The Notre Dame...

I am just reading the news on Le Monde about the terrible fire in the Notre Dame in Paris. I hope that all has not been lost. 

I visited the cathedral with my parents when I was twelve or thirteen when we were on vacation in France. Something my father said to me always stayed with me and drove me in my appreciation for culture. He never was so eloquent, so that might be why it stayed with me. 

“History, Philosophy, and Art... History is human memory, the examination of what came before us. Philosophy is human reason, or an attempt to make sense of what is. Art is human imagination, seeking to express what is, even while dreaming of what might be. History, Philosophy, and Art—that’s what sets humans apart from animals. Here, in the Notre Dame, is one place where all three of those come together.” 

Even nearly a decade later I still agree with him about that.