In our much divided, much troubled world, here’s something we can all probably agree on. The restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is an astonishing triumph of engineering, art and talent under very difficult circumstances. And there’s reason for optimism because the restoration reminds us that humans can make a mess of things, but with good will and a bit of ingenuity we can also fix many of the problems we have caused.
The fact that world leaders – from US president-elect Donald Trump to Britain’s future monarch, Prince William, to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (and of course French President Emmanuel Macron himself) gathered to witness the resurrection and rebirth of one of the world’s most magnificent buildings should remind us that when it comes to Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, disease, poverty, war and climate change, we have the capacity to fix the things that we too easily break.
The history of Notre Dame tells the optimistic side of that story. And it is also worth pointing out that this great positive act of rebuilding comes at a time when the government of France looks particularly shaky. Mr Macron’s political future is uncertain, his parliament and country deeply divided, yet France has restored a building that has existed for almost a millennium and may – we can hope – last for hundreds of years in the future.
The great mosques and cathedrals of the world are testaments to human optimism
The cathedral of “Our Lady” was constructed in the heart of Paris beginning in 1163 and completed – if cathedrals are ever truly “completed” since they constantly demand renovation – in 1260. The great mosques and cathedrals of the world are testaments to human optimism.
One generation begins the construction knowing that they will never live long enough to see the finished product. Religious buildings are therefore a gift from one generation to the next and to the many generations that follow. If that’s not a definition of optimism I don’t know what is.
Notre Dame was also the location for so many of the key moments in French history. These include the coronation of Napoleon, and the setting of that great novel by Victor Hugo The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
In April 2019, a suspected electrical fault (some say a careless thrown-away lit cigarette) led to a fire that burned for 15 hours. French friends at the time – including friends who are not especially religious – were devastated by the destruction. Some told me they feared the damage was so bad that it could never be repaired. But with an estimated $900 million in donations and an enormous effort Notre Dame has been repaired. Magnificently. The work will continue for some time, but the cathedral has reopened in a year when France also managed to deliver the spectacle of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and despite the political ructions around the Macron government.
There are lessons here for all of us.
The collapse of the government of Bashar Al Assad in Syria, the inability or unwillingness of the combatants in and around Israel and other zones of conflict to reach peaceful solutions, the fragility of governments in France, Germany and elsewhere remind us that it’s often easier to destroy rather than to build or rebuild.
In the closing weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency, the US has announced a new billion-dollar package of aid to Ukraine including drones and ammunition. The White House rushed the package through before Donald Trump’s inauguration and the uncertainty that brings for Ukraine, world trade and American domestic politics.
Yet Mr Trump used the Notre Dame reopening as an opportunity to show himself on the world stage along with Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Macron, and to meet Prince William. As we have seen from his first term, access and personal diplomacy count for a great deal with Mr Trump. He does deals rather than implement policies, but perhaps the Notre Dame get-together allows a bit of positive rebuilding of personal networks, too.
And so, as we reflect on 2024 and contemplate what may happen in 2025, there are reasons for hope amid the gloom.
Humans break things, but they can also build them back better. In the 1830s, an act of utter carelessness led to London’s Westminster parliament building burning down. The Victorians seized the opportunity to build back better, and the present-day magnificent home of the British parliament was the result.
In a similar act of carelessness, we are destroying the only planet any of us are ever likely to live on. Elon Musk may hope for having a space-jaunt to Mars, but I’m guessing that’s a very long way off. What we can realistically do is to repair damage in the real world by re-energising the Cop process, and try harder to end wars and other conflicts through ceasefires, diplomacy and positive work for peace.
The Notre Dame story should cheer us up. We know that humans can do wonderful things when we work together. It’s just a pity that it sometimes takes an act of destruction to energise our shared talents, imagination and optimism to make things better.
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