The Final Integration Combs 1 Professor Harrington Moreau First-Year Experience 15 March 2022 A Mission of Solidarity in Understanding My mission is to live a life rooted in honesty and the pursuit of understanding. I want to live a life that inspires a positive environment around me that would cultivate my understanding of the world and cultures I am not familiar with. The love in my mission is inspired by my dad. His active role in my life mirrors the role I want to have as a father someday. My mission is to uphold the values that define me as a friend and one day a father. (Week 13) During week seven of our time in Moreau we were assigned a TED Talk in which Pope Francis said, “Only by educating people to a true solidarity will we be able to overcome the ‘culture of waste’” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). I think this quote ties into my mission statement well because I believe solidarity must be achieved through understanding and compassion. As stated by Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez, “Solidarity with the poor means not to try to be the voice of the voiceless” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez - Moreau FYE Week Nine). The basis of my mission being rooted in honesty is to help create an environment around me that helps me to pursue an understanding of other cultures. I do not want to be their voice but rather hear their words. The impact of my mission statement on my life is the largest with my wish to understand. I do not think I can change the world’s perspective. However, 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 Combs 2 my mission statement is about how I can impact my own life and the lives of those around me. I want to pursue these values in every aspect of my life. The next three years of my life are not clear to me. However, I know the morality I wish to traverse these years with. I believe my mission statement will have a profound impact on my relationship with my family. In high school, I had a typical relationship with my parents. I went through the early teenage years and we fought. However, since I have come to college I have started to value time with my family much more. I go out to dinner with my parents before I leave for college after a break and I spend real time with my brother. These are things I have never done before. In part, these actions are influenced by the idea “Remember your death.” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). During the process of writing my mission statement, this quote lingered in my mind. My parents only have so much time with me and I want to spend it being honest and enjoying it. Life is too short to waste. One factor of my life that has hindered my ability to spend time understanding others has been my phone. The week one reading stated “It’s easy to feel as if we’re standing two inches away from a huge canvas that’s noisy and crowded and changing with every microsecond. It’s only by stepping farther back and standing still that we can begin to see what that canvas is” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). I resonated with this quote as I remembered all the time I have wasted on my phone. As a freshman in high school, I can remember wasting eight or even nine hours a day on my phone. This quote recognizes the ability of technology to make us hyperfocus and forget the important things. For me, this has been diminishing the amount of time I could spend getting to know others or developing my 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://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ Combs 3 understanding of the world. At the start of the semester, I wrote about how I gave up Tik Tok and Instagram for New Years. I can proudly state I still have Tik Tok deleted and have spent much more time with those around me. I hope this trend will continue throughout college. Another aspect of my life that is heavily influenced by my mission statement are my friendships. More specifically, who I choose to spend my time with. In a way, my friendships have always been guided by a compassionate mindset. However, college has provided a fresh start where I have to make these choices again. The week six integration covered Dr. Jihoon Kim as he stated, “The doctor told me I would not be able to walk for the rest of my life, and that was like a death sentence to me. I wanted to end my life” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Six). Disabling events are life-changing for anyone because of the physical weaknesses they will now face. However, the social consequences are just as large and go widely unrecognized. In middle school, I was friends with a kid who needed a wheelchair. He was bullied for it and while I never stood up in a physical altercation, I was there for him as support in tough times. In college, I want to keep the mentality that allowed me to build these relationships and understand those who haven’t been as fortunate. Those with disabilities are not the only ones who could use a friend who understands them during difficult times. Jacob Walsh described his friend’s reaction to coming out as a gay catholic when he said, “‘Wow, thanks for telling me,’ he said after a minute. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’ The knot in my stomach untied, and I let go of the steering wheel. When we got out of the car more than an hour later, we were both laughing and wiping tears from our eyes” (“Growing up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE Week Ten). He faced an unimaginable struggle surrounding his sexuality and a fear of the reactions of those around him. I am from Omaha, https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/ https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/ Combs 4 Nebraska which can better be described as a city in a sea of cornfields. Homophobia was not uncommon to hear at my all-boys catholic school and I imagine there were plenty of students who struggled from their environment alone. I had a friend who came out to me. He wasn’t Catholic but he faced the same struggles Jacob describes here. To me, my mission of honesty and understanding doubles as a mission to comfort and support. I want to remember these values in every interaction throughout college. I want to support those who need support. Some problems are too large to be fixed by any single individual. I am not demoralized by that fact. In fact, this strengthens my mission to support those negatively impacted by a problem beyond their control. Dean G. Marcus Cole described his reaction to a racially motivated assault of his father as he stated, “It would be one thing if I could have been assured then, or even now, that such a thing could never happen again. My own experience proves that it can” (“I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something” by Dean G. Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). Dean G. Marcus Cole experienced something I am unlikely to experience in my life solely because of the color of his skin. There are parts of life that are unfair but events like these remind me of my mission. This quote ties in well with a quote from Fr. Hesburgh as he stated “It wasn’t how I expected to serve, but I was serving my country in my own way” (“Hesburgh Film” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). I can’t fix every problem but I can help make the aftermath just a little better. I can serve the world in my own way. I can’t experience these things but I can try to understand and be there when my friends face similar struggles. Solidarity is born through understanding. During the week 5 assignment, my mom described me as “having a passion for helping others”(Mom - Moreau FYE Week Five). This idea is carried into my mission statement through 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://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 Combs 5 the solidarity I want to build. I want to understand people and build those relationships. The career I land in will be one where I can work with others as my friends. I consider myself a friend and I believe that “If a person only focuses on one or two parts of his/her self-concept for a career, that person will eventually hit a wall” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Moreau Family Center For Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). If I don’t allow myself to work in an environment that caters to my goals of understanding and my desire to be around others I will eventually hit a wall. I enjoy academics (to an extent) but I want my next three years to be working towards something I will enjoy. I am going to keep these goals and topics in mind as I choose the direction I pursue in my career. In my academic career, the largest influence of my mission statement comes from my pursuit of honesty. I pursue honesty from myself in my beliefs and assertions in hope it will spur honesty from others. The risk of forgetting honesty was highlighted by Dr. Paul Blaschko when he stated, “Bubbles become echo chambers when groups give up on tolerating diversity of opinion” (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). Dr. Paul Blaschko described the risks of losing open communication with a group. A “bubble” of people can quickly lose their way. Echo chambers can lead to misinformation or the development of toxic beliefs. If a person lives in isolation and is told one belief is true, the lack of contradiction will lead him to believe it is true. An environment defined by an open and calm dialogue avoids these risks. I want to help sculpt this environment in my career and education. My mission statement is something that has subconsciously guided me throughout my childhood. As I traverse the next three years of my life and begin planning a future I wish to keep https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s Combs 6 pursuing understanding and honesty in every aspect of my life. I will be a great friend and one day an even better father.