France’s heart on fire
What you need to know:
- But the question remains: who will manage these funds? How will donors know that their contributions are properly channeled? This is the biggest challenge!
It has been decades since my first trip to Paris, but three visits stay clear in my mind. The Louvre, the Champ Elysees and Notre-Dame de Paris.
That time, I did not speak French and had to rely on the information given to us by the English-speaking tour guide. Being in Paris and on honeymoon, I had other things on my mind than knowing history, it was later and during other trips that I appreciated the history and architecture of the cathedral.
Seeing Notre-Dame devoured by fire a few days ago, felt like watching a horror film, surreal and scary, but also a reminder that even an 850-year-old edifice so protected, can go up in flames in a matter of hours. Being a place of worship, it also touched my heart that for a long time the prayers of thousands of believers, who spent moments of silent and tranquil supplication with their Creator, must shift outdoors, praying that their place of worship be restored to its past glory.
Even before the fire was completely extinguished, it is said that hundreds of millions of Euros were pledged for the restoration of Notre-Dame, and the President of France gave a very emotional speech promising to rebuild this very important part of French history.
It is wonderful to see the solidarity that follows calamities. One can only hope, that tragedies crippling the lives of millions of people in the world, are also taken seriously, and that there are more charitable people who are not looking for fame and recognition that will share some of their massive wealth to help the lives of people who find themselves homeless after natural disasters and wars.
The recent floods that ruined vast areas in Iran, left thousands without a roof on their heads. Now that some are returning to their homes, they are faced with mud houses where living is impossible, their plantations are ruined and fields of crops will not yield fruits and vegetables, any time soon.
In any of the above situations, even the less wealthy people have the urge to contribute, even a little, to help rebuild an edifice or lend a hand to the challenged. But the question remains: who will manage these funds? How will donors know that their contributions are properly channeled? This is the biggest challenge!
