Capstone Integration Benjamin Loyd 2 April 2022 Moreau Capstone Integration Mission Statement The root beliefs that I showed the ability to have I feel are perseverance and faith. It was a tough first semester of college with a lot of mistakes, trials and errors, and ups and downs, but I got through it and am grateful for my experiences in the first and second semester at Notre Dame. The eulogy helped me realize who I am as a person and my virtues. I have an idea of what I want to do for a job, but it could change in the future. I believe there is a God. This is not all a coincidence. I have experienced God many times in my life both big and small, and I am grateful for a God who loves and cares for me unconditionally, and one day be able to spend eternity in Heaven with him. To be successful to me is not about having wealth, fame, and money. There is so much more to life than material objects. A successful life is one where you are able to spread the gospel of Jesus and the love he has shown you to others around the world, and be a disciple of God. The highest good is very simple to me and that is to serve others. The Earthly Goal I chose this quote because everybody has the goal to live a life full of happiness and joy. However, this is only a very tiny part of time compared to eternity. I was watching an interview with famous basketball player Kevin Durant about happiness in life. He basically said that he does not chase happiness because life has its ups and downs. Moreover, he says that he tries to just be at peace, and to enjoy every day of life. It reminded me of when Father Michael Himes talked about the differences between joy and happiness. I thought about it for a while and thought that this take was interesting. So many people say “Do what makes you happy” and I agree with that because God put that something in you that brings you joy. It makes me question though if you did everything that makes you happy could it lead to something that makes you unhappy? For example if you are Christian and try to follow God, but then do something sinful in the moment to make you happy; you will realize that it was not worth it because the goal you are striving for is to be happy in Heaven. It made me think that I should not necessarily be choosing happiness because it is a fleeing feeling. We should be chasing Peace. Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. I went into the transfer portal trying not to have expectations, but If I am being I had high expectations. I saw one of my former teammates enter the transfer portal from another ACC school last year in May or June. I asked him what schools showed interest and what not and he named a ton of really solid schools. Not to sound cocky, but I believe that I am a better player than he is. So why am I not getting the same recognition? I keep telling myself it is because I basically entered in the beginning of the season and teams are not looking necessarily for replacements yet. This is most likely true, but I feel a part of myself has some self-doubt. I am mostly not really worried about finding a new school, but it is hard not to think of the worst possibility sometimes. I find myself doubting my self worth and questioning how good I am. There are a thousand thoughts running through my mind. Especially a person who deals with frequent anxiety. With that being said I also have some sense of comfort and tranquility. I remembered a quote from “Navigating Your Career Journey” that said “ it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not always linear; these steps don’t take place in a nice, neat order.” At the end of the day yes I want to know where I am going next, however I understand that God will put me where I will thrive. God uses life experiences to learn to trust him. So the prompt question is how does Ben pursue a life well-lived? To pursue a life well-lived for me means to be able to accept things as they are and to trust God no matter what. In “Growing up Gay and Catholic”, Jacob Walsh dealth with religious guilt frequently, until he realized that God accepts him for who he is, so he should too! Even though Notre Dame was not the best fit for me for various reasons I am grateful for the experience. I learned a lot about myself that I can carry into the future. I learned that I have really no interest in the business side of things yet, and that going to the pre-med route is not the road to go on. However, I do still find kinesiology, athletic training/trainer, exercise science, fitness to still be of interest. It was tough doing the core requirements at an elite school with no really specific major in mind. Hesburgh said that “There is meaning in suffering”. I learned how to better deal with my anxiety and other mental health issues that might occur. Through non-judgment and mindfulness. It is tough to do mindfulness meditation in a way and self reflection because it can be boring. In “The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich it explained, “We can Spend endless amounts of time in self-reflection, but emerge with no more self-insight than when we started.” I experienced how to live on my own for long periods of time. I also learned that some people honestly don’t deserve you or your time. Know your worth. In Week eleven, “How to Avoid an Echo Chamber”, they discussed how it is important to see different perspectives and to try to understand where somebody is coming from. This is important because we as a country are so divided basically into two categories: Republicans and Democrats. We need to be United and to spread love. Dean G. Marcus Cole pulled a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. that stuck with me in his prompt, it said, “I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other, and they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other." To pursue a life well-lived I have to go into it with an open-mind. An example that we went over was in “Teaching Accompaniment: A learning journey Together” , here is he went to Chile to try and help the children, but ended up getting sick and then later realized how much insight he got from those kids because they helped him. I have aspirations to be doing something in sports. Whether a physical therapist, a trainer, or maybe even an MLB player, however if that doesn’t work out will I still be able to be at peace and be okay with what my profession is. For me I want to have a job that I love that makes good money, but what is more important is to fall in love and have a big family somewhere and be a great husband and dad. Which is Ironic because in the discernment in week five my mother told me that I value my faith and my family. It might sound a little cliche, but it is one of the things I am most excited for! Pico Lyer said, “The more time I spend away from my work, the better that work will be.” Work should matter, but it should not totally consume your life because if God took it away today then would you be okay? The ultimate goal however as I said frequently throughout moreau is to make it to Heaven and spend eternity with Jesus! To close, I found this beautiful quote about God in “Tattoo’s of the heart”, it says, “Close both eyes; see with the other one. Then, we are no longer saddled by the burden of our persistent judgements, our ceaseless withholding, our constant exclusion. Our sphere has widened, and we find ourselves, quite unexpectedly, in a new, expansive location, in a place of endless acceptance and infinite love.” Bibliography: Why we need to slow down our lives by Pico Lyer - Week 1 "Hesburgh" by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Week 2 "Three Key Questions" by Father Michael Himes - Week 3 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Week 4 Complete "Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity" by Moreau - Week 5 “The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich - Week 6 Download _Tattoos on the Heart_ - Chapter 8_ Jurisdiction (1).pdf by Father Greg Boyle - Week 7 “Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg - Week 9 "Growing up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh - Week 10 “How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko - Week 11 “Dean G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.” by Marcus Cole - Week 12 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/files/468294/download?download_frd=1 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit?usp=sharing https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/files/523808/download?download_frd=1 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/