Jean-Claude Gallet: “The sense of mission is the most noble of energies”

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50 YEARS OF THE DOT. The former commander of the Paris fire brigade led the rescue operation during the Notre-Dame fire.

by General Jean-Claude Gallet

FFaced with a chaotic situation – a fire, an attack – deciding, ordering and acting are not the most difficult and stressful things. The key is collective management in the face of the unexpected, as well as a sense of mission. This is worked upstream, over time, in “calm” weather, every day. To prepare to react in the face of the unknown, to prepare to commit your own life to save someone, is to appeal to your own humanity. This is the meaning of the mission. This is what, in the face of chaos, allows you not to “despair of everything”. Faced with a tragedy, lucidity and realism can lead to a form of despair. But the sense of your commitment allows you to overcome the effect of amazement, dejection and pessimism. And react! Optimism in…

Marc Chaumeil/DIVERGENCE