The burning of the Notre Dame fire was a very significant event in France and drew in a lot of attention. Many people were brought together by it. Including France’s President Emmanuel Macron and many people from all around the world.

With the fire finally being put out, many have come together to pitch in and donate to help rebuild the damaged building. Over $1 billion dollars has been donated to the Cathedral. This just shows how much people care about it.

These donors would include Francois-Henri Pinault, Bernard Arnault, Apple, Disney, L’Oreal, the Bettencourt Meyers family and the Bettencourt Schueller foundation. But to my surprise, there are some people, many people actually, who do not think this is a good idea.

You would think that people coming together to help rebuild such an iconic monument in France would be a good thing and make people happy. In some cases, yes, but not in others.

Many people are upset that such rich families and companies are donating millions of dollars to help rebuild the cathedral, saying that that money could go to other causes. Such as helping the poor and needy or making sure there is enough water for people around the globe. And don’t get me wrong, these are good causes. But I don’t see a problem in wanting to rebuild an 856 year old cathedral. It is so important to so many people, so what is the harm in donating to it?

I don’t see a problem in people spending their money the way they want. If someone has the means and resources to donate, then let them donate in peace. They didn’t have to in the first place, so why ridicule them for doing so?

The Cathedral survived the French revolution, World War I and World War II. This building plays such a significant role in the remembrance of France’s history. So why is it such a bad thing to want to help rebuild it?

It is funny to me how some people are trying to tell others how to spend their money. It’s their money, let them spend it as they please. If I had that kind of money, I would surely not be happy if I were receiving backlash for donating it to a good cause. You have to think about how they would spend that money. Some would donate to other causes, sure, but others may not donate any at all.

A lot of the yellow vest protesters in France are upset with the people that are donating. They are upset with France’s economic divide and claim that here is a major problem with the distribution of wealth, and see these billionaires as good proof of this divide.

There is also the debate of whether or not the people that donated did so only for attention. I don’t think so, I think they donated out of good will.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons