The devastation of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is an undeniable tragedy. Such beauty, such history torn apart by fire; a place of spirituality, of faith, of ritual and of meaning; hollowed and blackened.
And yet, I can't help but wonder why the destruction of a distant building - however beautiful and culturally significant - arouses more feeling for many than the destruction of our natural world, and in particular, of the natural world that is the spiritual lifeblood of our First Nations peoples.
If God exists, then by definition, he is everything and everywhere. Churches are like bolded text; a point of emphasis. They matter, but everything that forms a part of our existence is sacred, and matters just as much.
We would do well to see the the erasure of rock art, of songline, of language, and the felling of trees as old as this Cathedral in the same light as the collapse of a spire. A spire reaches to God; but is a symbol of devotion. The world itself, the people in it, the glory and sacredness of nature; this is to what we ultimately devote ourselves, if we are to be truly spiritual beings.
I am hopeful that with time, care and love, the Cathedral will be restored to its former glory. And I pray that we can do the same for all sacred spaces - all green spaces, wet spaces, earthed spaces - whilst there is still time to do so.
After all, we cannot pray, if we cannot breathe.
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