Integration 1 semester 2 10/13/21 Belief Through Faith and Being Good To Others When I was young, I was never in one place. It was always stated to state, country to country, or even just house to house. My family moved a lot, but I saw a lot of different things and different people. Every place was different than any other; this came in a variety of ways, but most importantly, people's beliefs differed. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I will forever be thankful for living in so many different places because it, along with many other factors, shaped my beliefs I have today. Through a tough year of covid and a tragic injury, I was able to grow those beliefs to a deeper meaning as I learned more about the man I truly am every day. I believe I grow by strengthening my faith; I believe I am made to not be anything but a good man to myself and the people around me, and lastly, I believe I forge life-giving relations by being a man of faith and one that is good to others. In weeks one through seven of Moreau this year, I have been able to develop these beliefs focusing on at least once a week. In Week One, I was able to deepen my belief of not having to be anything but a great man. In the video "The Power of Vulnerability" by Brené Brown, Brown talks about many things, one of those being worthiness. My whole life, I have played football, and on most of those days, I have played it well. Five months ago, I made a bad cut; I tore my MPFL, Quad, and dislocated my knee cap. I was devastated. I didn't know who I was without football, and without it, I felt no form of worthiness in the world. With time and help, I found this was not true. Brown, when talking about worthiness, says that If you had a sense of worthiness, that alone separates you from the rest of the people who do not have a strong sense of worthiness ("The Power of Vulnerability" by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). I had to find a way to feel worthy again, but it was a lot simpler than I thought. I was not worthy of anything because I was a star football player, not even a little. I am worthy because of the way I treat others, the man I am every day, and because I am a child of the highest. In week two, I dug more into my belief of constantly growing by strengthening my faith. I have always grown up in the faith, but I am now trying to take my faith to the next level. I have a saying that I like to say on the field that can either keep you humble or lift your spirit. The statement is, "I'm a child of the King." This goes for all aspects of life; when you are at an all-time high, remind yourself you're not the king, you’re a child of the king, and when you feel unworthy, remember you always are because you are a child of the king. In the survey I took, it says one of my strengths is spirituality, and I agree. I am always striving to grow my faith so I can grow as a person (VIA Adult Survey - Moreau FYE Week two). In week three, we talked about how faith forms the way we see the world. I think my faith changes the way I see everything. In the video "The Role of Faith in Our Story" by Fr. Pete McCormick, I was taught to be patient. This hit home, especially with all of my moves and my injury. It helped me realize that not everything happens overnight, but you need to trust. Overall through Father Pete's words, I can see that my world is shaped by my faith. The basis on how I perceive things starts with my faith (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” by Fr. Pete McCormick- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register?registerPageType=popup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs Moreau FYE week 3. I believe we are all here for a reason and were put here by the same God. If that was not the case in my mind, everything would be different. My faith branches off in the world as well. Faith is what gives me trust in my loved ones and why I always know things will work out to be just fine. At the end of the day, faith doesn't physically help me "see" the world, but it sure does help me perceive and understand it. For these reasons, I am always striving to grow my faith. In week four, I focused on my belief in how I form life-giving relationships by leading with faith and being a good person. I loved this quote in the Healthy Vs. Unhealthy handout "Partners treat each other like they want to be treated and accept each other's opinions, friends, and interests. They listen to each other...Partners share their dreams, fears, and concerns with each other. They tell each other how they feel and share important information ("Healthy Vs. Unhealthy Relationships" by The Red Flag Campaign- Moreau FYE Week four)." With my relationships, I try to let my faith lead the way, faith that God has led me the right way, and faith in them. As well as that, I just always try to be nice and caring. In week five, I focused on writing my own story, and it strengthened my belief that I am not meant to be anything but a good person. A quote from the 2021 Laetare Medalist Address stood out to me, it says, "In high school, a counselor told you not to apply to ivy league schools because they were too competitive, but you transformed that limitation into motivation to graduate Magna Laude from Harvard University and later from Harvard Business school ("2021 Laetare Medalist Address" by Carla Harris- Moreau FYE Week five)." This hit close to me, so many people have doubted or told me I couldn't be where I am. I say be gone with people who tell you you can't because it's never true. You really can; you can do anything you work for. Now I am in a different place. I feel as if there is not as much doubt as there is expectation. People expect me to be a great player, expect me to do things others can, but at the end of the day, the expectation for myself is not that. I would love to make those plays, and I will work for that every day, but if it all doesn't happen, the real expectation for me is to treat others with respect and love. In week six, I wrote a poem about what has formed me, this poem was inspired from one previously written ("Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon- Moreau Week Six). I believe that my faith has formed me heavily. In the poem, I say, "I am from my mom telling me to say my prayers." I said this because it was kind of the start of it all. She would tell me to say my prayers every night, and I still try to to this day. This grew me every day, and it still continues to grow me. In week seven, we were asked the question, how can we pursue the truth? I once again fell back on my faith; I always believe I grow by strengthening my faith. But beyond my faith, a quote stood out to me, "There are perceptual illusions, for example, in which white subjects perceive Black faces as angrier than white faces with the same expression. Race can bias people to see harmless objects as weapons when they are in the hands of Black men and to dislike abstract images that are paired with Black faces(“How to Think about ‘Implicit Bias’” byKeith Payne, Laura Niemi, John M. Doris- Moreau FYE Week 7)." This quote made me realize how https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4 http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/ people may discriminate without even knowing. With my faith, I believe that finding the truth and treating people the right way are at the core of my beliefs.