Dame. Ordinary people, whether believers or not, genuinely cried for the loss of such a beautiful cultural achievement of the medieval age when hundreds of thousands of people worked with primitive technology for millions of hours to create such a remarkable monument.
A tragic loss of a symbol of European medieval excellence has brought us all together
Many inevitably reflected on the contrasting elements of today’s version of architectural beauty. Multimillion-euro apartments in inhuman seafront tower blocks, multi-storey car parks smelling of urine, shopping malls and supermarkets built to satisfy our lust to consume are no match for the sophistication of Notre-Dame.
It is ironic that in a secular age medieval symbols of the troubled past of Christianity unite us when we see one of these symbols being destroyed almost irreversibly.
Medieval cathedrals like Notre-Dame that have been the venue of many State funerals, royal weddings and solemn memories of war have also served as a refuge for many ordinary people who knelt in front of an altar to reflect on their secret sorrows, joys and hopes.
Whether one professes allegiance to a formal religion or declares oneself as an atheist that believes that every aspect of life can be explained in materialist terms, everyone has an innate belief in natural justice that should serve as a moral compass in life.
As the political situation in Europe is increasingly heading for more fragmentation and social divisiveness, a tragic loss of a symbol of European medieval excellence has brought us all together to agree that our past achievements must be treasured and protected. While often-idiotic politicians strive to score political points by their divisive rhetoric, the silent majority want to assert their right to treasure Europe’s common history that gave us such rich heritage in all fields of culture.
There is still hope for Europe despite the godless age we live in. Believers and non-believers are right in wanting the Notre- Dame Cathedral to be restored to its former beauty. There will, of course, be controversies on what form restoration should take.
Those for whom Notre-Dame was an oasis of peace where to find courage and strength to face the never-ending challenges of life will seek other places of worship where to comfort their souls. For others who do not subscribe to a particular religion, the restoration of Notre-Dame will be a symbol of hope in the future of humanity.
In the coming years, we will all follow the laborious stages of restoring this magnificent cathedral that is shared by the people of France with all Europeans. We will have to put up with the nuisance of political games that symbolise the worst aspects of today’s European political culture.
However, the restoration period of Notre-Dame will also be a celebration of the best qualities of today’s European society. Millions of people will contribute financially and morally to the reinstatement of an iconic monument of the values and human creativity of the original builders of this cathedral.
We may be living in a secular world. But no one can deny that ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever’.