Integration Three


Integration Three
Moreau First-Year Experience
Pedro Augusto Leone Bolsonaro

Looking Forward: A Life Well-Lived

As I traverse through university and slowly find my path in the so-called “real-life
world”, the more I ponder over what a life well-lived looks like. At the same time, however,
thinking about the future, and all the uncertainty tied to it, provokes an excruciating feeling of
anxiety fused with being out of control. In fact, thinking about the future too much can actually
be counterproductive, as I have come to realize after a couple sleep-troubled nights. As French
philosopher Blaise Pascal famously noted “All the happiness of men [...] arises from one simple
fact: that they cannot sit quietly in their chamber.” (“Why we need to slow down our lives" by
Pico Iyer – Moreau FYE Week 1). Regardless, based on the conception of life that I have molded
throughout my twenty years of life, I can confidently draw conclusions on what a life well-lived,
particularly in an academic, professional and personal sense, would look like for me.

If I told you I knew exactly what I wanted to study when I was filling out the application
for Notre Dame, I would be lying. To be honest, when I punched in ‘Finance’ into the intended
major textbox, my motivation behind it was mostly being able to secure a well paying job after
college to make up for the pricey tuition my family committed itself to covering. At the time, I
could not tell you what a hedge fund was or what investment bankers do (I still am a bit unsure
on the latter). But after enrolling in Fundamentals of Finance last semester and familiarizing
myself with the vast variety of ventures within the world of finance, the prospect of studying
finance became much less a daunting and necessary evil for financial stability, but an engrossing
challenge to master and delve deep into the understanding of capital. Inspired by my professor,
who recurrently reminded students of the great possibilities of leveraging your finance expertise
to the service of others, I have come to understand that studying finance allows me to produce
positive change in the world, particularly through the sharing of financial education. The
academic branch of a well lived-life, in my eyes, will solely be fulfilled if I consider how I can
leverage that learning into the benefit of those in need. I look up to Fr. Hesburgh as a role-model
in this sense; as his documentary suggests, “Fr. Hesburgh recognized that he had a duty to serve
and give back.” (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca & Christine O’Malley – Moreau FYE Week 2). That
is also why I am pursuing a complementary degree in Global Affairs. Raised in a privileged
household amid a society plagued with inequality and having the opportunity to study in one of
the best institutions in the world, I believe it is my responsibility to look outwards into regions of
economic backwardness and empower its citizens to reach an acceptable condition of living.
Having this globalized outreach will be crucial to study the social fabric of countries that suffer
with poverty and inequality and appraise the best way to revert their fortunes.

mailto:pleonebo@nd.edu
https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/
https://okta.nd.edu/app/universityofnotredame_panopto_1/exk13lykiqNLbwS7H357/sso/saml?SAMLRequest=jZJbb%2BIwEIX%2FSuT3xLlAo1iAxBatikS7UaF92BfkJFOwSDyux2nh368Dvb5U%2B2RrNMfnfDOekOxaI%2Ba92%2Bt7eO6BXLBcTNlWZkla5eM6lPE4DkdZJkNZyaswhgKqcVGM8iphwSNYUqinLI1iFiyJelhqclI7X4rTNIyzMB5tklxkhRilUZHlf1mw8C5KS3dW7p0zJDjHg5ORbiJoei6N4b1WL8Pr7oRPGp2FRnawNVKjcbhNOBwPSdaeDur5blW9rvObbJxzIuQDEQt%2Bo63hjDVlT7IlGOKVksi%2F%2BlEpLTqssf2ldKP0bsp6qwVKUiS0dyPharGe366ExxPVpYnEzWZThuWf9YYFcyKwA8c1auo7sGuwL6qGh%2FvVJ9lH%2BmiP5KCJ3iCiGjteXu7%2B3AHxITBf4U7pSJI5suDYtZrEeUk%2FpzNvKGw2GbrFeRf2i%2F5nuXwHYbP%2FiT3hX0wujkbc%2Bd7losRW1adg3rb4em1BOj9uZ3s%2FbT67yL5%2Ft9k%2F&RelayState=%2FPanopto%2FPages%2FViewer.aspx%3Fid%3D10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9&SigAlg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2F09%2Fxmldsig%23rsa-sha1&Signature=OrDP%2Fm6OQlTXKs8Snf2vs5c4Qr%2Bj0tA4b0F7D%2BxF3sV1vNtNSoCObUN45zoTXTXGPQQFdoI6aDhFeUXI%2F3dlPN4uQWZDYA6fYNSR9ymFoCI%2FM2Sf3oD3nMkGPUyuRki29F%2BCXLiz2QxBtPhsnZ77ylJhCQC%2BJ9fp0SoZeCzgFrdHImbCQaqIPleaQDV2FmXILApYw4d54pmIOCAB2Qv%2F0aDpQu1xFRilknHb56FA7PpVeGpW0suHZXorpoxlWKTMP%2F9sMgN6XIyf%2Bk7011HAqRuIiM4mIoxUEanhpGeMTjmDNU7HxqTx2bYsulCzraBSB9g0EEGrBI16TwS%2Fhu67IQ%3D%3D


It has recently become a buzz-phrase at universities across the United States that
whatever major you pick does not determine what professional area you will eventually head
down. In truth, as the Meruelo Career for Career Development suggests, “ [...] you can relax and
put aside the thought that you are deciding your career path when picking your major.”
(“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Center for Career Development – Moreau FYE
Week 4). At the same time, however, it is also true that your major is the first factor that
gravitates you towards a specific industry or at least sector of the job market. Therefore, it
became apparent that the considerations I made towards my major often outpoured into what a
well-lived professional career would look like. Well, the answer to that question, like many
others throughout this paper, is foggy at best. What I can say with certainty is that regardless of
what path I opt to tread down, the morals and values that I have cultivated first within my
household and now at Notre Dame, will always take precedence. To have a well-lived
professional career is first and foremost to have a dignified career. With that being said, I also
know that a well-lived career is shaped by excellence and professionalism, in whatever field I
venture into, I will perpetually strive to accumulate knowledge that empowers me to be
constantly growing within that field. In this sense, I look up to my grandfather, who constructed
an exemplary career at gas company Esso. Starting as a trainee at the company, he immersed
himself in the industry, knowing leaders of his field and connecting with fellow professionals in
his firm, allowing him to move up the ranks and materialize a dream he had as a young boy.
Although possible, I know that this sort of incessant motivation is extremely difficult to fabricate
if you find no interest in your profession, which is why I am so determined in choosing a career
area which I find joy in waking up every morning and pursuing with intent and excitement. As
Fr. Micheal Himes advises, “One of the best ways to get into the way a person thinks [...] is to
ask the questions, “What are your obsessions? What are the things you can’t leave alone?”
(“Three Key Questions” by Fr. Micheal Himes – Moreau FYE Week 3). I have come back to
these questions time and time again but I still cannot put a finger on what the answer to them
might be. Something I have learned at Notre Dame is that simply learning the theoretical side of
any area is simply not enough – to truly discern what career path you will find yourself in you
must venture into the professional world and see what a professional in that area does in his
day-to-day life. That is why this coming summer, with help of the very Meruelo Center for
Career Development, I have applied to various internships with the hope of getting hands-on
experience in the job market which will assist in determining what path my heart will eventually
set on.

Finally, and most importantly, I must look ahead and envision what a personal life
well-lived looks like for me. In my eyes, the academic and professional considerations I have
laid so far are important insofar as they enable me to fulfill my personal goals of fostering
valuable and positive friendships and raising a strong and loving family. In terms of friendships,
I have been fortunate in growing up in an environment where those around me, for the very most
part, were kind-hearted and well-intentioned. Regardless, there were some instances where some

https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/468567?module_item_id=144085


‘friendships’ proved nothing but to be toxic relationships that aggregated nothing but negativity
into my life. When we are surrounded by such people, we tend to feel a sense of voidness and
sorrowness, especially in difficult times where we need the support of our closest friends the
most. I felt a resemblance to what professor JD Kim said in his video, “when hardships or
unexpected things happen to us, we often focus on the things that we do not have.” (“5 Minutes”
by Aria Swarr – Moreau FYE Week 6). To avoid/minimize such cases, I have practiced a very
important skill called “cutting off”, where you gradually and systematically ensure you lose
contact with that person so that the negative impact they exert in your life is neutralized. Before
your friendships, however, the most important aspect of a life well-lived is your family. At
twenty-years-old, I am absolutely certain that the family I construct will be the cornerstone of my
life. As Pope Francis said in his TED Talk, “happiness can only be discovered as a gift of
harmony between the whole and each single component.” (“Why the only future worth building
involves everyone” by Pope Francis – Moreau FYE Week 7). This quote, different from most, I
interpret from a familial standpoint, where each single component is a person in your family,
who your love is boundless for, yet true happiness is achieved when you achieve a harmony
between all the components.

In conclusion, I believe that a life well-lived must be a balance of academic interests,
professional aspirations, and personal desires. The sacrifice of one in benefit of the other does
nothing but unbalance the harmony that exists between these three spheres. I also know that the
insights I have today might be entirely different from ones I will have in 5, 10 and 50 years into
the future. But I know that the only way of finding out is taking life head-on and courageously
navigating its uncertainty so that when you lay on your deathbed you can look back and
reminisce about your life well-lived.

https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022
https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript
https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript