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I Am European

After the unfortunate burning of Notre Dame Cathedral, these two thoughts have come to my mind.

1- The structure has survived really high temperatures. Medieval architects were really, really good. They took time to do their work. They were aimed with a purpose. Notre Dame did not collapse. Twin Towers did. Progress? 馃

2- Even if we accept the accidental hypothesis, who were probably the workers doing the restoration? Cheap labour with zero concern or affection for the art and the symbolic meaning of the stones they were working with, people with no connection to Christianity at all, people for whom working at Notre Dame or at an office block would mean the same, just means of earning their chunk of bread.

Unrestrained capitalism, caring only about profit, lack of religiouness or a purpose in life beyond the material stuff have destroyed Notre Dame. Modernity has destroyed Notre Dame.
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LiteralElite31-35, F
One thing we have to remember is that nearly all medieval buildings *don't* survive, because they were either made of wood, or not well built. And I'm quite sure masons who designed and built the cathedral weren't always that bothered about God either, just very careful...desire to honour God might come into it but so would not wanting a 50T block of stone to fall on their head (many died in its building originally)

(Whereas the Twin Towers everyone now recognises were not well built; the Empire State Building may well have survived a similar kind of attack, etc).

But I think your broader point - no longer in the 20th or 21st centuries do we ever do anything to last, considering the future, is an awful place for humanity to be
CierzoM
@LiteralElite You got my point. Things are not made to last anymore. There is no spiritual connection between the worker and the work. Everything is a product to be sold looking for a profit.
LiteralElite31-35, F
@Cierzo I heart this but that's not an indication I like it! :(
CierzoM
@LiteralElite I hate it too, but we must be aware of the world we are living in.