If you are a Christian, then you believe that one day our world that we live in will come to an end. It will be destroyed by fire. Even though the destruction which will take place is described in graphic detail in the Book of Revelation, the thought of The End is not nearly as troubling as the thought of all the continuous destruction humans keep doing to this planet BEFORE The End.
I mean … you may say: “OK. This world is going to be destroyed. But it’s a beautiful world and I might as enjoy it while I’m here.”
That’s logical thinking. Right?
But do we do that? NO!
Suzi Marsh wrote an article on Niche Traveller, which I personally found very disturbing and I can’t help but think that for this one article, there must be at least a thousand more stories just like it of similar things that are happening in various parts of our world.
If you read the article and you happen to live in Paris, France, you might start thinking to yourself: ‘I don’t care if the cathedral is an historical landmark, it needs to come down!’
It’s a lengthy article so I will give a quick summary, along with my thoughts or commentary.
In a nutshell, the article writer is saying that the Cathedral of Notre Dame is possibly killing and/or contributing to the poor health of the citizens of Paris and possibly all of France slowly through lead poisoning and contamination.
When the firefighters and scientists started sifting through the burned ruins they determined that not only is the building toxic, but it’s possible that because of the fire ~ the smoke plumes billowing in the air ~ residents who live in an apartment building a mile away from the cathedral have lead levels that are 20 times higher than the “recommended safe environmental limit”.
That’s possibly just the damage and environmental pollution that was caused by the fire. In addition, researchers also believe “that even before fire Notre-Dame, for many years, could have been releasing toxic lead, for instance, rain might have washed away toxic materials from the roof and polluted Seine. This could be occurring for hundreds of years.”
That’s what the scientists think?
Uh huh.
You know what? I don’t need any proof. I BELIEVE IT!!
Because centuries ago people didn’t even care if they poisoned our daily bread [1], so I doubt that they cared if a building was constructed using toxic materials.
The article also states that a team of experts is trying to find out how they can remove the traces of lead from the ruins of Notre-Dame.
WHAT??!!!
Well evidently French President Emmanuel Macron “promised” that the cathedral will be rebuilt.
Uh huh.
You are free to say that I am not only trying to destroy history but also being disrespectful of a sacred structure; however, as a matter of fact, the cathedral was built using toxic materials harmful to people and it needs to torn down.
I don’t think there is a need to rebuild as we already have a lot of pictures to show the future generation how the actual cathedral looked.
Now, please. Call in the demolition experts and raze that building to the ground.
Anyway! I have no doubt my remarks are falling on deaf ears.
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To conclude … as if the story about the cathedral wasn’t bad enough … the writer of the article thought to end the article on an even more sour note.
It seems that a Russian nuclear submarine sank to the bottom of the Norwegian Sea in 1989 and sooner or later, it will begin spilling highly toxic radioactive material on the seabed. [2]
Oh! Well! That certainly does take my mind off the cathedral. (O.o)
I wonder if by the time that it’s time for The End, how much will be left of planet earth to be destroyed that humans haven’t already destroyed.
On the other hand, I do not wonder at all why movies about the apocalypse and the end of the world are ever so popular. It seems that AFTER The End, there are many of us who expect a New Beginning. Apocalyptic movies imagine our world beginning again. [3]
- Were you aware of the environmental findings regarding the Cathedral of Notre Dame?
- Did you know about the Russian submarine that sank?
- Just curious. Do you have any favorite end of the world movie?
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ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
[1] Lipscomb, Dr. Suzannah. “10 Dangerous Things in Victorian/Edwardian Homes.” BBC News, BBC, 16 Dec. 2013, bbc.com/news/uk-25259505.
[2] “Russian Nuclear Submarine: Norway Finds Big Radiation Leak.” BBC News, BBC, 11 July 2019, bbc.com/news/world-europe-48949113.
[3] Hertzenberg, Stephanie. “What Makes Apocalyptic and End of the World Movies So Popular?” Idol Chatter, Beliefnet, Inc., 17 July 2018, beliefnet.com/columnists/idolchatter/2018/07/makes-apocalyptic-end-world-movies-popular.html.