Integration #4 4/27/22 Capstone Integration Searching for Fulfillment My personal mission statement is to live my life to the fullest, to seek fulfillment, and to never give up on my goals. I strive to treat others fairly and equally and at the end of my life I hope I can look back without any regrets on how I choose to live my life. This is at least what I wrote for week 13 of Moreau.(“Week 13 QQC” by - Moreau FYE week 13) However, I think my true mission statement that I carry with me every day is much simpler. It is to seek fulfillment in every aspect of my life so at the end of the day, I can be happy with what I have achieved on this Earth. Just as we explored in week 3 of Moreau, we all will die and we must stay cognizant of that. While I initially did not like confronting the idea of death. Remembering that you eventually will die, keeps you motivated to achieve more.("Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die" by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week 3) I believe that I mainly seek fulfillment in my relationships with others. This can be achieved in multiple ways but the biggest one is through love and making relationships that bring out the best in us. In the discernment activity, I was able to connect with someone that I considered to be a friend that makes life worth living.("Discernment Activity" - Moreau FYE Week 5) I also was able to reflect on why that relationship was so important to me. I came to the conclusion that it was the mutual love we both had for each other that made that relationship so special. Not love in a romantic sense, but in the sense that we cared for the other person and wanted what was best for them, even if it was hard for us. This kind of love was also really exemplified by Fr. Greg Boyles in his engagement with his local community and helping many of them off the streets.("Tattoos on the Heart" by Fr. Greg Boyle - Moreau FYE Week 7) I feel like the relationships with this love create a sense of fulfillment because you know you are in a relationship that is genuine. There is no way you can fake this love, it is all straight from the heart. One thing that can be preventing us from fulfillment is the idea of false fulfillment, which comes from unloving relationships. This is when everyone around you is making you believe that you achieved something and that you have been fulfilled, but in reality this isn’t the case. This false fulfillment usually sprouts from echo chambers or peer pressure when you’re being https://docs.google.com/document/d/11R43fQHbMKO-WUFiaiKrgs5K7mNOhQtKp-v7cvHEBkc/edit?usp=sharing 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://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39695/files/523981/download?download_frd=1 told that you’re doing what's cool or what’s right, but in reality it isn’t at all.("How to Avoid An Echo Chamber" byDr. Paul Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week 11) These are very dangerous because they can lead us into doing things we should not do, and cause us to later regret our actions. They can set us back on our goal to true fulfillment. I know I felt this earlier in the semester when I tried to conform with others and be cool, but instead was making myself unhappy. I realized that situation though and found others that push me to be the best version of myself. The other positive way fulfillment can be found in relationships is by treating others fairly and holding those around you to that same standard. We have to make sure that love prevails in the world over all of the hate. In times where we hear about hate constantly on the news, or on social media, it is important to show love. Hearing Marcus Cole’s story of how his father was harassed for being black or Jacob Walsh’s story on how he has struggled with feeling acceptance because he is gay makes me think that there isn’t enough love around us. One should not feel hatred because of their race or sexual orientation. Instead we should treat each other with love and respect despite any differences.("I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe and I can do something" by Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE week 12) & ("Growing up Gay and Catholic" by Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE week 10) I grew up in a very diverse area where I had the pleasure to see that we all are really the same. It may be the easier route to reject someone, but you also do not know how far acceptance and equal treatment can go in someone's life. Just expressing acceptance and love is one of the best things you can do to another human being, so why not do it? This idea also piggybacks with accompaniment, because when treating someone with love, you should also be accompanying them. When Steve Reifenberg spoke on his experiences being accompanied, I was able to reflect and think that if I was in the same situation, what would I do.(Teaching Accompaniment: A learning Journey Together" by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9) I believe that I would try to accompany someone because again, you don’t know their situation. Maybe just taking the time to help someone will spur a moment filled with fulfillment. Maybe it will take you down a path that leads you to your life worth living. These are things you will never know unless you decide to go for it and help others. To me, the idea of fulfillment is synonymous with looking to achieve a life worth living, which was probably the most important lesson from Moreau this year. I felt that the idea of a fulfilling life was especially demonstrated when watching the Hesburgh movie. While watching, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND 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/ 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://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit I was able to look into the life of a man who achieved fulfillment through his amazing actions.(Hesburgh - Moreau FYE Week 2) That movie honestly inspired me to look at how I could try to change the world hopefully in my future. This can be difficult though, especially when looking at careers. A lawyer has very limited options on how to affect his community, but hopefully I will be able to do as much as I can pro-bono to represent those who need me. I was able to think more deeply about this idea of having a fulfilling career in week 7, when we completed an activity that forced me to truly reflect on this topic.("Exploring a Life Well Lived - Career Development Reflection" by Merulo Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week 4) I was able to realize that although it won’t be easy, if you care enough about searching for fulfillment in your life, you can achieve it regardless of your career. Within all of us I believe there is fear that we will not fulfill our goals or live a life well lived. This is saddening, however I believe that we all can prevent this by searching for aspects of a life well lived in all of our experiences. During the first week of Moreau we explored the importance of self reflection and how taking time to look at ourselves can be very beneficial in life.("Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1) I really enjoyed this article because I feel like we commonly get caught up in worrying about unfulfillment that we end up creating a self fulfilling prophecy. I know I have been caught worrying too much about not doing anything meaningful that I did nothing at all. The search for fulfillment is unique because we constantly are doing it, but if we try too hard we usually set ourselves up for failure. Sometimes we need to just take a few minutes and take a break from the world and our stress. This was discussed in “5 Minutes” where the idea of just taking 5 minutes to pray instead of getting upset or frustrated will help to change our mindset.("5 Minutes" by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week 6) I applied when studying for finals because I was becoming so frustrated when I was unable to get one calculus problem. I ended up taking a 5 minute break and when I came back, I was refreshed and solved the problem. https://nd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0AGRyH4SWX0bz38 https://nd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0AGRyH4SWX0bz38 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39695/modules/items/144732 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022