Thoughts on Notre Dame
I started writing this a day ago.
＊＊＊
Last night my time the Cathedral of Notre-Dame suffered a fire. I heard that the firefighters saved most of the outer walls of the building and that art and other valuable objects had been removed so they would not be lost. No lives were lost. The damage may have been great but it was controlled as much as was humanly possible. It seems two billionaires are now competing as contributors to the reconstruction.
I am not a die hard fan of architecture. Especially big huge buildings made of stone. I wish I was the kind of person that could gaze in admiration at an architectural masterpiece and enjoy the detail, who could wonder and be moved at the intricacies of a large building structure, but alas I am not one of these. If I go to a city, I am more interested in the people, not the buildings. If I go to an old castle I go because it helps me imagine what life might have been like in those days and appreciate the people from that age. Yes I have preferences. Some buildings are more beautiful to me than others, and I am impressed at the details or building technique if pointed out, but they are still not as important as the people who lived or worshipped there. So what I say may be the excuse of some dumb person that just doesn’t understand but I feel that I need to get this out.
Buildings do not last. The fact that this building has lasted for over 600 years is amazing in itself, and even though the fire is a tragedy, it makes the building more interesting in terms of history. The history of a building is not destroyed with the building. Just the opposite. So many buildings have crumbled and although recently many have been rebuilt, sometimes more than once, long ago they often became ruins. And still people come to see them and reflect on what life might have been in the age - because ruins are just as beautiful and historically meaningful. Matter will always crumble. And that is part of the beauty of it. What lasts and grows is the wonderful abilities and talent of people themselves. The person(s) who design these buildings : Now with that knowledge, people can come and rebuild it exactly like it was. More sad to me is the loss of artwork that cannot be remade exactly like it was - paintings, drawings, murals, books and scrolls. I am glad such valuable pieces were protected, but even these will not last forever. What remains is the continuation of humankind (and once that’s over, all this won’t matter at all anyway) : the birth and growth of people who continue to create anew. Most important now is for us to enjoy what we have now. The fact that we did almost lose the building makes us more appreciative of it too. I for one, am now much more interested in the building than I ever was. But also never stop growing, never stop striving forward. The old will give way to the new and it will be just as wonderful.
I also strongly feel that buildings are not what people should be putting their faith in. Nor can I see such a church as a symbol of faith in general. Historically, these have rather been more a symbol of power, vanity and pride. Maybe God himself is reminding us to stop putting our faith in our own creations made of stone. Not that human creations are not wonderful. But God doesn’t need a gigantic church. Where two or three come together in worship, there he is. Maybe it’s time to reflect on that.
Can I just say how beautiful that cross looks at the back of all that rubble? It reminds me of the shrine gates that remained after the great earthquake destruction in Japan.
(From Buzzfeed.com)
Anyway, some thoughts I had.
＊＊＊
Last night my time the Cathedral of Notre-Dame suffered a fire. I heard that the firefighters saved most of the outer walls of the building and that art and other valuable objects had been removed so they would not be lost. No lives were lost. The damage may have been great but it was controlled as much as was humanly possible. It seems two billionaires are now competing as contributors to the reconstruction.
I am not a die hard fan of architecture. Especially big huge buildings made of stone. I wish I was the kind of person that could gaze in admiration at an architectural masterpiece and enjoy the detail, who could wonder and be moved at the intricacies of a large building structure, but alas I am not one of these. If I go to a city, I am more interested in the people, not the buildings. If I go to an old castle I go because it helps me imagine what life might have been like in those days and appreciate the people from that age. Yes I have preferences. Some buildings are more beautiful to me than others, and I am impressed at the details or building technique if pointed out, but they are still not as important as the people who lived or worshipped there. So what I say may be the excuse of some dumb person that just doesn’t understand but I feel that I need to get this out.
Buildings do not last. The fact that this building has lasted for over 600 years is amazing in itself, and even though the fire is a tragedy, it makes the building more interesting in terms of history. The history of a building is not destroyed with the building. Just the opposite. So many buildings have crumbled and although recently many have been rebuilt, sometimes more than once, long ago they often became ruins. And still people come to see them and reflect on what life might have been in the age - because ruins are just as beautiful and historically meaningful. Matter will always crumble. And that is part of the beauty of it. What lasts and grows is the wonderful abilities and talent of people themselves. The person(s) who design these buildings : Now with that knowledge, people can come and rebuild it exactly like it was. More sad to me is the loss of artwork that cannot be remade exactly like it was - paintings, drawings, murals, books and scrolls. I am glad such valuable pieces were protected, but even these will not last forever. What remains is the continuation of humankind (and once that’s over, all this won’t matter at all anyway) : the birth and growth of people who continue to create anew. Most important now is for us to enjoy what we have now. The fact that we did almost lose the building makes us more appreciative of it too. I for one, am now much more interested in the building than I ever was. But also never stop growing, never stop striving forward. The old will give way to the new and it will be just as wonderful.
I also strongly feel that buildings are not what people should be putting their faith in. Nor can I see such a church as a symbol of faith in general. Historically, these have rather been more a symbol of power, vanity and pride. Maybe God himself is reminding us to stop putting our faith in our own creations made of stone. Not that human creations are not wonderful. But God doesn’t need a gigantic church. Where two or three come together in worship, there he is. Maybe it’s time to reflect on that.
Can I just say how beautiful that cross looks at the back of all that rubble? It reminds me of the shrine gates that remained after the great earthquake destruction in Japan.
(From Buzzfeed.com)
Anyway, some thoughts I had.