Moreau Integration *Parts from my mission statement are in bold. My Mission to a Well-Lived Life Throughout my life, I have come up with many ideas and made many plans on how to live the best life possible. Many of these plans contained many materialistic successes that I was very focused on getting. Recently, I have kind of changed my values completely and have actually realized what it is that is most important when pursuing a life well-lived. Within the moreau first year course, I have developed new values and have had new plans for life reinforced. After going through this course I have come up with my mission: to create a community and world that is welcoming and accepting of all. I will always be open-minded, as being understanding and open to learning about all different ways of life, cultures, and backgrounds is essential in creating an inclusive and non-separate society. Throughout my life, I have seen too many people surround themselves with only people who are alike to them. The importance of inclusivity has become a bigger and bigger value in my life. I have sought out relationships with people very different from me, in order to learn about different ways of life. “One of the essential tests of social justice within any Christian community is its abiding spirit of inclusion.”(“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” from A Guide to Student Life, University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week 10). Being a student at a Catholic university, I find the quote above to be one of the most important values for all students here to have, as we need to constantly try to become more inclusive and diverse. In the past, I have been very ignorant in hearing opinions from different people who have totally different beliefs than me. “We need to ask ourselves whether our picture of our opponents is accurate and well thought out or whether we might be trapped in the feedback loops characteristic of echo chambers.”(“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko - https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND Moreau FYE Week 11. I have realized now the importance of not judging people based on what they believe in and getting to know people without any assumptions of their character. Assuming my people are bad people just based on their difference from you only creates a more separate and less inclusive community. I will act with courage, for being brave and not afraid to make new connections is one of the most important things in creating a sense of belonging for everyone here at Notre Dame. I have always been very concerned with my self-image and how other people perceive me. I feel like because of this, I have been too nervous to take risks and have been too timid to develop new relationships. “But it’s actually in facing the darkest realities of life that we find light in them.” ( "Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week 3). This quote from an article in this course has encouraged me to live more in the moment and to realize that with taking risks may come very many highs. In the past, I have also always dwelled too much on the past and put myself down for things I could not achieve. I have since lived with the mindset that it is impossible to change the past and that it is best to just move and focus on what it is you can do. I encourage everyone to do the same and live by this quote: “So I encourage all of us to just focus on what we can do for others or what we can do already instead of what we cannot do and what we do not yet have.”("5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week 6). I want to try to lessen the hate in this world. In order to do so, the first thing I need to do is try to end the separation between different groups of people. Each of us needs to branch out and get to know people different from us in order to create a more welcoming and less violent world. Striving to create a peaceful and welcoming world, to me, is the most important aspect of pursuing a life well-lived. Living in a way that is respectful to everyone and https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/ tries to include everyone is one of the most satisfying accomplishments. There is so much change and hate always happening in our world, so I feel like living in this manner will never put you in a bad position with change. “We don’t know where we’re going from here, and we don’t know what we’re going to do, but I can guarantee you there are a lot of battles yet to be won for justice. There are a lot of mountains yet to be climbed to overcome human ignorance and human prejudice and at times human stupidity.”("Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau FYE Week 2). I find this quote from Fr. Hesburgh to be a great reminder in today’s world that even when we are celebrating one victory or we have fixed one thing in our community or society, that we still need to remember that there are always other things that have yet to be addressed, and solving them is just as important. The journey to accomplish my mission has brought me many realizations. Since trying to follow this way of living, I have learned what it means to be successful. I no longer measure success in your materialistic accomplishment or assets, I now believe that success is measured in your happiness, the happiness you bring to the world, and within the meaningful relationships you have. For a long time, success to me meant what you have achieved in terms of materialistic accomplishments. With this thinking, I constantly was doing everything I could do academically in order to get these things. I was always very hard on myself and did not see any point in giving myself breaks or stopping. I have since realized how unhealthy this mindset was for me. “Yet it’s precisely those who are busiest, I wanted to tell her, who most need to give themselves a break.”("Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). This quote was exactly what I needed to hear at this point in my life. Not only did it make me realize the importance of slowing down such a fast paced lifestyle, but it also made me realize what all I could learn about myself while doing this. “You have to know https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ yourself first - your values, interests, personality, and skills (VIPS) - before you can make effective career choices.”(“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Dr. Donald Super - Moreau FYE Week 4). When you fully learn about yourself you know what the most important choices are in your life and what you need to do to live a happy and healthy life. I have learned what it means to embrace humanity and my responsibilities to others. It is so important to learn about all different groups of people in order to show the care you have for them and their way of life. It is all of our responsibility to make others feel like they belong in order to create a welcoming environment. “Life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions.”(“Why the only future worth building includes everyone by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). In order to make the most out of my interactions and relationships, I have viewed interactions not as just another random person I’m meeting but instead I try to actually engage in every interaction I have. From this, I am able to realize what characteristics in relationships lead to a good life. It is important to be in the accompaniment of all different types of people. “Accompanying the dying helps you understand what is most important about living. Accompaniment is a path to deeper understanding, the implications of which couldn’t be foreseen at the outset of the journey together.”(“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together by Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9). Since hearing this quote I have tried to incorporate its message into my life and see the results. I have realized that there are some lessons that I cannot teach myself and that it is very important to accompany people in order to learn and see what is truly important in a good life. Since coming to Notre Dame, I have tried my best to implement my mission into my everyday life. I have tried to make connections with all different kinds of people in order to create a more inclusive environment for everyone that is less separated. “Each of us needs to get https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing to know people who differ from us. We must all make a conscious decision and effort to expand our circles.”(“Dean G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.” by Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week 12). I have implemented this quote into my life and I encourage others to do the same in order to create a more welcoming and less violent world. https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/