Compass Points - Rebuilding

The key to rebuilding is focus.

Compass Points - Rebuilding

The key to rebuilding is focus.

March 10, 2025

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Can it be rebuilt?

After the destruction, the question always is, what happens now? Should we just walk away from the pile of ashes or do we summon up the courage to rebuild?

It is a curious coincidence that the destruction of two powerful symbols of strength both occurred in 2019. In was Easter in 2019 when fire swept through Notre Dame Cathedral in France.

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The official reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris last month, over five-and-a-half years after the devastating Easter 2019 fire, was both a lavish and profoundly moving affair. Its famous bells rang, its organ’s great pipes sang, and the results of its $1 billion restoration were unveiled to the world. Leaders and dignitaries from more than 100 countries gathered in its soaring interior of cream-coloured stone columns as Archbishop Laurent Ulrich performed the first formal rituals.

-- True North

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The cathedral is more than just a gothic edifice.

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Notre-Dame’s revival marks more than the restoration of a 12th-13th century architectural masterpiece. It stands as a profound testament to Christianity’s role in shaping Western civilization. Its monumental Gothic towers, intricate stonework, famous flying buttresses, and mesmerizing stained-glass windows reflect humanity’s enduring quest for the divine. The restoration transcends physical reconstruction, reclaiming a vital symbol of Christian heritage that shaped the moral and intellectual frameworks underpinning modern democracies.

Perhaps most importantly, Notre-Dame’s rebirth offers an invitation to reflect on Christianity’s pivotal role in establishing human dignity, equality, and the universal rights we often take for granted. Rooted in the Christian doctrine of imago Dei – the belief that all human beings are created in the image of God – the idea of the intrinsic worth of every individual laid the foundation for human rights. St. Paul’s declaration in Galatians 3:28 (“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”) radically challenged entrenched social hierarchies, providing the moral impetus for equality.

-- True North

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Also in 2019, half way around the globe from France, a very different kind of destruction began. In the summer of 2019 the publication of the US Marine Corps Commandant's Planning Guidance began the destruction of the Marine Corps' global, combined arms expeditionary force. The planning guidance served as the introduction to a controversial new initiative that has come to be known as Force Design. In a few months, like a raging fire, Force Design swept through the Marine Corps' combined arms units, equipment and capabilities. In the destruction, the Marine Corps lost all or some infantry, artillery, armor, air and air logistics, combat engineer breaching and bridging, snipers, military police, and more. The Marine Corps also told the Navy it no longer needed as many amphibious ships, exacerbating a ship building deficit that was already in crisis.

Marine expeditionary forces onboard Navy ships around the world are much more than mere military might. Marines arrive to any crisis to deter, assist, and fight, but they do so as an extension of the principles and values of the United States. Marines take care to limit civilian causalities. Marines obey the Law of Armed Conflict. Marines do not torture or abuse prisoners. Marines conduct humanitarian and rescue operations without regard to ethnic, tribal or religious distinctions. Marines are the good guys.

Notre Dame Cathedral, like the Marines, stands for more than just itself. Notre Dame stands for the best in Western civilization.

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Notre-Dame’s restoration is thus more than a celebration of craftsmanship; it is a vivid metaphor for reconnecting with the values that shaped Western civilization. The cathedral’s intricate beauty and spiritual resonance remind us of humanity’s dual nature: finite yet transcendent, capable of great achievements yet reliant on divine grace. It symbolizes a worldview that recognizes the inherent worth of every individual, rooted in the belief that all are created in God’s image.

-- True North

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Force Design is built on the belief that the enemies of the US are too powerful. Force Design turns the focus of Marines from the entire globe to one region and from offensive operations toward a retreat to defense. The Marine expeditionary forces are built on a different set of beliefs. Marine expeditionary forces patrolling the world's oceans, signal the belief of the United States that the US has worldwide interests and those interests mean some battles are worth fighting and some evil is worth confronting and defeating.

Since the destruction of 2019, the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral has been rebuilt and it stands once again as a beacon of all that is good. How was Notre Dame rebuilt so quickly? There was a singular focus on rebuilding what had been lost. Notre Dame is not a factory, a bus station, or a homeless shelter, it is a awe-inspiring cathedral. The rebuild was focused on rebuilding both the inside and the outside of Notre Dame. The focus was not only on bricks and structures but on Notre Dame's heart and soul. It takes focus to rebuild.

Can the Marine Corps rebuild its worldwide combine arms units, equipment, and capabilities? Without a doubt. But to rebuild, enhance, and improve the Marine Corps' combined arms expeditionary forces it will take focus and a clear understanding of the purpose of the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps is not a sit and sense force. The Marine Corps is not made for hiding on defense. The Marine Corps is made to sail the oceans of the world prepared to respond to any crisis. The Marine Corps is made to deter, assist, and fight.

The Cathedral at Notre Dame is a symbol of hope in a world that needs hope.

Marine expeditionary forces onboard Navy ships and patrolling the globe are a symbol of the commitment of the United States to peace and prosperity for all.

Whenever Marines are nearby, there is hope in any crisis. Citizens in desperate danger can look out from the shore and know that when Marines arrive, things will be better.

Compass Points salutes the rebuilding that resulted in a new and better Notre Dame Cathedral and salutes the work already underway that will result in a new and better US Marine Corps.

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True North - 01/12/2025

ANALYSIS: Notre-Dame cathedral’s rebirth has deeper meaning than you might realize

By Patrick Keeney

https://tnc.news/2025/01/12/analysis-notre-dame-cathedrals-rebirth-deeper-meaning/