Moreau Report 1 Stephanie Rincon-Brambila Professor Whittington Moreau 14 October 2021 Chasing The Unknown When learning about the Declaration of Independence, it was established that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (Declaration of Independence). Growing up in the other America, where poverty was the norm, it always confused me why the Declaration of Independence stated that we were all created equal, when in fact there was this inequality that consumed our country. Despite being born and raised in the poorer side of America, I grew up appreciating what I had and acknowledging the privileges I possessed. One of the more significant privileges I possessed was my freedom of religion, that I would be unharmed if I believed in certain beliefs or if I pursued a different religion. Taking this privilege into consideration, I believe that God put me on this Earth in order to chase the unknown. In our society, most people are afraid of the unknown, they tend to fear change. In most cases, people tend to be scared of the vulnerability they must have when facing changes. Consequently, “The thing that underpinned us was this excruciating vulnerability. This idea of ‘In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen’”(“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). When I was applying to different universities, I was afraid of what would happen if I went out of state. My family would https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/declaration-of-independence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=3 2 not be around to offer direct support, I would be in a new place where I did not know anyone, and I would be off by myself for the first time. To be completely honest, I was afraid of what the future might hold, but I knew I had to be vulnerable in order to search for where I belonged. In order to gain this sense of belonging, I had to explore factors that were not necessarily known to me. I needed to have the courage to be vulnerable with others to build a connection with others; I needed to have the courage to explore the uncertainty of the future. Eventually, I learned that my failures can be potential opportunities for me to grow as a person. I learned that I have limits as to how much I can work, and how to make the most out of every situation. Dr.Brown’s commentary is very touching since I believe as adolescents we have to be vulnerable in order to grow not only as students but as citizens of the world. Eventually, as the time came closer to my high school graduation, I was uncertain about the future, of the things I could not definitely predict. For the past couple of years, I had been consistently believing that God put me on this Earth in order to explore life and all its ups and downs. However, there were times where I would fall into the abyss of my past. David Brooks once said, “Through history, people have gone back into their own pasts, sometimes to a precious time in their life, to their childhood, and often, the mind gravitates in the past to a moment of shame, some sin committed, some act of selfishness, an act of omission, of shallowness, the sin of anger, the sin of self-pity, trying to be a people-pleaser, a lack of courage” (“Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy?” by David Brooks- Moreau FYE Week Two). We as humans, as a society, tend to stay hooked to every little mistake we have committed and the mistakes others have made. It seems no matter what we accomplish, there will be this sense of guilt and shame from one’s past. It is in our nature as humans to feel guilty, shame, and afraid of the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM 3 ‘mistakes’ and ‘sins’ we commit. When exploring my options for university, I knew I lacked courage, the courage I needed to stick with my decision, the courage to leave home for a completely different place. I was so overwhelmingly afraid of attending the University of Notre Dame since it was miles away from home, I was afraid of the unknown possibilities that could occur away from Texas. However, the belief that God led me here, to explore a new, unknown environment gave me the courage to proceed with my decision; this belief gave me the courage to not be filled with guilt and shame for leaving home. When I decided to attend Notre Dame, I entered with the mentality that “ the greatest journey you will ever go on is one of self-discovery. On this journey success, productivity, and failure are an afterthought” (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” by Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Three). It was evident that by attending an out-of-state university, I would be entering unknown territory, an environment that I had never been exposed to due to my lack of knowledge of the Catholic faith. When I got my acceptance to the University of Notre Dame, I began to think that all the things that had occurred in my life were part of God’s greater plans for me. It was almost as if he was giving me a sign, indicating me, gesturing towards me that he would always be there for me no matter what decisions I had previously made. It was almost as if God was giving me a small push towards what my future could potentially be, to explore a faith where the love people had for Him was so prevalent and admirable. In the short time, I have spent at Notre Dame I have learned to love myself despite all my flaws and the uncertainties I had about life. During high school, I had a friend constantly tell me “no one will ever love you as much as I do” (“Because I Love You” by Double Whiskey, One Love Foundation - Moreau FYE Week Four). I used to believe that she was the one person I could always rely on, a friend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQ5ur9OZ-g 4 whom I could call a sister. Due to the close bond I believed we had, I was there any moment she needed anything, no matter what the circumstances were. However, whenever I needed someone to be there for me, it was almost as if I was a ghost to her as if I was invisible. Eventually, I began to realize that she never loved me, she just loved the idea that I was at her disposal. This experience caused me to doubt why God had truly put me on this Earth. Had he placed me here to suffer, to become guarded to the point where I felt I could never truly trust someone? Over time, I realized how irrational these thoughts were, that I had to trust that God had a bigger plan for me. I believe that God gave me the opportunity to face this trial and hardship to become a more caring and open-minded person when it came to facing the mysteries of life. After the hardships I faced during high school, I yearned to be part of a community that was there for each other, a community I could rely on. At Notre Dame, I have come to understand how much of a loving community the Catholic faith has to offer. “A Catholic education means that every discipline that searches for truth, shares in that final and most beautiful truth that calls us to serve each other in love,” meaning that the relationships one forms in the Catholic community are genuine (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Groves, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Five). When I found out that the University of Notre Dame was a Catholic institution, it was that final cherry on top to commit to this university. Through the progression of my high school career, I began to withdraw from my family, friends, and religion. Being raised as a Jehova’s Witness, I eventually began to feel as if my commitment to my religion was a chore, and as if I was an outsider in my own community. Consequently, I stopped interacting with my church and stopped going to the reunions as a whole. My acceptance to Notre Dame made me feel as if God was shining his light upon me. Through my short time https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 5 here at Notre Dame, I have begun to open up my walls and become friends with people who I would consider family. It makes me think that this was God’s way of giving me a second chance to reconnect with him. I believe that God was shining this light on a path that was unknown to me, begging me to take a leap of faith. As a human being, as a citizen of the world, “I come from the guiding hands of the Lord, whose promise keeps me going” (“Where I’m From” by Stephanie Rincon - Moreau FYE Week Six). I believe that God keeps his promise of allowing us to reach salvation by giving me the blessing to keep learning about myself and others. During my time on this Earth, I want to be able to get to know people’s stories, despite “how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story” (“Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi - Moreau FYE Week Seven). Growing up I was afraid to interact with people of other religions in fear that they would try to convert me into their religion due to the stereotypes I had heard. However, as I began to develop a more complex understanding of religions and how society worked, I became curious about what other religions had to offer. God has blessed me with this chance of exploring the Catholic religion, the chance to explore a different path than the one I could easily predict the future of. In 2020, if someone were to have asked me where do you see yourself in the next year, I would have definitely not expected to be able to say that I would be part of a community composed of wonderful people. I truly continue to believe that God put me on this Earth to explore the unknown, to take risks, to not stick with the path that was predetermined for me. For the rest of my duration here at Notre Dame, I hope to keep an open mind about the experiences I encounter and how my beliefs will continue to help me persevere through the rollercoaster that is life. https://docs.google.com/document/d/19FtLJ3OdImv0JEGT6UXvm_tu5mrr6CXf-mCsrVdZJqc/edit https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript?language=en