United, without ulterior motives

What did we witness in Paris, beyond the partial destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral? And what did we see behind the shocking image of the world heritage monument devastated by the blaze? Impressively, we saw a society standing shoulder to shoulder and united before an open wound suffered by a symbol of French and European culture.
More importantly, we saw a middle class responding instantly and exhibiting a national conscience, fully aware that it belongs to a bigger collective that far outweighs its own importance. What's more, we witnessed this middle class offering everything it can to heal this collective trauma to the nation without calculating the cost to itself and, most significantly, without expecting something in return for its efforts to help restore this magnificent cathedral.