Notre Dame blaze proves value of travel

“If I asked you about art, you’d probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him.

“Life’s work, political aspirations … but I’ll bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling, And I’d ask you about war, you’d probably throw Shakespeare at me — ‘once more unto the breach dear friends.’ But you’ve never been near one.

“You’ve never held your best friend’s head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I’d ask you about love, you’d probably quote me a sonnet.

“But you’ve never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. You don’t know about real loss, ‘cause it only occurs when you’ve loved something more than you love yourself.”

That timeless quote by Robin Williams’ character in “Good Will Hunting” perfectly illustrates why traveling is so important.

As the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral has demonstrated, we never know when history’s greatest treasures will be irrevocably altered, or worse, disappear forever.

Yes, the cathedral will be rebuilt, as it should be. But it will never be the same.

Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, atheist — it didn’t matter. Upon entering that magnificent church, the only requirement to gasp in awe was a soul. Perhaps most striking was the whispered quiet that enveloped the air, a silence not borne from rules or etiquette, but because your breath had literally been taken away.

Notre Dame was not a place you simply “saw,” and people were not merely visitors. Instead, all thirteen million who graced the cathedral each year became honorary “parishioners” welcomed with open arms to behold the wonderment that took 182 years to construct.

Indeed, those who walked its cavernous aisles and strained their necks looking skyward became a physical part of its essence, mesmerized by every facet, some dating back to its opening in 1345: Handlaid mosaics; impossibly intricate woodcarvings; ornate stonework; indelible sculptures; priceless frescoes; an 8,000 pipe organ; revolutionary flying buttresses; a legendary hunchback; and yes, even the Crown of Thorns purportedly worn by Jesus Christ himself. It was where King Henry VI was crowned in 1431, and, in more “modern” times, where Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of France in 1804. And it survived the ravages of the Dark Ages, French Revolution, two World Wars, and even foiled terror plots.

Notre Dame wasn’t a tourist attraction, but an unparalleled symbol of faith, strength, and unity.

Above all, it showcased the endless possibilities that await the human race when it comes together, and inspired people to love something greater than themselves.

God works in strange ways, so perhaps this colossal travesty occurring during Christianity’s holiest week will jumpstart the faith of millions who feel adrift.

Exotic globetrotting isn’t for everyone, but traveling outside your front door should be. Unequivocally, you cannot know who you are, or what you stand for, until you explore how others live.

That applies as much to traveling abroad as it does traveling across town.

Traveling opens our eyes and broadens our horizons. It generates in us empathies and compassions that cannot be obtained from TV or iPads, and it makes us question ourselves and our values in a beneficial way.

And it’s precisely that introspection that creates the openmindedness necessary for a free society to thrive where tolerance and respect rule the day, and the unencumbered human spirit scales new heights.

Maybe if we leave the comforts of our own neighborhoods once in a while, we would realize the “black guy” isn’t “black,” but just a “guy.”

And that the white cop isn’t automatically racist simply by being white, or a police officer, but is just a guy trying to keep the community and everyone in it safe.

Here’s hoping we can turn the tragedy of Notre Dame into a positive by not waiting until it’s too late to see and do the things that matter most.

For as Mark Twain said: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

Amen.