A terrible thing has happened. Hearts are broken. And a piece of our world has disappeared and is gone forever.

It isn’t fast news when I say that a piece of the infamous Notre Dame Cathedral has burned down. A part of Paris culture, a monument nearly 900 years old, has fallen.

Paris is in shock. The world is in shock. Luckily, right away, within 12-24 hours of the fire, a few billionaires have collectively donated more than $1 billion dollars to aid in the rebuilding of the cathedral.

Good news right? Not really.

I wish I could say this made me happy. I wish I could say this made me believe in the goodness of humanity. I wish I wish I wish that this would prove that people can come together for a good cause. But it doesn’t. If anything, it simply makes me feel even more despondent.

These donations are tremendous and their thoughtfulness is acknowledged, but when you really think about it, think about all the times these same people could have donated to help the actual people in their countries rather than provide aid for a building that is already insured. It is simply abhorrent.

This is something The Washington Post took notice of and proceeded to interview people who had similar thoughts. Philippe Martinez, the head of the CGT trade union commented, saying, “If they can give tens of millions to rebuild Notre Dame, then they should stop telling us there is no money to help with the social emergency.”

Cases like these do not only occur on the other side of the world. Did you know that president Trump has even considered pledging American money to aid in the rebuild of Notre Dame and is expected to?

Maybe he is simply building stronger ties with countries? Ok, maybe, but let’s consider the three churches in Louisiana that experienced hate crimes, who are not insured, and have received zero aid from the government.

But maybe history is a part of why they are so important. Let’s consider that for a moment. But then, The New York Times wrote an article stating, “The three fires destroyed churches that had existed for more than a century and had been the spiritual homes of generations of black families, evoking the long history of racist crimes committed in the Jim Crow South.”

Both are important churches, both important for different reasons, yet tell me why a church from across an ocean is receiving not only more finances but also more attention than ones right in our own country?

But maybe it’s a religious thing. Maybe they are more important because they have religious connections. Because it affects more people. Because people are more connected to the Notre Dame.

Alright, then I’d challenge that with the fact that Flint has not had drinkable water since 2014, and only received aid this week. We’re talking an entire city– 96,000 people– that has been without water for five years has only received care from its government in the last week.

Guess how much it costs to bring clean water to Flint and fix the water crisis? $55 million.

So instead of waiting five years, causing massive disruption, and absurd poverty, this issue could have been resolved with a few donations from three wealthy people. Or even the president, since he is so fond of donating America’s money or even his own.

A terrible thing has happened. Correction: terrible things are happening. As terrible as the burning down of the Notre Dame is, the even bigger tragedy is all that the burning down has brought to light a new idea: the simple fact that these millionaires or billionaires hold so much power, so much wealth, and are so stingy and obstinate about caring for people in their own country.

I understand each person has their own agenda and own reasons for doing what they choose, but I refuse to accept that the issues in this world could not be fixed with money and the proper spending of it.

My heart breaks for every person who was affected by the fire–please believe that. And this article does not diminish the effects of it in any way. The true implications of how quickly solutions came about should simply be taken into account.

Terrible things are going to continue to happen, but maybe some responsibility should be taken.

Stop telling me these things are unsolvable. We both know they aren’t.