The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, has been one of the most historically, artistically and religiously significant buildings in the world since its completion in 1345. Recently, the cathedral caught fire as a result of what investigators believe to be a malfunction in the newly constructed elevator system. The fire began in the center of the building’s roof and tore through the rest, causing the iconic spiral to collapse – one of very minimal relics lost to the hapless fire.  

The Notre Dame Cathedral is a beautiful building that took many years and a lot of dedication to build and holds invaluable art within. The fire is undoubtedly a tragedy. The cathedral’s fame and importance within Catholicism definitely adds to the despair people are experiencing in regards to the losses from the fire. Losing parts of this gorgeous and priceless piece of art, or even just teetering on the edge of losing it is devastating. 

It is not, however, the worst thing earth and the human race has experienced. Most of the artwork within – the epitome of the building’s significance – survived the fire. The stained-glass rose windows survived. The Notre Dame Bells, the Tunic of Saint Louis and the Great Organ are among the saved artwork, as are the statues of the Twelve Apostles and several priceless paintings, including the Mays of Notre Dame. Although not everything survived, a great number of artwork was saved and restored. 

A number of very rich people and organizations have pledged to help rebuild the Cathedral. One may think this is a noble use for money. The building has been a beautiful structure in the heart of France for centuries. Catholics worship it, and everyone else admires the artwork and the structure itself. Over $1 billion has been raised or pledged since the building caught fire on April 15. Francois Pinault started the pledging. After Pinault pledged, his alleged rival and the richest man in Europe, Bernard Arnault pledged twice Pinault’s amount, roughly 224 million, reportedly ‘‘just to rival’’ Pinault. 

Must be nice to pledge over $200 million for a building’s restoration with the intent to outbid your wealthy rival. A lot can be said about the over $1 billion pledged for Notre Dame in less than a week since the fire occurred, but what should be said is simply, “Really?”

We really have over a billion dollars raised for a building in less than a week of its tragedy. Yet we continue to ignore the people who are homeless, in poverty and suffering. We continue to ignore the dwindling health of the environment and climate change. We continue to disregard the issues with equality, stability and safety. But we can easily donate to a building being restored less than a week since its destruction?

There is something very wrong and immoral with this situation. We need Earth to thrive for us to thrive. We need to find sustainable solutions for the many activities that contribute to pollution, overpopulation, overfishing and mass farming. We need to make affordable the solutions we have found so far for these issues. We need to provide shelter, food and compassion for those who are on the streets. We need to do better as a species, protecting and enhancing our own and our home rather than donating to a building. We need a major morality check. 

This tragedy is no holocaust, Rwandan genocide or a poverty-stricken town. It is not the death of the human race or a threat to anyone. It was simply an accidental burning of a cherished, material building. We continue to ignore our own race and the devastation of our home yet jump to save, restore and keep growing material things and buildings, based on material value. 

Photo by Kassadee Paulo | The Oswegonian