A few days ago, the
historical Notre Dame Cathedral was engulfed in flames, sending shock-waves
across the world. The crude shock was immediately followed by an outpour of
sympathy, varying opinions, conspiracy theories, talks a supposedly vindicated
16th-century French seer, and a few terrorism hoaxes.
The Notre Dame would take two decades to be rebuilt, but the good news is that there won't be a lack of money to rebuild it. In fact, there will be an abundance of it; an issue that has not gone down well with a lot of people. 24 hours after the fire was put out, about 800 million euro had already been raised from donations. However, reactions on social media suggests many people would rather that money go to starving kids in Africa or any other charitable cause across the world.
Donating to Rebuild A
Historical building or Charity?
I can understand why
anyone won't be too happy about the cathedral getting that kind of generosity.
Truthfully, there are a thousand and one charitable causes that would greatly
benefit from a donation of that capacity. But let's get real, do we really have
the right to tell people how to spend their money? Should we really be
criticizing wealthy people because they choose to donate to rebuild a historical
church that has served as a reminder of some of the great things we can achieve
as humans when we choose to build rather than destroy? If there is anything I
have learned growing up, it is that making money is hard. Making a lot of money
is even harder. So, when people have dedicated their time and resources into
creating wealth, the least they could enjoy is the right to spend it however
they seem fit.
Are Wealthy People Really
Ignoring the Poor?
Let's be honest, the world
is not short of kindness or generosity to the poor. It is true that it can get
a lot better, but it will be cruel to ignore the good that has already been
done. Many rich people have helped raise a lot of money for charity. Many
celebrities have their own foundations that have saved a lot of people and
improved their standard of living. Every year, billions of dollars are being
plunged into charities and that won't stop anytime soon.
Notre Dame is an important structure in history and it means a lot to the preservation of our heritage. Every year, many people from around the world make the trip to Paris to catch a glimpse of this incredible sight. Thanks to these generous donations, the world, and generations to come will always have the Notre Dame. Whether you choose to see it this way or not, this act of generosity is still an act of charity, this time, not just to a particular set of people, but to the entire world.