Last Integration Kelly Harrington Capstone Integration What I Want to Do With My Life. I see every day as an opportunity to grow, learn and love others. I want to help myself and others get closer to God and grow to be the best version of themselves and myself with love. So that way, we can achieve the bigger picture of success: joy and happiness. (“Mission Statement” by - Moreau FYE Week 13) I believe that the connection of human beings can help us become better and have a better relationship with ourselves. That is why I try to push myself to search for options on how to help people, grow my wisdom of things I am not used to, and find real happiness with those things. For starters, if we want to know what we are dealing with in our lives, we first have to analyze what we have to deal with every day ourselves. Sometimes we tend to ignore the fact that we have to know ourselves very well if we want to have the best performance in the presented situations. With this knowledge, we can change and develop new skills; we have to dive deep into ourselves to know the differences around us and use them in our favor. That is why, "it's precisely those who are busiest who most need to give themselves a break." ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer, TED- Moreau FYE Week 1). We are so busy with things around us that we forget to worry about ourselves—running around trying to get everything done and not thinking about how we feel, how we are doing, or how we live. Being busy is one of our biggest distractions to think about activities around us, technology, work, chores, etc. We forget to sit down and think about ourselves, even though It is essential to reflect on ourselves to grow, be better, and achieve our highest potential. If we do this, we can be in a better position to do the things we want, and as Father Hesburg once said, "If you want to do something good, I think there is a lot of room here to do something good…. Do something about it, its your country, it's your problem" ("Hesburgh" -(Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley)- Moreau FYE Week 2 ) There are a lot of things that can be fixed where we are, but we will not be in the position of fixing them if we are not good with ourselves. If we find that space where we know ourselves, we can work to achieve what we want and fix those problems presented in our community or even the world. Nevertheless, it is essential to be lenient with us because "introspection can cloud and confuse our self-perceptions, unleashing a host of unintended questions." ("The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There's a Wrong Way)" by Tasha Eurich, TED Conferences-Moreau FYE Week 6). Sometimes we can hurt ourselves with the time to analyze ourselves, so even though it is vital, we have to be careful about how we do it. Adding to the development of oneself and the search for meaning in our person, it is essential to open our horizons and learn about things that are not common to our person. One example of how sometimes, we do not allow the situations around us to impact us is racism. "Mainstream dictionary definitions reduce racism to individual racial prejudice and the intentional actions that result….But this definition does little to explain how racial hierarchies are consistently reproduced." ("Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism" by Dr. Robin D'Angelo- Moreau FYE Week 10) It is very interesting how sometimes we go to the literal and leave behind so much in the meaning of something. We limitate ourselves to the words used to explain something when words are not enough to describe things. I think that embracing humanity and everything around us is just like that. We can not just assume something by watching or experiencing it once. We can not suppose how someone or something is or what they are worth by just the on top "meaning" of what they are. We need to go into deep analysis and embrace the whole "meaning" of the things and people around us. Not allowing these situations or people that are different from us into our lives is trapping ourselves in an Echo chamber, and as Dr. Paul Blaschko says, "echo chambers are more dangerous than bubbles." ("How to Avoid an Echo Chamber" adapted from Dr. Paul Blaschko- Moreau FYE Week 11). An echo chamber is a place that you choose to be in. You decide to lock out any other information unrelated to the things in your chamber, other than a bubble that usually is a place you are without actually choosing to be there. This is dangerous because it can trap us in a cycle of only a couple of things, making us selfish and hurting us more than helping us. Not building a concise and good way of thinking and just having one thing to think about blocks any chance of growth and development of ourselves. That is why it is important to not close ourselves to just what we believe but analyze those situations and people around us to have a good analysis of them, have a definite opinion, and not only a word-shallow definition. If we never give other people the opportunity to become someone in our lives, we would never have the opportunity to impact others and impact our community and the world. As a firm Catholic, I believe that we are all brothers, and no matter where you are from or what you think in, everyone deserves an opportunity and respect. "As disciples of Jesus we stand side by side with all people. Like them, we are burdened by the same struggles and beset by the same weaknesses; like them, we are made new by the same Lord's love; like them, we hope for a world where justice and love prevail." ("Constitutions of the Congregation of the Holy Cross"- from 2 mission, paragraph 12- Moreau FYE Week 12) Sometimes it is hard to realize that we are all in this together. We are together on this trip called life, and even though we are all different, we all have problems, we all have sources of happiness, and we all have goals. Sometimes we have to open our eyes and remember that we are not alone. As I mentioned above, we are all in this together. "As disciples of Jesus we stand side by side with all people." I think that is inspirational, and I wish it would be easier to see and realize. In my own experience, Notre Dame has helped me to realize that you can find great relationships that could be life-changing in the places that you least expect them, but if you close yourself to those relationships, you would never know what could have been. We should have solidarity with everyone globally, not only with the people in our bubble but also in our echo chamber. We should help others to grow and find their true potential. "The goal should be that those who have no voice today will have a voice and will be heard." ("Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together" by Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9) Everyone has enormous potential, but sometimes it is hidden or blocked and needs help to be heard. It is crucial to help others, just as others may help us. We are continuing the talk about relationships. It is essential to generate relationships that can last forever. It is essential to search for ways to help those around us, love, and share happiness. The Pope once said, "Let us help each other, all together, to remember that the other is not a statistic or a number. The other has a face. The "you" is always a real presence, a person to take care of." ("Why the only future worth building includes everyone" by His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences - Moreau FYE Week 7). We must appreciate others the way we appreciate ourselves. If we value ourselves, and know our worth, it is easier to see others as valuable people, and it is just like a state or a number as the quote says. That is why, we have to be creative, and give the close people in our lives a personal and intimate treatment, so they know we are there for them. I think that the best satisfaction in life is to help others, and I think that the best way to do that is with personal love, transmitted to others. Achieving things is not worth anything if we do not have close people to share it with. Like Barney Stinson, a character in the series "How I Met Your Mother," says: "Whatever you do in this life, it's not legendary, unless your friends are there to see it." (How I Met Your Mother Season 9 Episode 17: "Sunrise") That is why it is crucial to search for the correct people and give them love and appreciation during our lives. Lastly, I want to do everything mentioned above to search for and achieve happiness. Achieve happiness and convert it to joy, so I can share it with those around me and find peace in my life. "Joy…comes from within, and it's a genuine rightness of how one lives one's life." ("Three Key Questions" adapted from Fr. Michael Himes- Moreau FYE Week 3). That is why I want to achieve it. I know that with the help of the University of Notre Dame and its resources like the text "Navigate Your Career" by the Muruelo career center at the University of Notre Dame ("Navigating Your Career Journey" by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development- Moreau FYE Week 4) I know I can use my career to achieve what I am trying to and become the person I want to be. In conclusion, as I talked with a teacher that is now my friend ("Reflection-Discernment Conversation Activity" by and Geovanni Hernandez (my teacher) - Moreau FYE Week 5), I want to achieve joy and share it with others. I believe that a person's development is made so it can be a tool to help others and make the world a better place. Here is Notre Dame; I know that I will develop my heart and mind to change the world and make it a better place. I have hope, and I am thankful that the course of Moreau helped me to make me think about these things and try to have them present from now on in my daily life. Bibliography: 1) Ohara, Chris. “Whatever You Do in This Life, It's Not Legendary, Unless ...” TV Fanatics, 3 Feb. 2014, https://www.tvfanatic.com/quotes/whatever-you-do-in-this-life-its-not-legendary-unless-y our-frien/.