Integration Three Integration Three Defining a Life Well-Lived: Embracing the Present, Making a Difference, and Cultivating Meaningful Relationships Death is often viewed as a time of sadness and sorrow, but this shouldn’t be the case. In the words of Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, “Everyone dies, their bodies rot, and every face becomes a skull” (Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). Death should not be something to be avoided, rather it presents an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate a life well-lived. To me, a life well-lived is one that is lived in the moment, involves doing your part to make the world a better place, and allows you to surround yourself with meaningful relationships. A significant amount of our course content from this semester so far has dealt with reflection and living in the moment, which is an essential part of the way I view a life well-lived. To again reference Sister Alethia, she seeks to practice the phrase “memento mori”, which means, “remember your death”, and the purpose of this is to “think about your own death every day, as a means of appreciating the present and focusing on the future,” (Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). This concept serves as a powerful reminder that death is inevitable. There is nothing we can do to avoid dying and preoccupying ourselves with worry about our impending death is useless. Instead, we can use this knowledge to help us to live better in the moment. By keeping our death in mind, we are aware of the fact that we only have a limited amount of time left, and with time always running out, a life well-lived means always embracing the current moment. Part of this idea of living in the moment involves taking a step back. According to Pico Iyer, “It’s only by stepping farther back and standing still that we can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means, and to take in the larger picture,” (Why we need to slow down our lives by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). Especially because of how busy I am now trying to balance academics, participate in different activities, and still get enough sleep, it can be easy to get lost in everything that’s going on. I often find myself always looking ahead to what will be going on next week and the week after that, and while this is useful when it comes to being organized and having good time management, it can also prevent me from focusing on today. If I’m always anticipating what will come next, how can I embrace the present moment? One of the provided mindfulness resources was an article, and one of the phrases that the author used was, “When chopping onions, just chop onions,” (3 Ways to Practice Everyday Mindfulness by Krista Steele - Moreau FYE Week Six). What she means by this is to focus your attention on what you’re doing instead of thinking about that homework assignment or that upcoming exam. This skill is one that I associate with a life well-lived. Someone that lives well is someone that lives in the present and makes the most of the current moment. In my own life, I’d like to implement more mindfulness strategies to work towards this skill. Currently, I find that going on walks can help me to destress and take my focus away from everything I have to do, but in order to continue to foster personal growth, I would like to try more practices, whether that https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/prayer/ways-to-practice-everyday-mindfulness/ means meditation, prayer, breathing exercises, or something else. Being able to focus on the present, with the knowledge that our time is limited, is essential to a life well-lived. In addition to living in the moment, part of my definition of a life well-lived involves having a rewarding career that allows you to find happiness while also doing good for others. In any case, a person’s career is likely a significant part of their life, but for a life to be well-lived, that career should correspond to the following three questions, posed by the Center for Career Development: What brings you joy? What are you good at? What does the world need you to be? (Navigating Your Career Journey by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). All three of these questions are important to a life well-lived because they ensure that you’re spending your life doing something that you enjoy, that your strengths apply to, and that benefits others. Personally, I’m not quite sure what I want my career to look like yet, but I have an idea in mind. I know that I want to be an engineer because I love problem-solving, my skills in math and science will allow me to be successful, and my knowledge would give me the ability to implement solutions that help others. My conversation with my parents as a part of the Week 5 Discernment Activity provided some reassurance that this is the right path for me. They’ve noticed how much I enjoy my STEM classes and agreed that engineering seems to be the right choice. In order to ensure that my career leads me toward a life well-lived, I plan on taking advantage of the resources available to me, whether that means interacting with the Center for Career Development, connecting with alumni, or just doing my own research. Whatever my career ends up looking like, as long as I can be happy while also contributing to something bigger than myself, I’ll be living a life well-lived. Finally, arguably the most important part of what a life well-lived means to me is being able to forge meaningful relationships with those around you. In Fr. Boyle’s Tattoos on the Heart, he mentions that when we refrain from judgment, “we find ourselves, quite unexpectedly, in a new, expansive location, in a place of endless acceptance and infinite love,” (Chapter 8: Jurisdiction by Fr. Greg Boyle - Moreau FYE Week Seven). This was something that resonated with me personally because I can sometimes be judgmental, so I was reminded that if I stay open-minded, I may have the chance to form an unexpected friendship. In order to continue to grow in a social sphere and keep widening my network to expand my relationships, I plan to try to step outside of my comfort zone and be willing to be vulnerable in an attempt to meet new people. Surrounding yourself with others that want to be around you is key to a life well-lived. During class when the assignment was to draw a picture of what a life well-lived means to you, I sketched one person surrounded by a bunch of other people. If other people want to be around you, I view that as a sign that you’ve done something right. An important step in the quest to live a life well-lived is having inspirations and examples to follow. One such example is the life of Fr. Hesburgh. He was able to accomplish so much and influence so many people during his life. His work went far beyond Notre Dame and had a profound impact on the entire country and even the world in terms of civil rights, Catholic education, and most importantly as a leader with the ability to connect people regardless of their differences (“Hesburgh” produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Although the average person will likely never achieve as much as he did, Fr. Hesburgh’s mission to always do what’s right is something that anyone can incorporate into their own attempt at a life well-lived. https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/523987?module_item_id=168024 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/523987?module_item_id=168024 https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 Overall, my three pillars of a life well-lived are living in the moment, pursuing a professional life that brings personal joy and benefits others, and forming meaningful relationships with those around you. In order to continue to foster my own personal growth in working towards these tenets, I plan on making time for reflection and mindfulness techniques, taking advantage of all the resources available when it comes to career planning, continuing to make an effort to meet new people, and also trying to integrate the commendable characteristics of Fr. Hesburgh’s life into my own. When I die, I can only hope that the people I leave behind will be able to look back on my life and view it as a life well-lived.